casting

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Drops Out of Django Unchained

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 16: Presenter Joseph Gordon-Levitt poses in the press room at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton hotel on January 16, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is down a man: Joseph Gordon-Levitt tells MTV that he has dropped out of the movie to focus on his own directorial debut. “I would have loved, loved to have done it,†said the actor. “He’s one of my very favorite filmmakers, and he was really supportive of me directing and that meant the world to me.†Gordon-Levitt’s role was a small one — he was set to play one of a trio of Australian brothers — but pretty soon, you’ll be able to assemble a rather intriguing alternate cast for Tarantino’s next: Jonah Hill also had to drop out owing to scheduling issues (his role was re-conceived and given to Sacha Baron Cohen), while Tarantino hotly pursued Will Smith for the lead role to no avail, a loss that became Jamie Foxx’s gain.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Drops Out of Django Unchained