Quentin Tarantino is moving full steam ahead with his upcoming Western, The Hateful Eight. While we’ve heard that the director will be using the same cast that he used for the live read (Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen, Walton Goggin, Samuel L. Jackson, etc.), that is unconfirmed and for now, just a rumor. He very well could go with a whole new group of actors, or at least a few fresh faces, and if this latest report is to be believed, that might be exactly what he’s doing.
Collider is telling us that Jennifer Lawrence is wanted for a major female role in the film. Of course, this hasn’t been confirmed, and apparently the actress’ camp has shot it down already, but it’s still worth discussing. After all, just because a publicist denies a rumor doesn’t mean that it’s not true.
Now, there are a few things to take into consideration here. As many people are pointing out, there’s only one member of the Hateful Eight that’s actually a woman, and that’s Daisy Domergue. Amber Tamblyn played the part during the live read, but Tarantino could easily be re-casting the role and going with Lawrence. There’s also a minor female part, Six Horse Judy (played by Zoe Bell in the live read), but an actress of Lawrence’s stature likely wouldn’t take such a small role.
The other thing to point out is that the Oscar winner is set to star in David O. Russell’s Joy and still has X-Men: Apocalypse on her plate, so would she even have time for The Hateful Eight if she wanted to do it?
Finally, there’s also reports that say Evan Rachel Wood, Geena Davis and Hilary Swank are all being looked at for the role as well, and that Lawrence isn’t the only contender.
Obviously, nothing can be confirmed just yet, and there’s a lot of things that seem to conflict. While we’re sure that Lawrence was at least considered for the part, I think it’s safe to assume that at this stage, she’s far from a lock for it.
We’ll of course keep you updated as we hear more, but for now, tell us, would you like to see Jennifer Lawrence in The Hateful Eight?