FSR Exclusive
Exclusive: First Look at Thomas Jane as Jonah Hex?
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 18, 2008
As you know, it is very rare for us to bring you a really good photo exclusive, as it seems like studios reserve that sort of stuff for websites that aren’t constantly making fun of their films. Therefore, we are forced to rely on our legions of fans and a small team of well-trained movie industry ninjas to bring us, from time to time, the coolest cinematic contraband around. Last evening, our team on the ground in Hollywood checked in with an awesome little photo exclusive that was passed on to them from an extremely reliable source inside studio lines.
You all may have heard of this “Jonah Hex” character, a gun-slinging wild west badass anti-hero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga back in the 1970s. Famous for his surly and cynical nature, Hex has always been on the top of a very short list of comic adaptations that many true comic fans would like to see hit the big screen. In fact, Warner Bros. and DC Comics put the adaptation in the hands of producer Akiva Goldsman (Constantine, I Am Legend) and Crank creative team Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor in July of last year, and as they told our friends at Collider in March of ‘08, they intend on getting right down to it once they are finished with Crank 2, which is scheduled to hit theaters on April 17, 2009.
That said, here we go with the photo exclusive… For those of you who haven’t yet skipped ahead. As you may know if you’ve been following the development of Jonah Hex, no real casting announcements have been made as of yet. We are now suspicious, however, as our team in the field has sent over what appears to be either a piece of concept art or an early production test photo of Thomas Jane as Jonah Hex. Have a gander for yourselves below (Click to enlarge):
While I am not 100% sure that every fan would have had Tom Jane at the top of their lists to play Hex, we can sure see that he would be a damn good fit based on the photo above. In fact, have a look at this comparison below:
As you can see, Jane certainly has the look. And for those of you who remember The Punisher, you also know that Jane can do “stone cold silent vigilante” with the best of them. In fact, in my own opinion he has a very Clint Eastwood aura about him in this photo. As in, Man with No Name era Eastwood. Then again, that is but one man’s opinion. Either way, the photo is really badass — the kind of badass that could make fans start banging on the gates of the Warner Bros. lot, pleading for this production (with Jane attached) to be put on the fast track to the big screen.
As for the photo’s origins, we can’t confirm yet that Jane is attached to the project, as we didn’t really receive this in an official manner. We are, however, actively trying to get in touch with Jane’s people and the folks at Warner Bros. to try and confirm whether or not this did in fact come from the production. We will keep you posted, for sure. That said, all that is left now is to hear what all of you think of the photo:
What do you think of Tom Jane as Jonah Hex?
Update: By now you have probably seen other sites reporting that the photo above is not real, and not attached to the production of Jonah Hex. That is half true, as we have confirmed that it has nothing to do with the production. It is however, actually Thomas Jane as Jonah Hex. Check our updated story for more: Jonah Hex Photo Debunked, Sort Of — Thomas Jane Sets the Record Straight.
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23 Comments
June 18th, 2008 at 4:10 am
Coooooooooooooool!
June 18th, 2008 at 4:13 am
Awesome!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Where is the larger pic? By clicking to enlarge the foto above it opens a page full of other news and, among those, this very page here.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Clint Eastwood? More like Christopher Lambert.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Could be good, but then, I said that about the Punisher, and that one really spat mucus into
my face. T-Jane can sell me on a movie, but can it be pulled off? Also… Akiva Goldsman of
Constantine & I Am Legend? That’s a bad sign.
I still think Jim Carrey, doing his best Clint Eastwood impression, would be great as Hex. It’s
a hard sell though.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Tom has shown that he can play a tough badass. Some people may not have liked the 2004 Punisher film but Tom played the character correctly.
Tom has a Clint Eastwood and a Charles Bronson look.
Jim Carrey as Hex……. give me Tom for this role anyday.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Yes please! I’m a big Jane fan and a big Hex fan. This would be awesome. I thought 2004s Punisher was pretty good, especially at the end. And I liked Constantine. I’m done for this and want to see it done.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I don’t know who this actor is but I like this.
http://www.thebaboonbellows.com/?p=1294
June 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
You’re a moron, Thomas Jane was a worse Punisher than Dolph Lundgren!
WHY would you think it’s a good idea to have a short, pretty boy as Jonah frikkin’ Hex…or the Punisher for that matter??
June 18th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Kinda looks fake to me.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Wow! Pretty boy or not, JOSH HOLLOWAY would make way more sense than Thomas Jane. Holloway’s at least got an accent and a personality.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I’m calling fake.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
There aren’t very many ugly actors. Tom Jane looked good as The Punisher. And I’m not sure on your definition of pretty boy as Jane is pretty much a man’s man.
Is he the absolute perfect fit for this role? Maybe not. But if he were cast would I be excited? Yes.
And Dolph Lundgrens Punisher sat naked in a sewer.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Studios also do make-up testing, so Jane might not even be final choice. But he’d make a good one, especially for such an esoteric comic as this.
Plus, they could almost do it as a straightforward Western and get away with it.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Jane going to kill another comic book character? Hollywood sucks.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I’m pretty sure that’s a fake photoshopped shot. The image of Jane looks like it’s from “The Mist” (face only). Don’t know about the rest of it, but it’s certainly interesting.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Its almost definitely not Jane in make-up, but that doesn’t mean its not an Official Proof of Concept.
Word on the script is that it would be super-natural in nature, like some of the comics are.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Bad-ass. Wish he was still The Punisher, tho’.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:02 am
I agree with Kurt. This is Christopher Lambert as Thomas Jane as Jonah Hex.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:15 am
It’s a fake: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=6628
June 19th, 2008 at 5:59 am
This is only just a rumor at this point in time but Tom could play this role very well.
Tom played the Punisher’s character from the 1980’s and he played the character the very well. Tom had nothing to do with the writing of the Punisher film, so don’t go and blame him for it.
Give the whole Christopher Lambert look a rest. I’ll never know where people see that. But Tom does have a Eastwood and a Bronson look.
Of course the picture is fake. It’s just to gove people an idea of how Tom would look as the character.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:56 am
UPDATE: We got the official word from Thomas Jane himself that the picture is real, just not tied to WB in any way. An actor/fanboy taking the initiative to push a comic project forward - how’s that for cool?
Click Here for the Update
I know - I’m linking to the site from within the site. It’s meta. Get used to it.
July 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Thomas Jane nailed the role as Frank Castle in “The Punisher”. I’ve never understood the negative talk about him or this movie. Jane’s intensity and passion for what Castle went thru and how he was feeling completely and infatically shines thru on screne in a very real and empathetic way. I respected Jane’s difficult decision to pull out of P2 — He genuinely cares about Frank Castle’s character and didn’t feel Castle was going to be protrayed true in P2. (Which also shows it’s not all about the green back dollar to Thomas Jane…or he’d have done this sequal just to pick up some extra cash…)
I admit, I don’t know who Jonah Hex is (or was) but if anyone can bring him true to form…it is without a doubt Thomas Jane. Look how he is already transforming physical attribute to Hex. If Jane believes in a character he has a rare gift of learning him off screen so that he can live him on screen. He genuinely devotes himself! (And Thomas’s stone cold stare captures his fan’s attention– especially when that one eyebrow raises up and he pierces a deadly look at his enemy…you know someone’s in trouble then! :}
So, to conclude and in this lady’s opinion…I think Warner Brothers would be very smart in offering this role to TJ…if they want to make a lot of money that is.