Cannes: Kurt Russell, Peter Sarsgaard to Star in 'Bone Tomahawk' (Exclusive)

Russell is in talks to join Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" opposite Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz. Russell replaces Kevin Costner, who bowed out because of scheduling conflicts.

Novelist, screenwriter and cinematographer S. Craig Zahler will make his directorial debut with the film which stars Jennifer Carpenter and Timothy Olyphant; Magnolia takes U.S. rights.

Novelist, screenwriter, cinematographer and now director S. Craig Zahler’s major new Western adventure Bone Tomahawk has sealed financing and has pre-sold to Magnolia for U.S. distribution.

The movie, set to star Kurt Russell (Deathproof), Peter Sarsgaard (An Education), Jennifer Carpenter (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood), has also inked a deal with Constantin for German speaking Europe.

Celluloid Dreams and Unconnect, the sales company partners, inked a slew of territory pre-sales on the hot title.

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The movie follows an outlaw who unknowingly leads a band of cannibalistic Troglodytes into the peaceful western town of Bright Hope. When the monsters kidnap several settlers a small rescue party journey into hell to try and rescue them.

2929 Entertainment has come on board to fully finance the project.

Caliber Media Co.’s Dallas Sonnier and Jack Heller and Floren Shieh Productions’ Aimee Shieh and Clay Floren will produce alongside 2929’s Ben Cosgrove and Shay Weiner.

Principal photography is scheduled to commence in Utah on August 2013.

Celluloid Dreams has also already pre-sold France (Wildside), Australia (Transmission), Russia (Luxor) and Thailand (IPA Asia).

Zahler’s first novel, A Congregation of Jackals, was nominated for Western fiction’s two major prizes: The Spur and The Peacemaker and his latest novel Wraiths of the Broken Land was published this week by Raw Dog Screaming Press.

Other titles include Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, Catriona McKenzie’s Satellite Boy, Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage Beyond, Daniel Algrant’s Greetings From Tim Buckley and Daniele Luchetti’s comedy Those Happy Years.