Ewan McGregor has joined Jane Got a Gun as the lead villain, according to a new report from Deadline .
If this feels like deja deja vu (not a typo), that’s because it is. The indie western has had a turbulent history with original director Lynne Ramsay leaving on the first day of filming , causing Jude Law to drop out as the primary antagonist.
Of course, Law only had the job because the original male protagonist was to be played by Michael Fassbender, who dropped out citing scheduling conflicts with X-Men: Days of Future Past . When that happened, the original villain, Joel Edgerton, bumped over to the good guy role to make room for Law.
With the actor’s departure, the next to step up to the plate was Bradley Cooper , who backed out, again due to scheduling conflicts with American Hustle , which will be a reunion for Cooper with his Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell and co-star Jennifer Lawrence.
When Cooper left, the rumor mill went to work, murmuring that producers were seeking Tobey Maguire, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hiddleston for the part. Ewan McGregor fits in nicely with those choices, so maybe the troubled western can finally move forward.
Producer Scott Steindorff has demonstrated a fierce determination in getting Jane Got a Gun past its obstacles. Steindorff was very vocal about Ramsay’s departure, going on the attack after the We Need to Talk About Kevin director left the set with little warning.
“I’m shocked and so disappointed someone would do this to 150 crew members who devoted so much time, energy, commitment and loyalty to a project, and then have the director not show up. It is insane somebody would do this to other people,” Steindorff told Deadline when the news broke.
The producer has also not taken legal action off the table.
To recap, the film itself stars Natalie Portman as the wife of a wounded man, who seeks the aid of an old lover when the bloodthirsty gang comes to finish the job on her husband. (Sounds like a Shane meets Casablanca mashup.)
What do you think of Ewan McGregor as the new casting choice for villain in Jane Got a Gun — problem solved or the next guy to pull out?
[Image via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com ]
