About a year and half ago, one of six men committed high treason and the deputy in town wanted the guilty party to hang. Quentin Tarantino had just dropped the first draft of his chamber drama Western “The Hateful Eight” screenplay and within hours it had leaked. The director had given the script to Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, “Django Unchained” producer Reginald Hudlin (unsurprisingly not a producer on ‘Hateful Eight’) and two unnamed Hollywood agents and the filmmaker knew one of them was responsible. Hell, it sounds like the plot of a soon-to-be bloody Tarantino movie. But instead of drawing his guns, Tarantino withdrew, claiming the betrayal had killed the movie and “The Hateful Eight” was dead. The director’s cooler head prevailed a few months later and with a new ending and a revised script, QT announced he would finally saddle up and make the once-shuttered picture.
And presumably Roth, Madsen and Dern were not culpable as they remain in the movie with the roles intended for the actors (the same can’t be said for Christoph Waltz, originally reported to be in contention for the project in its earliest inception; did anyone cross reference whether he switched agencies after the leak?) So what’s it about and who are the haters?
Tarantino’s movie is good-guy free. In fact, the Western takes eight mean, hard-tack sons of bitches and traps them in a haberdashery for most of this movie (you can read our original report on the leaked screenplay here). The film centers on a bounty hunter taking his charge back to Red Rock, Wyoming to be hung, but when he and his prisoner stop at what should be a welcoming trading post to rest from the freezing winterscape outside, they’re beset by five distrustful men who don’t seem like they belong (we can do math, they meet another traveler on their voyage). Who’s who?
Kurt Russell plays John Ruth, the mean and grizzled bounty hunter who kicks the movie off.
Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Daisy Domergue, Crow’s in-chains prisoner and set to be hung when they reach the nearest town.
Samuel L. Jackson appears in the role of Major Marquis Warren, a former Union officer that crosses paths with Ruth.
Michael Madsen appears as Joe Gage, one of the four mysterious cowboys at Minnie’s haberdashery.
Tim Roth stars as Oswaldo Mobray, the fancy Englishman who claims to be the new hangman of Red Rock.
Bruce Dern plays General Sanford Smithers, a former Confederate general.
Walton Goggins stars Chris Mannix, a Southerner who maintains he’s the new sheriff in town.
Damian Bechir features in the role of Bob, the taciturn Mexican, who somehow has managed to take over the innkeepers role.
Eagle-eyed readers will remember one more major actor was cast in the movie and, well, that person’s probably under wraps for a reason… “The Hateful Eight” opens on Christmas Day in a roadshow 70mm release and goes wide on January 8, 2016. Watch the first bloody trailer below.
HATEFUL EIGHT will have an original score, by Morricone.
— Russ Fischer (@russfischer) July 11, 2015
Fantastic 7 minutes of footage for Hateful Eight – aside from looking glorious – the acting / direction were on par with the script – tops!
— Jeff Goldsmith (@yogoldsmith) July 11, 2015
Tarantino says digital film is "like HBO in public. So maybe I’ll move into TV." #SDCC
— Stuart Oldham (@s_oldham) July 11, 2015
Tarantino is strongly suggesting that he will make miniseries for TV after wrapping his film career. "DO IT" people are screaming
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) July 11, 2015
Kurt Russell says he didn’t quite understand his HATEFUL EIGHT role right away, had to work with QT to really find the approach.
— Russ Fischer (@russfischer) July 11, 2015
Tarantino also teased the possibility that he might go to television and make miniseries. #SDCC2015
— ScreenCrush (@screencrushnews) July 11, 2015
Kurt Russell’s mustache. #SDCC #HatefulEight pic.twitter.com/oaxzjP8McZ
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) July 11, 2015
Those were 7 beautiful moments of THE HATEFUL EIGHT. Oh man.
— Sam Zimmerman (@samdzimmerman) July 11, 2015
Bad enough that Comic Con has to show Tarantino’s HATEFUL EIGHT footage via digital, then the Hall H lights came halfway up 1/3 through it.
— Russ Fischer (@russfischer) July 11, 2015
The N-word yelled in Hateful 8 footage may be the first time that word has been heard in Hall H.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) July 11, 2015
The Hateful 8 is glorious on the big screen: it’s about setting up a powder keg dramatic situation and seeing who survives. #sscc
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) July 11, 2015
Tarantino: Some ppl complain (abt growth of SDCC) & that’s BS. I came in in a mask & filled so many holes in my comicbook collection
— Carly Mallenbaum (@ThatGirlCarly) July 11, 2015
Quentin Tarantino has brought seven whole minutes of specially cut footage for the #sdcc Hall H crowd. There will be blood. #HatefulEight
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) July 11, 2015
Tarantino says the lenses he used, the actual lenses, were used for Ben-Hur, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, El Cid. They had history.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) July 11, 2015
Tarantino: "I didn’t work 20 years to work to diminishing returns. That’s not the movie industry I signed up for." #SDCC @BuzzFeedEnt
— KelleyLCarter (@KelleyLCarter) July 11, 2015
They didn’t use these same type of lenses on Ben Hur. They used these same lenses ON Ben Hur. #HatefulEight #SDCC pic.twitter.com/e3B5zvteen
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) July 11, 2015
"I am not a fan of digital projection. By losing film projection, we’ve already ceded too much ground to the barbarians.” – Tarantino #SDCC
— Yahoo Movies (@YahooMovies) July 11, 2015
Tarantino: "By losing film projection, we’ve ceded too much ground to the barbarians."
— Josh Rottenberg (@joshrottenberg) July 11, 2015
Tarantino is giving us a 7 minute The Hateful Eight preview! This after a brief tutorial on 70 mm hosted by… http://t.co/v3C17bUl0C
— Travis Hopson (@punchycritic) July 11, 2015
The Hateful eight is shot Ina scope of 2:7:6 – Ultra Panavision — the biggest scope available – with the lenses used on Ben Hur!
— Jeff Goldsmith (@yogoldsmith) July 11, 2015
Tarantino on the 7 minutes that’s about to be shown: "My editor & I spent 2 days putting this piece."
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) July 11, 2015
The Hateful eight is shot Ina scope of 2:7:6 – Ultra Panavision — the biggest scope available – with the lenses used on Ben Hur!
— Jeff Goldsmith (@yogoldsmith) July 11, 2015
Quentin Tarantino shot #hatefuleight in Ultra-panavision "which will make your enhanced viewing, even doper," says @SamuelLJackson in clip
— Carly Mallenbaum (@ThatGirlCarly) July 11, 2015
. @SamuelLJackson video message announcing 70mm roadshow release of film on Christmas day on 100 screens. #HatefulEight #SDCC
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) July 11, 2015
