Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse) are set to star in the new Western thriller Dead For a Dollar from filmmaker Walter Hill (The Warriors) widely known for his action films and revival of the Western genre.
The film will be Waltz’s first return in a Western since his role as Dr. Schultz, a bounty hunter, in Django Unchained, which won him his second Oscar. Once again, he’ll be playing a bounty hunter in the upcoming film.
As reported exclusively by Deadline, Myriad Pictures is launching international sales for the film at this week’s Cannes virtual market. Marché du Film (Cannes Film Market), held virtually since last year (thanks to the pandemic), is the world’s largest movie marketplace.
The film is being produced by Jeremy Wall, Kirk D’Amico, and Carolyn Mc Masters. The report also included a synopsis for the film, which will also be written by Hill, along with Matt Harris. The feature will be set in New Mexico Territory, Chihuahua, in 1897.
The story will follow Max Borlund (Waltz), a famed bounty hunter hired to find and return Rachel Price, the politically progressive wife of Nathan Price, a successful Santa Fe businessman. Max is told she has been kidnapped by an African American army deserter, Elijah Jones, and is being held for ransom in Mexico.
When Max goes south of the border, he soon runs across his sworn enemy, expatriate American Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), a professional gambler, sometime outlaw, who Max had tracked down and sent to prison years before. When Borlund finds Rachel and Elijah hiding deep in the wilds of the Mexican desert, he discovers that Rachel has willingly fled from an abusive husband, and the runaway soldier is, in fact, her romantic partner.
Max is now faced with a dilemma: does he return the wife back across the border to the man who hired him, or does he aid Rachel’s bid for freedom and fight off ruthless hired guns and his longtime criminal rival.
Phew! That seems intense.
You can catch Waltz in the new, highly anticipated James Bond movie, No Time to Die, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch (in which Dafoe will also star), Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, and Jeffrey Walker’s The Portable Door.
Whereas Dafoe’s upcoming projects include Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, Robert Eggers’ The Northman, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming adaptation of Poor Things.
As stated in the Deadline report, Myriad Pictures president and CEO D’Amico said:
“We are extremely pleased to be working with the legendary Walter Hill, who has created a Western with contemporary themes and modern feeling characters. Award-winning actors Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe will embody the extraordinary leading roles which are destined for cinematic history.”
Kirk D’Amico
Dead For a Dollar would mark Hill’s first project as director in five years since The Assignment. The filmmaker is best known for The Warriors, Hard Times, The Driver, and 48 Hrs. among many others.
About Dead For a Dollar
Dead For a Dollar is an upcoming western thriller from filmmaker Walter Hill who is widely known for his action films and revival of the Western genre. The film is being produced by Jeremy Wall, Kirk D’Amico, and Carolyn Mc Masters. The film will be written by Hill, along with Matt Harris.
Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe are set to star in the feature. The film will mark Waltz’s return in a Western since his role as Dr Schultz, a bounty hunter, in Django Unchained.
Set in New Mexico Territory, Chihuahua, in 1897, the story will follow Max Borlund, a famed bounty hunter, hired to find and return Rachel Price, the politically progressive wife of Nathan Price, a successful Santa Fe businessman. Max is told she has been kidnapped by an African American army deserter, Elijah Jones, and is being held for ransom in Mexico.
But when Borlund finds Rachel and Elijah hiding deep in the Mexican desert, he discovers that Rachel has willingly fled from an abusive husband, and the runaway soldier is, in fact, her romantic partner. Max is now faced with a dilemma: does he return the wife back across the border to the man who hired him, or does he aid Rachel’s bid for freedom.
Source: Deadline
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