Frano Nero in Django (1966)
The so-called spaghetti western genre is basking in a worldwide revival. The Italian B movies have recently inspired the Rome album from Danger Mouse and Daniel Luppi that is due out next week. Now, Quentin Tarantino has confirmed plans that he is preparing to remake one of the genre’s most iconic films: Sergio Corbucci's Django.
Tarantino will pay homage to the original film in his own version, titled Django Unchained. He has enlisted the skills of well-known Italian actor Franco Nero for the project. The original Django (1966) launched Nero’s career when he played the lead role of a machine gun-toting drifter in the violent film.
Nero has received a similar commitment from Tarantino. The director has agreed to play the role of a bandit in another spaghetti western that Nero is producing. The small part will be featured in Enzo G. Castellari’s upcoming The Angel, The Ugly and The Wise, a tribute to genre-master Sergio Leone.
Quentin Tarantino has long been influenced by the Italian spaghetti westerns that were popular features in the 1960s and 70s. In fact, his successful 2009 film, Inglorious Bastards, was inspired by Castellari’s own Inglorious Bastards (1977).
