Kanye West is claiming that he came up with the idea for Django Unchained only to have it stolen by star Jamie Foxx and Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, West stated that he pitched Tarantino and leading man Jamie Foxx a slavery-themed music video for his song "Gold Digger," on which he collaborated with Foxx. West claimed that several of the ideas he proposed to the director and actor were eventually used for Django Unchained, which came out in 2012, seven years after the rapper's hit song. “Tarantino can write a movie about slavery where -- actually, him and Jamie, they got the idea from me because the idea for Django, I pitched to Jamie Foxx and Quentin Tarantino as the video for ‘Gold Digger,’” West said. “And then Tarantino turned it into a film.”
The Original Choice for Django Unchained
Django Unchained was written and directed by Tarantino, the filmmaker behind classics such as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. While West insisted that Tarantino and Foxx stole the idea from him, Foxx actually wasn't set to be in the film until Will Smith passed on it. Smith, who was Tarantino's first choice to play the slave-turned-bounty hunter, has stated he passed on Django because he has never wanted to act in a movie about slavery. "In the early part of my career… I didn’t want to show Black people in that light. I wanted to be a superhero," Smith said. "So I wanted to depict Black excellence alongside my white counterparts. I wanted to play roles that you would give to Tom Cruise."
West, who famously stated that slavery was a "choice," may not be the most trusted source. The ex-husband of Kim Kardashian has faced large amounts of criticism in recent weeks for antisemitic comments and hurtful social media posts. West brought up Django Unchained, in which Leonardo DiCaprio utters a slew of racial slurs, to prove that Hollywood dictates what kind of content is or is not acceptable. A promoter of free speech, West said, "In order for humanity to move forward, we have to be able to think and then to actualize."
Despite these claims, it seems West holds no grudge against Foxx. In a now-deleted Instagram post, West stated he would choose Foxx to portray him in a movie. "One of the greatest geniuses," West, who proclaimed himself a top five writer in human history in the Piers Morgan interview, said. While a Ye movie is currently not on his schedule, Foxx can next be seen in Netflix's upcoming science fiction movie They Cloned Tyrone. Additionally, the actor has revealed he is pushing comic book legend Todd McFarlane to get moving on the Spawn film, in which he will play the titular character.
Django Unchained is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Piers Morgan Uncensored via IndieWire