Chris Pratt To Star In ‘Magnificent Seven’ Remake Alongside Denzel Washington?
Chris Pratt sure is a busy guy these days. Between his time as Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation, Pratt managed to make a splash as Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, and with Jurassic World on the way next year, it seems like he’s fast becoming a go-to guy for big-budget action flicks. This may be even further boosted with the news from Deadline, which reported that Pratt is in talks to star in a remake of the iconic western movie Magnificent Seven alongside Denzel Washington.
“The talks are early stage, and this would be the first of the six other guys to round out the cast in the story of a town that assembles a squad of seven elite gunmen to protect it. Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson were part of the ensemble cast of the original, which was released by United Artists and is a library title for MGM. Pratt’s character isn’t specifically modeled after those originals, but his character name is Farraday.”
MGM has been looking to lock down this remake of the 1960 John Sturges classic for quite some time. Originally, it was set to star Tom Cruise, with the first draft of its script penned by Nic Pizzolatto himself (creator of the highly acclaimed television series True Detective). A couple months ago, it was confirmed that Cruise was out, and Denzel Washington was in, alongside Antoine Fuqua as director (who has directed Washington in films like Training Day and The Equalizer). What’s more, the first draft of the script was said to have been revised by John Lee Hancock, writer of The Last Samurai.
With Pratt potentially signing on, it looks like the movie may finally gain some serious traction, as Pratt is an increasingly hot commodity in Hollywood.
Like many westerns, the original The Magnificent Seven film had its roots firmly planted in Japanese cinema. Based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic period film Seven Samurai, which tells the story of a group of seven rogue samurai who are recruited by a desperate village to help protect it from being pillaged by bandits. You may also recognize that the premise was also lifted for Pixar’s second film, A Bug’s Life, which followed a colony of ants and their struggle to find a group of warrior bugs to help fight off Hopper and his evil horde of grasshoppers.
Thoughts? Is the world ready for another Magnificent Seven remake, and is Chris Pratt the right guy to help bring it to life alongside Denzel Washington? Let us know in the comments below!
