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Spoilers (1)
The horse that Chris Pratt rode in this film was the star of War Horse (2011).
This was James Horner's final composition before his death on June 22, 2015 at the age of 61.
The joke "So Far So Good" told by Chris Pratt's character was also told by Steve McQueen's character in the The Magnificent Seven (1960).
James Horner collaborated on this film after he and Antoine Fuqua became close friends while making Southpaw (2015). According to Fuqua, Horner's team visited him on the film's set in Baton Rouge, one month after Horner's accidental death, to deliver the completed score. Horner had been so inspired after reading the script that he composed the entire score during pre-production.
One of the few Western movies where an actor's ethnicity matches their character's. 'Lee Byung-hun' is East Asian (Korean). 'Martin Sensmeier' is Native Alaskan (Tlingit). Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The film is a remake of The Magnificent Seven (1960), which is itself a remake of Seven Samurai (1954).
According to director Antoine Fuqua, one of the reasons that Martin Sensmeier was cast as Native American Red Harvest was that Sensmeier had luxuriant, almost knee-length hair when he auditioned. Not having been told that this had been a selling point, Sensemeier cut his hair shortly thereafter. Fuqua was originally upset, but then had the idea for Sensmeier to have his hair cut into a Mohawk, which fortunately also turned out to be historically accurate.
When Red Harvest first appears he speaks in Comanche, the language of his character. However when he states "my name is Red Harvest", he says this line in Tlingit, the language of Sensmeier's real Native people.
Later in the movie, Chris Pratt uses a shortened lever action rifle. This unique firearm, the mare's leg, was made popular by Steve McQueen in his series Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958). Pratt's character is McQueen's character from the original movie.
James Horner uses the same 5 note french horn progression in parts of the score, notably the riding scenes, that he previously used in Avatar (2009)
Almost each time there's a shot of Vasquez, the Mexican cue is heard, which is actually reused cue from James Horner's earlier score The Mask of Zorro.
James Horner only wrote seven pieces for the film.
Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke's third collaboration with director Antoine Fuqua since Training Day (2001); Hawke co-starred in Brooklyn's Finest (2009), and Washington starred in The Equalizer (2014).
Chris Pratt's character tells a story of a guy falling off a five-story building. At every floor, the people hear him say "So far, so good". This is in direct homage to Steve McQueen's character on the original The Magnificent Seven (1960) telling the same story except it was a ten-story building.
Jason Momoa was originally going to appear in the film. He dropped out due to his commitment with Aquaman (2018).
Some areas of Baton Rouge, where filming took place, had to be re-landscaped to resemble the 'Old West'
Wagner Moura was originally cast as Vasquez. The role was recast because he was committed to film the Netflix show Narcos, where he plays Pablo Escobar.
Martin Sensmeier's character name Red Harvest is a homage the Dashiell Hammett story of the same name which Akira Kurosawa borrowed the story for his plot of his other great samurai tale Yojimbo (1961). Kurosawa wrote the movie Seven Samurai (1954) which The Magnificent Seven (1960) is based on.
The characters use explosives produced by the Giant Powder Company of San Francisco. The company began operations in 1868 as the United States' first manufacturer of dynamite under exclusive license granted personally by Alfred Nobel.
Christian Bale was approached about a role.
Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt were the first two actors cast. Antoine Fuqua knew that both men have expressed interest in appearing in a western film. Getting Washington was easy but Fuqua initially was unsure which role that Pratt fits in. On the second phone call between Fuqua and Pratt, the latter started to sing "Oh Shenandoah", which Fuqua immediately declared that "Pratt is Steve McQueen".
Walter Mirisch was one of the most successful independent film producers in Hollywood in the 1960s. He worked alongside Yul Brynner, producer Lou Morheim, director John Sturges, and screenwriter Walter Newman to get Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) remade in America. Many decades after its release, Mirisch still holds The Magnificent Seven (1960) in high regard.
Haley Bennett and Denzel Washington both previously starred together in The Equalizer (2014) also directed by Antoine Fuqua.
This is Chris Pratt's first Western movie.
Bogue's line, "If God didn't want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep" echo's Calvera's "If God didn't want them slaughtered, he wouldn't have made them sheep" in the 1960 version.
Chris Pratt and Vincent D'Onofrio both starred in Jurassic World (2015). Pratt was Owen and D'Onofrio was Hoskins.
Chris Pratt appears in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), as well as Kurt Russell, whose father, Bing Russell appeared in The Magnificent Seven (1960).
Chris Pratt and Vincent D'Onofrio have both appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)) and D'onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Daredevil (2015))
Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio previously starred together as brothers in "Newton Boys" (1998), "Staten Island" (2009), "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009), and Sinister (2012).
On March 29, 2015, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer set the film release for January 13, 2017. In August 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment moved the film release to September 23, 2016.
Tom Cruise was previously in talks to star.
Walter Mirish, the executive producer of this film, was already involved in the previous feature : Magnificent Seven, back in 1960.
In the original Westworld (1973), Yul Brynner's character was modeled after his character from the film The Magnificent Seven (1960). Chris Pratt appeared in Jurassic World (2015), which was also based on a story by Michael Crichton, about an amusement park gone wrong.
The final screenwriting credits lists Nic Pazzolotto and Richard Wenk as the credited writers. John Lee Hancock rewrote Pazzolotto's script substantially but was denied a writing credit by the WGA.
Ethan Hawke's second western of 2016. The first was In a Valley of Violence (2016).
Denzel Washington's film debut was as thug in an extra role in Death Wish (1974), where he fights lead star Charles Bronson. Charles Bronson starred as one of the 7 in the original remake, The Magnificent Seven (1960)
James Horner, who was the composer for this movie, was too the composer for Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), a space remake of The Magnificent Seven (1960).
Antoine Fuqua's second PG-13 theatrical film.
This is Chris Pratt's second remake. His first remake was Delivery Man (2013).
The location temperatures in Baton Rouge (Louisiana) rose as high as 124° Fahrenheit on some occasions.
Matt Bomer is listed in the opening credits, even though he dies at the beginning of the film. Cam Gigandet, who plays a larger role, is not.
This was Antoine Fuqua's first feature film where it has been rated M, instead of MA and R in his previous films.
As a teenager, Antoine Fuqua was inspired to be a filmmaker after watching the two films, the Mirisch-version of The Magnificent Seven and Scarface. He once said that he would lobby of doing a remake of these films if there would be a plan to do so. Fortunately, he got his chance; producer Roger Birnbaum wanted to do a remake after leaving his position as co-chairman of MGM, saying the original film and its characters underline the theme of mortality, a theme that he holds after surviving gastrointestinal tumor.
James Horner had composed the soundtrack of Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) which was a futuristic remake of Seven Samurai (1954), which The Magnificent Seven (1960) was also a remake. Both The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) starred Robert Vaughn as Lee and as Gelt.
The original 1960 film featured Yul Brynner, who later appeared in Westworld (1973), a film about a theme park that goes wrong, directed by Michael Crichton. Chris Pratt appeared in Jurassic World (2015), which was also based on a Michael Crichton novel.
In the beginning of the film, Joshua Faraday encounters a man who calls himself the "Two-Gun Kid." Faraday is played by Chris Pratt, who also portrays Peter Quill (Star-Lord) in 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' based on the characters from Marvel Comics. In the comics there is also a character named Two-Gun Kid, and he was even a member of the Avengers.
The film reunites Denzel Washington with Ethan Hawke and Antoine Faqua whom Washington had worked with on Training Day (2001).
This is the second time Haley Bennett appear in the movie were using The Magnificent Seven (1960) theme. The first time was Hardcore Henry (2015).
At 1 hour and 20 minutes, Josh (Chris Pratt) asks Chrisolm (Denzel Washington) what to do if he gets shot in the head; in which Chisolm replies "I don't know, Avenge me". Chris Pratt plays the hero Peter Quill in marvels 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and is set to star in marvels 2018 release, Avengers: Infinity War.
Chris Pratt's earlier film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was about misfits (a thief, an assassin, 2 bounty hunters, and a vengeful warrior) who come together to stop an evil fanatic from wiping out the inhabitants of a planet. The Magnificent Seven (2016) is a similar film about characters who are bounty hunters, gunfighters and outlaws who join forces to help a village deal with another evil fanatic.
This is the second film where Chris Pratt and Vincent D'Onofrio appear together, the first was Jurassic World (2015).
Ethan Hawke's 1st western he starred in 2016. The other film is In a Valley of Violence (2016). Karen Gillan whom stars in that film had starred opposite Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).