14 Years Later, Quentin Tarantino’s Controversial Western Is Getting a Shocking Sequel

Image: Andrew Cooper/Weinstein Company/Everett Collection

While Quentin Tarantino is currently preparing for his widely anticipated tenth and final feature film, he shows no signs of slowing down. Beyond penning the script for The Adventures of Cliff Booth—a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spinoff now being helmed by David Fincher—Tarantino is also set to make his theatrical playwriting debut with The Popinjay Cavalier. Now, according to reports from Deadline, yet another project from his filmography is slated for an expansion.

Tarantino’s polarizing 2012 Western, Django Unchained, is reportedly headed for a crossover sequel titled Django/Zorro. The premise brings together the bounty hunter famously portrayed by Jamie Foxx and the legendary masked crusader created by Johnston McCulley. While it may seem like an unconventional crossover, the idea stems from a 2014 comic book miniseries. Set seven years after the events of the original film, the story follows an aging Zorro who recruits Django as his bodyguard, leading the pair on a mission to liberate enslaved indigenous people across the American Southwest. The comic arc even features a iconic moment where Django dons the signature Zorro mask.

The original miniseries was a collaboration between Tarantino and Grendel creator Matt Wagner, featuring artwork by the late Spanish illustrator Esteve Polls. For the cinematic adaptation, Academy Award-winning Mystic River writer Brian Helgeland has been tapped to pen the script. While Tarantino is not expected to be deeply involved, the project reportedly has his blessing. It remains unclear whether Jamie Foxx will reprise his role, though it would be difficult to envision the character brought to life by anyone else.

Interestingly, reports suggest that Helgeland is crafting a narrative that serves as a direct follow-up to the comic series rather than a faithful adaptation, which raises some eyebrows given that the original comic was a niche read and concluded with the two leads parting ways permanently.

Many fans might prefer to see the duo as peers, which would provide the perfect opportunity for Antonio Banderas to return to the role of Zorro. Given that Banderas and Foxx are close in age, this dynamic would feel more organic. Tarantino himself previously floated this idea; Banderas revealed to USA Today in 2022 that the director approached him about the possibility during the Oscars. While Banderas was enthusiastic at the time, his involvement in a version directed by someone else remains uncertain.

Source: Polygon