Django Biopic Update

MichaelHorowitz

From an interview last year w/Frank Marshall:

CS: What is one project you've always wanted to do but for some reason it never came together? A dream project?

I've always wanted to do a project about a guitar player named Django Reinhardt. Gypsy, father of jazz guitar… he's actually the reason I'm in the business cause my father was inspired by his guitar playing when he was growing up on a farm in El Dorado, Kansas. My grandfather was a banjo player and my dad started playing guitar and listening to Django Reinhardt 78 records, and became a child prodigy at age 14. MCA signed him as a radio singer/player and the whole family moved to Hollywood. My dad later became a studio guitarist, played in all the big bands and stuff, then went on to write music for tv and movies. Jack Marshall. Wrote "The Munsters" and did stuff with Peggy Lee, Vic Damone, Sinatra. I've always known about Django. We had dogs named Django. Django was another incredible story. So when I was doing "Bourne Identity" in Paris I found the family and looked up who owned the rights, and to make a long story short got the rights to his life. Now it's just a question of trying to put the movie together and trying to get a script.

CS: Do you have a lead?

Marshall: Johnny Depp.

CS: Wow! That would be amazing.

Marshall: Don't you think? Cause Django really was in his time the Elvis of Europe, and I think Johnny has that. He's got the dark hair, he plays guitar, he's eccentric, all of it! Everything Django was. Django's story is unbelieveable.

CS: You and Johnny have discussed the project?

Marshall: Yeah yeah, we can't say it… but the perfect person would be Johnny, but he's booked for the next ten years so… (laughter) The thing is the combination of the story and the music. The music is unbelievable, and people have never heard it over here.

CS: Woody Allen created a Django-esque character with Sean Penn in "Sweet and Lowdown".

Marshall: He did, yes yes, which I liked! Yeah yeah, and Sean Penn's character was always worried about him, remember how he always got nervous when he heard Django was next door? It was his hero.

Stackabones

Depp would be very cool.

I wonder who else could pull it off?

djangology

I heard this rumor back in 2002 and we posted about it on this forum somewhere but I could never find the actual interview. Where did you find this?

MichaelHorowitz

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=12920

RomKyzar

I've always thought Benito Martinez (from The Shield) would be
great as Django.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553468/

nwilkins

I for one would love to hear more about who should play the lead in Frank Marshall's 10-years-in-the-making Django Reinhardt movie

Jack

Me too!

But some more news anyway:
http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=1413
iF: What about your directing plans to direct in the future?

MARSHALL: What I’m planning on directing is the LANCE ARMSTRONG STORY and another book called THE PERFECT MILE, which is the story of John Landy, Roger Bannister and Wes Santee trying to break the 4-minute mile. And then I have a script about Django Reinhardt who is the father of the modern jazz guitar – a French gypsy. I bought the story idea while making BOURNE IDENTITY in Paris. I met the publisher and got real excited [about it]. So there I am. It’s going to take us until 2010.

And there's at least a writer credited now (not crazy about his other films):
http://www.hollywood.com/movie/Django/4228595

And a producer, Michael Manheim.
http://www.broadwayworld.com/printcolumn.cfm?id=8875

See you in 2030!
best,
Jack.

sockeye

RomKyzar wrote:

I've always thought Benito Martinez (from The Shield) would be
great as Django.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553468/

Man, you're absolutely right!

MichaelHorowitz

Well, this was timely. A Hollywood director just called and ordered some Django DVDs so he could do research for an upcoming film! :shock:

This may be happening sooner then we expect...

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djangology

sweet! i hope so! the only problem is that the 3rd Bourne movie was still very popular and if he does another one then that could still delay the movie right?

dennis

i spoke to charles wizen today and he told me that they were going to make a django movie in the early 80s but it never happened because charles delaunay died before they could really begin the project.

Apparently RObert Deniro was supposed to play django, and he supposedly went to france and hung out with django's family to learn as much as possible

anyone know anything about this?

imagine... an early 80s movie about django starring robert deniro... personally, being fan of movies like the godfather series, scarface and all that, i would've loved it...

i can already picture it... django ordering baro to gun down the oscar aleman's rhythm guitarist ... gypsy vendettas and all that... machine guns hidden inside the selmer case