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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