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While Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy climaxed in the mid-1960s with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, another Spaghetti Western director was experiencing his own international success story. 1966's Django made such a huge splash for director Sergio Corbucci that nearly 40 other Spaghetti Westerns set to release in the following years were renamed to include the name "Django" and ride on the coattails of Corbucci's success. Of course, it also went on to inspire 2012's Django Unchained written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and the 2023 series from Sky/Canal+. In 1987, Corbucci would eventually direct the only official sequel, Django Strikes Again, but his true follow-up came only two years after Django when he made Il Grande Silenzio — also known as The Great Silence.

Sergio Corbucci's character Django, initially portrayed by Franco Nero, is the best but most underrated cowboy ever to grace the silver screen. Originally appearing in Django (1966) and much later in Django Strikes Again (1987), the character would go on to appear unofficially in an additional thirty-one films, before being adapted into the 2023 TV series starring Matthias Schoenaerts, cementing him as one of the most popular and enduring Western characters ever. The enormous popularity of the original films and loose Italian copyright laws made the character prolific, along with Franco Nero's steely portrayal of the rugged anti-hero.

Akira Kurosawa's legendary samurai film Yojimbo not only influenced the direction of cinema in general, but it also inspired a host of remakes and homages. Released in 1961 to immediate critical praise, the film incorporated elements of the western genre and infused it with a specifically Japanese twist. Besides being considered one of Kurosawa's best films, Yojimbo's legacy grew over the decades, and is considered one of Time's best movies of all time, among other accolades. Because of its success and compelling story, Yojimbo inspired several direct remakes and a host of other films that took serious influence from the samurai classic.

Ironically, Yojimbo itself was heavily inspired by the works of author Dashiell Hammett, and some of the best noir films and books served as the backdrop for Kurosawa's vision. The 1942 adaptation of The Glass Key was cited by Kurosawa as an influence (via Paste), though its similarity to...

While Quentin Tarantino brought the idea of Django shooting back into our collective brains with 2013’s Django Unchained, the original take on the character – portrayed by Franco Nero – was still out there. Now he’s coming back for a third 'official' film, and Fast Draw Films has John Sayles writing the new script for the character called Django Lives!Nero first played the blood-stained Civil War outlaw in 1966’s Django, going on to become one of the most famous spaghetti Western icons and inspiring a torrent of imitators and unofficial sequels, including Qt’s hat-tip. He returned to the role in 1987 for Django Strikes Again. So the delay between the second and third films is perhaps not as surprising as it might seem. Sayles could certainly be the right man for the script job, given his experience writing and directing 1996’s Lone Star. And Nero certainly appears to approve the choice.

Rome -- Nearly 50 years after he first strapped on a holster and mounted a horse in the original Django film, Franco Nero will reprise the role as the brooding, sharpshooting gunslinger in Django Lives. The Django franchise, which includes more than 30 films, was introduced to a new generation of movie goers by Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, released a little over a year ago. But it was Nero who created the iconic character in Sergio Corbucci's 1966 classic Django and in 1987's Django Strikes Again, directed by Nello Rossati. The original inspired more than 30 other films with someone other than

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Cult spaghetti western character first seen in 1966 to be revived with original actor after Tarantino's reworking

In the wake of the mainstream success of Quentin Tarantino's western Django Unchained, it has been announced that a new Django film, starring Franco Nero, the Italian actor who originated the role in Sergio Corbucci's 1966 spaghetti western, is to play the gunslinger once again.

Although there have been over 30 films containing the character since 1966, there has only been one "official" sequel, 1987's Django Strikes Again, directed by Corbucci and starring Nero. Now, however,an American company called Point Blank has secured the rights to the character, and is aiming to set up a third Django film, to be called Django Lives.

According to the company's press release, Django Lives is set in 1915, when the older Django has become a "consultant to silent-movie Westerns... After getting entangled with racketeers, Django fights back, and all hell breaks loose.

Over many decades there have been nearly three dozen films that have used the recognizable western name of Django. The most recent came from Quentin Tarantino in the form of Django Unchained, but the original was released in 1966 and starred Franco Nero (who had a small cameo in Tarantino's film). Since then, there's only been one official sequel, Django Strikes Again in 1987, but there's about to be another. Point Blank Pictures has sent out a press release (via Twitch) announcing that they've secured the rights to Django, and they're bringing back Nero to star in a new sequel called Django Lives, and it sounds cool. Joe D'Augustine (co-editor on four of Tarantino's films) will direct the film with a script from Eric Zaldivar and Mike Malloy that brings Django into 1915, where 's consulting on silent western motion pictures in Hollywood. But trouble brews when Django gets caught up with some...

Keeping up with his career plan of paying homage to every film genre going, Quentin Tarantino has moved onto the spaghetti western with Django Unchained (2012). It’s not a remake of the pasta classic Django (1966), or indeed a spaghetti western, but it has clearly taken its inspiration from those violent Italian productions that swamped the late sixties.

Hollywood may have dominated the field since the beginning of motion pictures but European westerns are not exactly new; the earliest known one was filmed in 1910. Sixties German cinema made good use of Kay May’s western heroes Shatterhand and Winnetou, and the British produced The Savage Guns (1961), Hannie Caulder (1971), A Town Called Bastard (1971), Catlow (1971), Chato’s Land (1972) and Eagle’s Wing (1979). When the genre showed signs of flagging in the mid-sixties, a clever Italian director named Sergio Leone took it upon himself to reinvent the western – spaghetti style!

What made the spaghettis...

December is Tarantino Month here at Sos, and in the week leading up our January month-long theme of westerns, I thought it would be best to whip up an article spotlighting some films that influenced Tarantino’s long awaited take on the western, Django Unchained. For my money, all of the films listed below are essential viewing for fans of Django Unchained. I’ll be diving deeper into these films come January, but in the meantime, this should hopefully whet your appetite. Enjoy!

Note: I’m not including any Sergio Leone Spaghetti westerns as they should be essential viewing for anyone, regardless if you like or dislike Tarantino’s film.

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Django

Directed by Sergio Corbucci

Written by Bruco Corbucci and Sergio Corbucci

1966, Italy / Spain

The most obvious influence for Django Unchained was of course critic-turned-director Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 masterpiece Django. The film features the Belgian actor Franco Nero playing the...

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the producers of the outstanding indie Western The Scarlet Worm (click here for review):

Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none

December 17, 2012

For Immediate Release:

Original 'Django' Actor Franco Nero Attached To New Western

Contact: Mike Malloy, cultmovies@hotmail.com

Eric Zaldivar and Mike Malloy, two producers of the offbeat 2012 Western The Scarlet Worm, have received a Letter of Interest from original Django star Franco Nero to topline a gritty new Western project, tentatively titled Django Lives! Should the sequel rights be secured, the feature would be the third “official” entry in the saga that made Mr. Nero an international star.

Since the release of the original Django in 1966, over thirty films have included the character’s iconic name in their titles, most recently Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, in which Mr. Nero makes a cameo appearance. Until now,...

Well, the first trailer for "Django Unchained" dropped yesterday to much fanfare, but as most folks already know, Quentin Tarantino's films tend to be packed with references both overt and subtle to the movies that he loves or have had an influence on him. And when it comes to his latest, the first clue can be found right in the title.

"Django" is the name of the 1966 Sergio Corbucci-directed spaghetti western that made a star out of Franco Nero, and became such a success that over thirty sequels have been made since (but only Nero and Corbucci reteamed for "Django 2: Django Strikes Again"). Mostly known among film buffs of the genre, there willl undoubtedly be renewed interest in the movie thanks to "Django Unchained," which savvy folks have already noticed features Nero in a small role (he's the guy Jamie Foxx tells the "j is silent" line...

In 1966, Sergio Corbucci’s Django, the story of a drifter (Franco Nero) becoming entangled between the Mexican Army and a racist group of Yankees, was released and spawned over 30 “sequels” in name alone. Only 1987’s Django Strikes Again, with Corbucci and Nero returning to the series, is considered an official sequel.

Now, Quentin Tarantino is releasing his own unofficial version with Django Unchained. Set for release this December 25th, the official plot synopsis (released yesterday) shows how far Tarantino has strayed from the original film.

According to the synopsis, Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave, “acquired by” Dr. King Schultz, a German-born bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz). Freed after helping Schultz capture the “murderous Brittle brothers,” Django stays with the doctor, hoping to find his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), whom “he lost to the slave trade long ago.”

The two soon cross paths with Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the owner of...

Jamie Foxx has confirmed he'll lead the cast in Quentin Tarantino's much-anticipated re-imagined western Django Unchained.

Foxx has been linked to the role of a vengeful slave ever since Will Smith reportedly passed on the project earlier this year - and now he has made his casting official.

He tells CNN, "I think, just to be able to work with Quentin Tarantino and Samuel Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and to be able to tell a story that needs to be told.

"If you're a fan of Inglourious Basterds, I mean, you know.. It's just amazing. It should be amazing."

DiCaprio will play a villainous plantation boss holding Foxx's wife captive. The actor's Ray co-star Kerry Washington is reportedly in talks to play his wife.

Django Unchained will also reportedly feature Italian actor Franco Nero, who played the original Django in Sergio Corbucci's 1966 film and a 1987 sequel, Django Strikes Again.

Oscar winner Christoph Waltz is to reteam with his Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantino for a new take on cult spaghetti western Django.

Django Unchained will also reportedly feature Italian actor Franco Nero, who played the original Django in Sergio Corbucci's 1966 film and a 1987 sequel, Django Strikes Again.

Talking about the project last year, Tarantino said, "I'd like to do a western, but rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times. With that subject that everybody is afraid to deal with. Let's shine that light on ourselves.

"You could do a ponderous history lesson of slaves escaping on the underground railroad or, you could make a movie that would be exciting. Do it as an adventure. A spaghetti western that takes place during that time."...

Fans of chatty and bloody Westerns unite! Quentin Tarantino has revealed the title of his long-in-development Spaghetti Western: “Django Unchained”. Although no official plot has been released yet, Empire guesses that the movie will be heavily influenced by “Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 Spaghetti Western Django, which saw Franco Nero as a Gatling gun-slinger who goes through seven shades of hell.” According to IMDb.com, there has been three movies in the series, staring with the 1966 original, and including its sequel, 1968′s “Django, Prepare a Coffin” and 1987′s “Django Strikes Again”, all three starring Nero as the titular gunslinger. Besides Nero possibly reprising the role, “Inglourious Basterds’” Christoph Waltz has also been linked to it in some shape or form over the years.

In February, it was discovered that Quentin Tarantino was in the midst of writing a Spaghetti Western titled A Southern. Franco Nero, the legendary actor who kicked off the Spaghetti Western genre in 1966 with director Sergio Corbucci's classic Django, was rumored to be starring in this new action-packed gun-slinging tale alongside Christoph Waltz, Treat Williams, and Keith Carradine.

Late yesterday, @AgentTrainee revealed what many believe to be the hand-written cover of Quentin Tarantino's latest screenplay on Twitter, which offers the new title Django Unchained.

Many are speculating that Franco Nero will return to play Django, a coffin-dragging gunfighter, once again in this new sprawling saga. The actor first reprised the role in 1987 with Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno. There have been no other story details about Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained at this time. You can check out the script cover below.

Django Unchained is in development .