Jamie Foxx rumored to star in ‘Django Unchained’

The new Quentin Tarantino project, “Django Unchained,” has been generating quite a bit of buzz. To heighten the excitement, the cast that already includes Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz looks close to adding a leading man to its roster.

Cinema Blend reports that Will Smith was/is rumored to be in the running, and it now appears another name is joining the ranks: Jamie Foxx. Casting Foxx could be a solid choice. However, after winning an Oscar back in 2005 for his performance in “Ray,” the actor’s film choices have been less than stellar. 

I mean, “Miami Vice,” “The Soloist,” Valentine’s Day,” and “Due Date” don’t look like they’re going to be canonized any time soon. Working with Tarantino, especially after the success of “Inglorious Bastards,” sounds like nothing but a good idea to me.  

Leonardo DiCaprio in talks for Tarantino's 'Django Unchained'

The blogosphere has been going berserk ever since cult director Quentin Tarantino announced that his next project was going to be a Sergio Leone-style spaghetti western. Whether it is about the script's racially charged language or Tarantino's desire for Will Smith to star in the film, the project is generating a lot of buzz.

Although there has been no word on Smith's involvement in the picture, Deadline is reporting that early talks have been initiated for mega-star Leonardo DiCaprio to join the project. DiCaprio is being courted to play the villain Calvin Candie who is an alluring but ruthless owner of a Mississippi club that features sex slavery and death matches. 

While the discussions are just getting underway, I would love to see DiCaprio in a role like this. Being a fan of Sergio Corbucci's 1966 "Django", which I am assuming Tarantino is getting his inspiration from, I have been a little hesitant about getting excited for this project. However, if DiCaprio gets on board, consider me thrilled.

Nolan and Favreau join battle against Premium Video on Demand

A few more notable names have joined the fight against DirectTV's Home Premiere VOD (Video on Demand) service. This service, which is backed by Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Sony, would allow customers to watch a film only two months after it opens in theaters for $29.95. Consequently, theater owners and some big Hollywood names have expressed their distaste for this service.

Directors Christopher Nolan and Jon Favreau are the newest to join in this campaign against DirectTV and have added their names to an open letter that condemns the service. Other signatories include Quentin Tarantino, M. Night Shyamalan and James Cameron. What are your thoughts on this service?

Quentin Tarantino talks about his Western project

Quentin Tarantino always has some idea for some film project, and so far, I'm glad he turned some of these ideas into reality. His next idea? As you may have heard already, he would love to do a Western.

Of course, it would have to be according to his style. The details he has spilled about his Western idea so far, however, sound more than intriguing. Just recently, he briefly chatted about it with NY Daily News.

"I'd like to do a Western. But rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times. With that subject that everybody is afraid to deal with. Let's shine that light on ourselves," Tarantino told the newspaper.

"You could do a ponderous history lesson of slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Or, you could make a movie that would be exciting. Do it as an adventure. A spaghetti Western that takes place during that time."

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Austin Film Critics Association loves 'Hurt Locker'

Members of the Austin Film Critics Association showed their love for Kathryn Bigelow's war drama "The Hurt Locker" this week as they named it the best film of 2009. Bigelow was also named best director.

Colin Firth took home the award for best actor for "A Single Man," while Mélanie Laurent won best actress for "Inglourious Basterds." Christoph Waltz was voted best supporting actor for "Basterds" as well.

Meanwhile, Austin's film critics picked Anna Kendrick as best supporting actress for her stunning role in "Up in the Air." The film also won best adapted screenplay for Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

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San Diego Film Critics Society 2009 Awards

Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" emerged as the big winner when the San Diego Film Critics Society picked the best films of 2009. "Basterds" started off by taking home the award for best film.

Tarantino was also voted best director, Christoph Waltz was named best supporting actor, and Tarantino also took home the award for best original screenplay. The film also won best production design.

But wait! That's not it. "Basterds" also won the award for best ensemble cast! Now that's what I call winning big time, and to be honest, Tarantino deserves it. "Basterds" is not my No. 1 flick of '09, but I sure loved it.

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'Basterds' is Tarantino's highest grossing film

This is not really a surprise, but Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" is now the filmmaker's highest grossing film. "Basterds" now officially raced past Tarantino's previous No. 1 film "Pulp Fiction.

"Pulp Fiction" generated $107.9 million domestically, and "Basterds" just reached a total gross of $109.9 million after recent weekend earnings of $3.6 million. The film opened everywhere August 21, 2009.

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Labor Day box office: 'The Final Destination' prevails

Here's a quick North American box office update: New Line Cinema's "The Final Destination" held on to the No. 1 spot during this extended holiday weekend with an estimated four-day total of $15.4 million. That brings the total gross of the fourth installment in the horror series to $50.6 million.

Quentin Tarantino's WWII drama "Inglourious Basterds" outran Sandra Bullock's comedy "All About Steve" Sunday, grabbing the No. 2 spot with a weekend gross of $15 million. The film's domestic gross currently stands at $95.2 million.

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'Inglourious Basterds' reaches $50M this week

Sure, opening weekend grosses are important and indicative of a movie's overall performance, but those daily grosses during the week can quickly add up. Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," for instance, collected $12.3 million between Monday and Wednesday, lifting its total gross to $50.5 million.

"Basterds" picked up $4.6 million Monday, followed by a daily gross of $4.2 million Tuesday. Wednesday was a slower day, as the film pulled in only $3.5 million. The R-rated WWII flick will face some serious competition this weekend from "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination."

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Unused 'Inglourious Basterds' poster is amazing!

The official movie posters we've seen for Quentin Tarantino's box office hit "Inglourious Basterds" were okay, but here's an unused one-sheet I'm sure would've made a much better poster down the road. It was posted at Posterwire.com, and you can check it out after the jump. It's a shame nobody did anything with this one.

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