Kanye West Says Quentin Tarantino Stole Django Unchained From Him

Kanye West says that Quentin Tarantino and Jamie Foxx stole the idea from Django Unchained from him.

By Douglas Helm | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Kanye West is no stranger to making bonkers claims on social media in interviews, and his latest claim about director Quentin Tarantino is no exception. Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, West claimed that Tarantino and Jamie Foxx stole the concept of Django Unchained from him saying “I pitched to Jamie Foxx and Quentin Tarantino as the video for ‘Gold Digger’. And then Tarantino turned it into a film.”

Other than Kanye West’s allegations of theft against Quentin Tarantino and Jamie Foxx, West has had high praise for Foxx in the past. In addition to being a fan of Jamie Foxx as an actor, West and Foxx have collaborated on some classic hits like “Gold Digger” and “Slow Jamz.” Of course, West has been burning bridges left and right lately, so it’s not too shocking that he’s made these claims about Foxx and Tarantino.

Django Unchained starred Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who plans to save his wife (Kerry Washington) from the ruthless plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) with the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz). The film was a critically acclaimed addition to Quentin Tarantino’s filmography, netting Tarantino an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and a Best Supporting Actor win for Christoph Waltz. However, if you ask Kanye West it sounds like that Original Screenplay nod that Quentin Tarantino earned wasn’t so original after all.

Whether or not Kanye West actually gave the idea of Django to Quentin Tarantino, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting more Django in the near future. While there was a project in the works that would see Django and the legendary swordsman Zorro team up on the big screen, Variety reported that the film was a casualty of the pandemic. The news was reported by writer and comedian Jerrod Carmichael in an interview with GQ, despite a screenplay already existing for the project.

Presumably, Kanye West will play no part in Quentin Tarantino’s next directorial effort, which is set to be his last. Tarantino has long said that he would be retiring after directing his 10th feature film, which would be whatever film he directs next. The last effort from the director-writer was the Oscar-winning 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was written and directed by Tarantino, with a star-studded cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Mike Moh, Dakota Fanning, and Margaret Qualley. The film nabbed Brad Pitt an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a win for Best Production Design, and nominations in numerous categories including Best Picture. Kanye West has not yet claimed that Quentin Tarantino stole any ideas from him for that film.

It doesn’t seem likely that anything will come from Kanye West’s accusations against Quentin Tarantino, but it’s certainly an interesting thing to claim. This is far from the only claim West has made in recent months and it likely won’t be the last. In the meantime, you can stay tuned here for more news on Tarantino’s (supposed) final film and any other upcoming projects.