There are a lot of forgettable remakes in Hollywood’s history, but every now and then a remake comes along that really stands out from the rest. Among these is John Sturges’ 1960 western The Magnificent Seven, which was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai.
Given the history of this particular tale, in which a village enlists the help of seven fighters to help protect them from bandit raids, it would be unwise to look too harshly on the upcoming remake of The Magnificent Seven, which is set to be directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer). This latest remake certainly isn’t wanting for solid cast members, and according to the latest news the cast just got a little bigger.
Deadline reports that Byung-hun Lee (Terminator: Genisys) has been cast in the role of Billy Rocks, who is probably the new version of one of the seven gunslingers (the name sounds similar to Harry Luck). Meanwhile, THR claims that Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) is in talks to play one of the bandits who attack the gold mining town at the center of the film’s story.
Lee is no stranger to the genre, having starred in madcap oriental western The Good, The Bad, The Weird (he played The Bad) as well as a number of action movies, including RED 2 and upcoming sci-fi sequel Terminator: Genisys. He tends to play villains or morally grey characters a lot, and the role of a gun-for-hire would definitely suit him.
Momoa’s potential role is a described as a “heavy,” and it’s definitely easy to picture him playing a marauding bandit since he’s used to playing violent guys who don’t talk much. Back in 2012 Momoa said at Emerald City Comic-Con, “You can typecast me, I don’t mind playing those characters,” but more recently he indicated that he was a bit tired of playing shirtless angry thugs and wanted to “stretch” more.
Of course, after writing, directing and starring in last year’s thriller Road to Paloma, Momoa may well to ready to step back into the type of role that he’s so well known for. Which is to say: don’t be surprised if the chance to work with Fuqua – as well as previously cast actors Denzel Washington, Vincent D’Onofrio, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke – is enough to land this deal.
The Magnificent Seven will arrive in theaters on January 13th, 2017.
Source: Screen Rant
