The original John Sturges-directed The Magnificent Seven had an absolutely stacked cast. Playing the titular group, the western brought together the likes of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn. That obviously gives the upcoming Antoine Fuqua-directed remake quite a standard to live up to, but the film is well on its way to making something… well, magnificent.
News has come down from both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter saying two more big names have joined the Magnificent Seven cast – so we figured we’d shine a spotlight on this awesome ensemble. The film still isn’t done adding big names, but here’s who is on board so far:
When Antoine Fuqua first signed on to direct The Magnificent Seven last summer, it only took a matter of days before he was able to convince Denzel Washington to go on the adventure with him as well. The first collaboration between the two, Training Day, resulted in Washington winning an Academy Award, and they had a box office hit in the fall with The Equalizer. It’s not too hard to figure out why the two men are interested in working together for a third time.
As though Chris Pratt didn’t already have enough interesting projects on his upcoming slate – from Jurassic World to Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to Cowboy Ninja Viking - he will be making his western debut in The Magnificent Seven. He signed on to the movie back in December, and it should go without saying that his involvement with the project makes us 10,000 times more excited for it.
Ethan Hawke is another rather significant presence in the upcoming film – due specifically to one of his best films. This is the first time that Hawke, Antoine Fuqua, and Denzel Washington have worked together since Training Day. We can surely expect that the dynamic between the two actors will be quite different in this new movie, though it will be a pleasure watching the movie and remembering the misadventures of Det. Alonzo Harris and Jake Hoyt.
Right now, Haley Bennett is the only actress attached to star in The Magnificent Seven, and while she may not be as big a star as Chris Pratt or Denzel Washington, there are links that make her involvement more understandable. She played the role of Mandy in Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer, and evidently the director quite enjoyed the opportunity working with her, and felt it fitting to give her a role in his next film.
Vincent D’Onofrio has been on a bit of a villain tear of late, having done a stunning job playing the Kingpin in Marvel’s Daredevil Netflix show, and soon to be seen as an antagonist in Jurassic World, and next he will be plaining the primary bad guy in the Magnificent Seven remake. Presumably he will be playing the gold mining baron who threatens the town that the titular group is protecting in the film.
In the last few years, Wagner Moura has slowly been gaining recognition around the world, having first broken out thanks to his starring role in Brazil’s hit Elite Squad films. He’s started to get some interest from Hollywood as well, starting with the 2013 film Elysium, but now he is getting another taste of the blockbuster experience. He will be playing a character named Vasquez, one of the titular group in The Magnificent Seven.
The first of the two new recruits, Jason Momoa is going to be making his mark on the movie world by playing Aquaman in the growing DC Cinematic Universe, but between his performances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the first Justice League movie it looks like he will be having a bit of western-style fun in The Magnificent Seven. It has been described that he will be playing one of the movie’s "heavies," those that’s all the detail we have for now.
Thanks to his performances as Storm Shadow in the two G.I. Joe movies, Byung-Hun Lee has a good amount of action movie clout, and while we'll next see him in the sci-fi Terminator Genisys, 2017 will take him back in time to the old west. Reports say that he will be playing a character named Billy Rocks, but unfortunately, it’s not specified if he is one of the good guys or the bad guys. Given his resume, he really could be either.
The Magnificent Seven’s script has been rewritten by Saving Mr. Banks director John Lee Hancock, who is working from a draft by True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto. Sony has set the movie to be released on January 13, 2017, and production is scheduled to start up this month.
