It turns out that the Western genre has proven to be quite a boon for screenwriter S. Craig Zahler. His 2006 Black List script for the violent Western The Brigands of Rattleborge has Park Chan-Wook(Oldboy) in line to direct it, and now Zahler has taken to the genre for his own debut turn behind the camera, with some pretty cool names set to star.
Variety reports that Richard Jenkins, Kurt Russell, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jennifer Carpenter(Quarantine) have signed on to star in Bone Tomahawk, a horror western being shopped at AFM now. The film is described as brutally violent and character-driven, following a sheriff (Russell), a gunslinger, a befuddled oldster (Jenkins) and a cowboy (Sarsgaard) as they attempt to rescue a group of captives (including Carpenter) from a band of cannibalistic troglodytes.
Western mash-ups don't have the best track record of late, especially after the dud that was Cowboys & Aliens, but Zahler is a fresh voice and the cast is a solid foundation for success. Production is slated to begin next spring.
