The MAGNIFICENT SEVEN gets big money behind it

The remake of The Magnificent Seven is ready to go and has picked up some big backers. Sony and MGM have agreed to jointly bankroll the remake of one of the most famous Westerns in history.

The Magnificent Seven will be based on the 1960 movie of the same name, which starred big names like Yul Brunner, Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen. It in turn was based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 samurai classic Seven Samurai. The new version follows suit with a serious cast of established and rising talent: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and Haley Bennett are all apparently cast into roles, with frequent Washington collaborator Antoine Fuqua set to direct.

Their last project, The Equalizer, didn’t get great reviews, but it made good on its budget with over $100 million at the US box office. This would also reunite Washington and Faqua with Hawke, who last worked with them in the award-winning Training Day.

The latest news is that Sony and MGM are going to split the costs of this potential juggernaut, with MGM overseeing the making of the movie. It’s not their first such deal, writes Variety, and the studios have also teamed up for several James Bond and the new Jump Street movies – all rather profitable enterprises. They are currently collaborating on the next James Bond movie Spectre.

Production is said to start within a month once the rest of the cast have been assembled.

Last Updated: March 13, 2015