The big picture
- Kevin Costner's career had ups and downs, but his decision to turn it down
Django unleashed
led to his role in
Hatfields and McCoys
which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award. - Costner's success a
Hatfields and McCoys
helped revive the western genre on television and paved the way
Yellowstone
the success of - While the absence of Costner
Django unleashed
left a role vacant, her career continued to thrive without him.
There are few film industry icons whose rise to stardom, fall from grace and subsequent comeback are as interesting as Kevin Costnerprofessional career of. There was a period in the early 1990s when Costner was arguably one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, but some major box office bombs like The postman soon this was over. Costner is the only one laughing now, as the success of Yellowstone in later years it gave him the subsequent influence to direct his passion project in four parts Horizon: An American Saga. Although luck has proved to be on his side, Costner briefly considered joining the cast of Quentin TarantinoAcademy Award-winning revisionist Western, Django unleashed.
A role in Django unleashed would have been a smart career film, as Tarantino is known as a filmmaker capable of revitalizing failed careers. John Travolta it was ridiculed for a series of disastrous failures in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Pulp Fiction it made him a superstar again for the next decade. During the production of Django unleashed, Costner certainly could have used a boost in his career. While his directorial passion project Open range had been modestly successful, films like The New Daughter, Swing Votei Rumors say they were not successes. A juicy role in a Tarantino film may have been the smart way to make a comeback, though Costner refused Django unleashed in favor of a project that introduced him to a new audience.
Django unleashed
With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
- Publication date
- December 25, 2012
- Execution time
- 165
Who would have played Kevin Costner in 'Django Unchained'?
Although he wouldn't have been someone's first choice to appear in such a controversial project as Django unleashed, Tarantino he was a big Costner fan and had a particular affinity for neo-Western film revenge what he had done with the director Tony Scott. Tarantino wrote the role of Ace Woody, a Mandingo trainer who served as Calvin Candie's right-hand man (Leonardo DiCaprio), specifically for Costner. However, Costner was forced to back out of his commitment to appear Hatfields and McCoysa western miniseries that would reunite him with the director Kevin Reynoldswith whom he had worked on both Robin Hood: Men in Tights i Aquatic world.
Costner's absence left Tarantino struggling to find a replacement. The part had been written to subvert audience expectations with a big star known for heroic roles as a ruthless, racist villain. Tarantino briefly floated the idea of casting Kurt Russell in the role, as he had risen to prominence as an action star at the same time as Costner. Although the pair would eventually work together on Tarantino's epic western The Hateful EightRussell's schedule could not be accommodated Django unleashed. This led Tarantino to remove the character entirely, replacing him with the character Billy Crash, played by Walton Goggins. Although Crash ended up getting far less screen time than Woody, he ironically shared a name with Costner's character from Bull Durham.
Kevin Costner turned down Quentin Tarantino to make 'Hatfields & McCoys'
Turning down a Tarantino movie to appear in a historical miniseries com Hatfields and McCoys it seemed like a disastrous decision, as The History Channel wasn't exactly known for its high-quality output. Even if Costner's job Django unleashed may have been overshadowed by DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, i Samuel L. Jackson, there was at least a guarantee that the film would generate a significant amount of attention, given Tarantino's viability at the box office. Despite this, Costner chose to go for a starring role in a project over which he had more creative control. While it would have been interesting to see him take a stab at Tarantino's famous dialogue, the acclaimed writer/director is notorious for not allowing his stars to improvise.
Costner's decision ended up paying off when Hatfields and McCoysbecame a surprise hit, popularizing the idea that a “prestige miniseries” could exist outside of HBO. The series received several Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including a win for Costner in the Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series category. Costner clearly has a passion for Westerns, but the genre was struggling at the box office for a multitude of reasons in the mid-21st century. Hatfields and McCoys helped the genre find a new home in a different medium. Later acclaimed western shows like Without God, the Son, i English would probably not exist without the precedent that Hatfields and McCoys had established
The success of Hatfields and McCoys helped revitalize Costner's star power on television, and led directly to the success of Yellowstone. while Taylor Sheridan was an accomplished screenwriter with Sicario i Hell or High Water under his belt, his initial interest in Yellowstone it largely stemmed from seeing a star like Costner take a swing at a prestige TV project. Yellowstone it quickly became a ratings juggernaut that led to the development of several spin-offs. Costner's appeal may have been overshadowed by the show itself, but it put him back in the spotlight and allowed him to move forward. Horizon: An American Saga.
What would 'Django Unchained' have been like with Costner?
It's hard to see ever appearing in a Tarantino film as a blemish on one's career, though There is a possibility that Costner was overwhelmed by his co-stars Django unleashed. Waltz's Academy Award-winning performance as Dr. King Schultz was met with such acclaim that it's hard not to feel that Jackson and DiCaprio were overlooked for their equally excellent work. Costner delivering the Tarantino jokes certainly would have been interesting, but join Django unleashed it may have resulted in a very different career arc for him.
Django unleashed is available to rent on Amazon in the US
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