Bruce Dern has taken on the role of George Spahn in Quentin Tarantino’s Manson epic Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. What gives the casting special significance is that the role was originally accepted by Burt Reynolds, who passed away September 6.
No filming for Tarantino’s film had taken place when Reynolds died, though the late movie star did participate in a table read of the script with co-stars Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Kurt Russell in June.
Dern and Reynolds were good friends, and their first and last on-screen collaborations together were nearly four decades apart. Reynolds was reportedly attempting to mount another Hollywood comeback in the role of the Spahn Ranch owner whose land was taken over by the Manson Family.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is slated for a July 26, 2019 debut, a release date only a few weeks before the 50th anniversary of the Manson murders.
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