The ‘Z’ is not silent
THE mastermind behind Django Unchained is now collaborating on a comic book that will pair his Django character with the enduring swashbuckler Zorro, DC Entertainment and Dynamite Entertainment announced last week.
Due later this year, the comic will serve as a sequel to Django Unchained, the Oscarwinning 2012 movie starring Jamie Foxx as a former slave turned bounty hunter on a mission to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a brutal plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio), with the help of a principled bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz).
Django Unchained has proved an enduring hit, grossing US$425mil (RM1.36bil) at the worldwide box office and spawning a comicbook adaptation from DC/Vertigo, which which Tarantino was not directly involved in.
This time around, Tarantino is “co-plotting” with Matt Wagner, who has written Zorro comics for Dynamite and will pen the new book. Reginald Hudlin, a producer on Django Unchained who wrote the aforemen- tioned adaptation, will serve as editor.
For Tarantino, the comic may help scratch two itches. First, he’s had Django on the brain of late. At the Cannes Film Festival last month, he told reporters he has 90 minutes of unused footage from the film that he’s considering using to create a four-hour Django TV miniseries.
“I’m very very excited about both this story and the opportunity to work with Matt,” Tarantino was quoted as saying in a joint press release issued by DC and Dynamite.
“It was reading his Zorro stories that convinced me what a good idea it was to join these two icons together. And the story idea we came up with is thrilling, and I think will be an exciting new chapter for both characters.”
“This project is an absolute thrill,” Matt Wagner said. “When Quentin and I first met, it felt like we’d known each other for years. The give-and-take energy of our initial story sessions was just incredible. It’s a particular buzz to be writing Zorro once again … and especially to team him up with the magnetic lead character from Quentin’s most straightup heroic movie, Django Unchained! The Wild West is never gonna be the same once these two come to town!”
Hudlin added: “This series is the first time Quentin Tarantino explored the continuing adventures of one of the characters from his films. That he would do it in a comic book demonstrates his love and appreciation of the medium. Quentin is not just a comic collector – he’s got a spinner rack in his house!”
Second, Tarantino could be keeping busy while he figures out whether and when he’ll make The Hateful Eight, the ensemble western he shelved in January after the script leaked online. Shortly thereafter, he became embroiled in a legal battle with Gawker Media over disseminating copies of the script.
Tarantino has since dropped the lawsuit. A recent report said he intends to start filming in November. – Agencies iconic masked avenger Zorro will be teaming up with Quentin Tarantino’s bounty hunter django in an upcoming comic from dC and dynamite.