Kurt Russell in talks to replace Costner in 'Django Unchained'

By Adnan Tezer Oct 4, 2011, 17:48 GMT

Kurt Russell is in talks to replace Kevin Costner in the cast of Quentin Tarantino's new film "Django Unchained."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tarantino will direct from his own screenplay.

The film will be a spaghetti Western set during the Old South that centers on a slave named Django who teams with a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz to rescue his slave wife from an evil plantation owner named Calvin Candie.

Jamie Foxx will play Django.

Christoph Waltz, who won an Oscar for his role in Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," will play Schultz.

Leonardo DiCaprio will play the sadistic Candie, the owner of a Mississippi plantation called Candyland. Candie forces his male slaves to engage in fights to the death while sexually abusing his female slaves.

Russell would play Candie's equally sadistic slave trainer, a role that Kevin Costner was set to play but had to pass on due to scheduling conflicts.

Samuel L. Jackson will play Candie's main slave.

Gerald McRaney and Dennis Christopher have also been cast.

The Weinstein Company will distribute the film domestically while Sony Pictures will distribute overseas.

Stacey Sher, Pilar Savone and Reginald Hudlin are producing.

Production begins in November with a Christmas Day 2012 release date set.

Russell was last seen as Stuntman Mike in Tarantino's "Death Proof" segment of "Grindhouse" back in 2007.