And so, with last night’s twitpic of the title page of Quentin Tarantino’s latest script, we’re off. The spaghetti western is indeed titled Django Unchained. Franco Nero first spoke about his attachment in February, so the project is surely tied to the character that Nero originated in 1966’s Django. A source who reportedly read the script sent Shadow and Act a plot synopsis that suggests Nero may be too Italian to play the title role:

“Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (played by Christoph Waltz) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner.”

So “Unchained” is literal. That’s great! Thompson on Hollywood confirmed with agency WME that Waltz is on board; Nero indicated Keith Carradine and Treat Williams will also appear. Hit the jump for more production details.

Deadline reports Tarantino has a “top-shelf” cast in mind for Django Unchained. Depending on casting availability, production will start in late summer or fall. The Weinstein Company will handle domestic distribution, and Tarantino is speaking with Universal, Warner Bros., Sony, and Paramount about co-financing and foreign distribution. Universal is the best bet, hoping to continue their relationship with Tarantino after Inglourious Basterds earned the studio $193 million in international box office.

Since the title page leak, Deadline hears the studio and agency will work harder to keep the script under lock and key. Notably, the original tweet by @AgentTrainee has been deleted. But the script is out there, so we may receive more plot details in the near future as casting news starts to come in.

Fansite The Quentin Tarantino Archives suggest the film is also tied to the Takashi Miike movie Sukiyaki Western Django, which Tarantino acted in. My guess is it’s more a titular link than anything thematic. But this Django is unchained, so he could hop on a plane to shoot up Japan.