Bruce Dern will replace the late Burt Reynolds in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’.
The 82-year-old actor will reunite with his ‘Hateful Eight’ director Quentin Tarantino for the movie, taking on the role of blind rancher George Spahn in the upcoming film.
Burt hadn’t shot any scenes for the project – which focuses on Charles Manson and his followers’ murder of actress Sharon Tate – when he passed away earlier this month.
And his niece, Nancy Lee Brown Hess, admitted after his death he had been looking forward to working with Tarantino and fellow actors Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino and Kurt Russell on the movie.
She said in a statement: "My uncle was looking forward to working with Quentin Tarantino (in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’) and the amazing cast that was assembled."
Bruce previously worked with Burt on a number of different projects, including 1965 TV series ’12 O’Clock High’ and 2003 movie ‘Hard Ground’, which was directed by the late actor.
The film tells the story of actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt), who are trying to make it big in Hollywood.
Dalton has a famous next-door neighbor, Sharon Tate (Robbie), who was one of five people murdered by the infamous Manson Family cult in August 1969.
Speaking about the movie, the 55-year-old filmmaker recently said: "It takes place during the 1969 Hollywood era at the height of the counterculture explosion, at the time of the hippie revolution.
"During the summer, little by little, block by block, we’ll be transforming Los Angeles in the psychedelic Hollywood of 1969."
The movie is set for release on August 9, 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Manson Family committing the LaBianca murders.
Bruce Dern replaced Burt Reynolds in movie
