Jonah Hex is an upcoming Western film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Under Warner Bros., the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolin as the title character, Jonah Hex. The film is scheduled to be released on June 18, 2010.

Premise

Variety reported the premise to be about bounty hunter Jonah Hex (Brolin) in the late 19th century tracking down voodoo practitioner Quentin Turnbull (Malkovich), who plans to liberate the Confederate South with an army of the undead. In contrast, Jimmy Palmiotti, a comic book writer for Jonah Hex, denied that Turnbull would be a voodoo practitioner in the film. Director Jimmy Hayward set the record straight at Comic-Con 2009 and clearly stated the Variety report was wrong. "I don't know where the voodoo practitioner raising the army of the undead came from, but that has nothing to do with the film, John Malkovich's character is more of a terrorist who's upset about the Civil War than he is someone who's trying to fight and re-win the Civil War."

Cast

• Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex: A disfigured bounty hunter. Prior to Brolin's casting, actor Thomas Jane petitioned the studio for the role, hiring a makeup artist to give him the appearance of Jonah Hex. Brolin initially hated the script, but changed his mind, growing to like its tongue-in-cheek tone.
  
  
• John Malkovich as Quentin Turnbull: The film's antagonist.
  
  
• Megan Fox as Leila: A gun-wielding prostitute and Jonah Hex's love interest.
  
  
• Michael Shannon as Doctor Cross Williams: The ringleader of a gladiator circus. The studio plans to have Williams a recurring character in sequels to the film.
• Michael Fassbender as Burke: A bowler hat-wearing, tattooed henchman of Turnbull.

Also cast in the film is Will Arnett as a Union soldier who enlists Jonah Hex as a bounty hunter.

Production

In 2000, 20th Century Fox developed a one-hour adaptation based on the character to television with producers Akiva Goldsman and Robert Zappia involved, but the project did not make it to production. By July 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures held feature film rights to the character and sought to produce a film. Goldsman paired with Andrew Lazar as producers, and Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor adapted the screenplay, which adopted an incarnation of the comic books that combined the Western genre with supernatural elements. In October 2008, Josh Brolin entered talks to be cast as Jonah Hex under the direction of Neveldine and Taylor. In November 2008, Neveldine and Taylors stepped down from being directors due to creative differences with the studio. The studio explored the possibility of hiring Andy Fickman or McG and by January 2009, it chose Jimmy Hayward to direct Jonah Hex. By the following February, Brolin was set to star alongside John Malkovich, who was cast as the antagonist Quentin Turnbull. Legendary Pictures paired with Warner Bros. Pictures to co-finance the film. Filming began in Louisiana in April 2009.

On September 2, 2009, Ain't it Cool News reported that heavy metal band Mastodon are scoring the film and have been working on it for some time.

References

1. http://scifiwire.com/2009/07/sdcc-clearing-up-the-supe.php
2. http://theflickcast.com/2009/08/11/michael-fassbender-discusses-inspiration-for-jonah-hex-henchman/
3. (Subscription only)

External links

• Official site