According to a report by Variety, actor Vincent D'Onofrio is currently in negotiations to portray the villain in the upcoming remake of "The Magnificent Seven." However, at the moment, neither MGM studios nor Sony Pictures has confirmed if the 55-year-old actor has sealed the role, once played by Eli Wallach.
D'Onofrio has been portraying villainous roles in the past. His break-through performance was in Stanley Kubrick's 1987 war epic "Full Metal Jacket," where he played the psychotic Pvt. Leonard Lawrence. He can also be seen as the antagonist Kingpin in Netflix's new "Daredevil" series, and as Vic Hoskins in "Jurassic World." His role in the new "Jurassic Park" sequel has been stated as the head of security operations opposite Chris Pratt who works with the park's velociraptors.
Incidentally, the remake of "The Magnificent Seven" also stars Pratt. Other notable names in the film include Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, and is set to be directed by Antoine Fuqua. As it happens, the upcoming film will likewise reunite Fuqua with both Hawke and Washington, who both worked with the director in "Training Day."
"The Magnificent Seven" portrays the tale of a small village raided by bandits, led by an outlaw named Calvera. The villagers hire seven gunslingers to protect them and train them how to fight.
The original film was released in 1960 and starred Yul Brynner as the lead protagonist and Wallach as the villain Calvera. It was in fact a Hollywood remake of a 1954 Japanese classic "Seven Samurai" by famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
MGM will be overseeing the new remake's production while Sony will handle distributions. A draft screen play was pitched by Nic Pizzolatto, creator of the "True Detective" series, before it was edited by John Lee Hancock. Hancock's previous works include "The Blind Side" and "Saving Mr. Banks." Production is expected to commence in four months, once Fuqua assembles the rest of the cast.
