Will Smith in the running for Tarantino’s Django Unchained

He’s conquered robots, extraterrestrials and monsters, but can Hollywood hero Will Smith conquer a gritty role in director Quentin Tarantino’s latest film (and possibly become a hero of arthouse cinema?).

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Tarantino has finalised the script for his latest film, Django Unchained, and hopes that Will Smith will play the title role of a freed slave in the Deep South who teams up with a German bounty hunter to search for his wife.

Smith and his representatives have received a copy of the script and it is under review, according to Reuters.

Tarantino is known for his creative casting ability, giving once forgettable actors the roles of their careers (John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, Robert Forster in Jackie Brown, David Carradine in Kill Bill, etc), and Smith has vocalised his desire to play more intense roles (which bodes well for Tarantino).

However, Smith is widely known for his careful strategy in choosing roles (he prefers top-grossing films) and of the many things Tarantino’s films are, they are rarely box office smashes.

Discuss: Is Will Smith likely to deviate from his blockbuster trajectory to take on a role in a Tarantino film?