Deadline is reporting that Sky and Canal+ have set Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead) to star in the title role in Django, a new reimagining of the classic Sergio Corbucci-directed Spaghetti Western starring Franco Nero.
As revealed by the trade, the series “is set in the Wild West in the 1860s and 1870s. Sarah and John have founded New Babylon, a city of outcasts, full of men and women of all backgrounds, races and creeds, that welcomes everyone with open arms. Haunted by the murder of his family eight years earlier, Django is still looking for his daughter, believing she may have survived the killing. He is shocked to find her in New Babylon, about to marry John. But Sarah, now a grown woman, wants Django to leave, as she fears he will put New Babylon in jeopardy if he stays. However, Django, believing the city is in danger, is adamant that he will not lose his daughter twice.”
“The Western is one of the most traditional and popular genres with Django one of the best loved films in Italy and around the world,” said Nicola Maccanico of Sky Italia. “This new series is a fresh, reimagining of the cult classic bringing viewers a contemporary angle and narrative.”
The ten-part English-language series will reunite director Francesca Comencini and screenwriters Leonardo Fasoli and Maddalena Ravagli, who previously worked together on the acclaimed Italian crime series Gomorrah.