Django Unchained action figures pulled after civil rights outcry

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jan/21/django-unchained-action-figures-pulled

Version 0 of 1.

A range of action figures accompanying the release of Quentin Tarantino's bloodsoaked spaghetti-western homage Django Unchained have been withdrawn from sale after attracting criticism from black activists in the US.

The eight-inch-tall figurines, which include depictions of "house slave" Stephen (played by Samuel L Jackson in the film) and Jamie Foxx's Django, were on sale via Amazon and other sites priced at $39.99 per model. In the wake of their removal by the Weinstein Company, which financed Tarantino's film, some were on sale this morning via private sources for up to $4,999 on the same site.

Announcing the removal from sale, the Weinstein Company said in a statement: "In light of the reaction to the Django Unchained action figures we are removing them from distribution. We have tremendous respect for the audience and it was never our intent to offend anyone. Action figures have been created for all of Quentin's films, including Inglourious Basterds, and as a matter of course [were] produced for Django Unchained as well. They were meant to be collectibles for people 17 years and older, which is the audience for the film."

Najee Ali, director of the Los Angeles civil rights organisation Project Islamic Hope, labelled the toys "a slap in the face of our ancestors" earlier this month, while Rev KW Tulloss of African American activist group the National Action Network said he was concerned that children might end up playing with the figures, "making a mockery of slavery".

Django Unchained, which recently became Tarantino's most successful film at the US box office, has been a hit with black audiences despite criticism from figures such as the film director Spike Lee over its depiction of slavery. Nominated for five Oscars, including a nod for the Pulp Fiction director's original screenplay, the film has been widely praised by critics.

In related news: Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays nefarious plantation owner Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, has said he is planning a long break from acting to concentrate on environmental activism. In an interview with Germany's mass circulation daily Bild, the 38-year-old American actor said: "I am a bit drained. I'm now going to take a long, long break. I've done three films in two years and I'm just worn out.

"I would like to improve the world a bit. I will fly around the world doing good for the environment," he added.

DiCaprio recently completed work on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, in which he takes the title role. He also has the Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, in which he portrays a New York stockbroker, set for release later this year.