A couple of days ago a commenter here on RopeofSilicon Django Unchained that took place on the Sony lot and said, “The day this screens, there are going to be some serious changes to the current Oscar predictions.” Well, who knows what exactly they could have been referring to, but one thing appears for certain… I already have to move Christoph Waltz, who plays German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in the film, won’t be competing at the Oscars in the Supporting category as we’d all assumed.
Gold Derby‘s Tom O’Neil reports an insider has relayed information that Waltz will be competing against Jamie Foxx, the titular star of the film, for Best Actor:
“Christoph Waltz’s performance is so amazing in ‘Django Unchained’ that it towers over the whole movie,” an insider tells Gold Derby about his role as a German ex-dentist-turned-bounty-hunter in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming spaghetti western. “We’re moving him up to the lead Oscar race” where he’ll compete against costar Jamie Foxx, who portrays the title character, a freed slave who teams up with Waltz to rescue his enslaved wife (Kerry Washington).
With the unveiling of the latest trailer for Les Miserables this morning a lot continue to assume that will be the major contender at the Oscars (myself included), but could Tarantino’s latest end up being a powerhouse none of us expected?
As of now I don’t have it among my top contenders for Best Picture, I did move DiCaprio into the Best Supporting Actor top five, I don’t have Tarantino in my Best Director top five, but I do have his script getting a nomination in the Original Screenplay category.
The same commenter from above says the current cut of Django Unchained runs three hours long as Tarantino and editor Fred Raskin (Fast Five) cut the film down for its December 25 release.
I have updated the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor predictions as a result (just click on the categories to see the update), but Oscar predictions aside, does this news get you even more excited for the film?
