Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua have been set to do a remake of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN for at least 6 months now, but now they're setting about backing Denzel up with six other capable gunhands.
Chris Pratt was already popping up on shortlists before GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but after that film's success (and his undeniable charm while leading it), it seems he's up for everything these days. Now he's in "early talks" to play another member of the titular seven, which were originally portrayed by luminaries like Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, and Yul Brynner. They say that his character is an original, named "Farraday," the same way Denzel's character isn't supposed to be Brynner's Chris. But let's assume that if Denzel is the Brynner surrogate, then they probably want Pratt for the McQueen sidekick role (or maybe the goofball Horst Buchholz part?).
They're still going off the draft written by John Lee Hancock (based on TRUE DETECTIVE writer Nic Pizzolatto's initial take), and will, like the original, prominently feature the theme of time moving right past these anachronistic gunslingers in a post-Civil War environment
Denzel and Pratt is a hell of a start. I thought Denzel was more fun and engaging than he'd been in years trading barbs with Mark Wahlberg in 2 GUNS, and pairing him up with another young, mouthy whippersnapper is a great way to highlight that cool gravitas he's become known for. As for Pratt, he seems like an even more natural fit for a western than his potential co-star, but he's got a modern sensibility that should go a long way in contemporizing this nearly-55-year-old property for audiences.
So now that they probably got their two "leaders," who do you see playing the updated versions of characters once inhabited by guys like BRONSON, COBURN, VAUGHN, and WALLACH?
