Rare is the film that can add actors after two trailers have been released, but… Quentin Tarantino has never been one to do things conventionally. Or something of that nature.

While Sacha Baron Cohen‘s departure from Django Unchained was, at the time, something of a bad point for the outlandish western, word started coming in that the (slightly pivotal) character would simply be excised from the script; almost as if nothing ever happened. If that’s the case — and further stories indicate it very much is — it’s somewhat ironic to hear, from Deadline, that one of the original choices for this part, Jonah Hill, will still come aboard pretty late in the game.

But it appears we won’t ever see Scotty Harmony — the original owner of Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), who loses her to Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Calvin Candie — and that Hill is grabbing an unknown role for himself. My mind first went to one of a few antagonistic Australian hunters — possibly (though not definitely) played in part by Anthony LaPaglia and John Jarrat — but, having not read the script, my knowledge of those parts is none too deep. Considering how late it’s all happening, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just a fun walk-on role.

Even if that proves to be the case — we’re still speculating, mind you — it’s still a huge step for someone who, these past twelve months, has legitimized himself in an incredible way. Don’t see it? The fact that The Sitter came out after Moneyball notwithstanding, the latter film brought an Oscar nomination — one that almost assuredly landed him a role in Scorsese‘s The Wolf of Wall Street. Now he’s in two films with Leonardo DiCaprio! We never would’ve imagined that when Get Him to the Greek came out, for God’s sake.

Django Unchained will open on December 25th.

Could Hill add anything truly notable to Django? Do you have any idea who he might be playing?