New stills from Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film “Django Unchained” have been released. This ode to the spaghetti western genre Tarantino held dear is the first Tarantino project since his “Inglourious Basterds” (2009).

In the South, some time before the Civil War, a former German doctor (played by Christoph Waltz) turned bounty hunter frees the slave Django (Jamie Foxx) and trains him into a warrior. Django will then be able to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) who’s been held against her will by the wicked Calvin Candie, a wealthy landowner.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was supposed to appear in “Django” but eventually had to cancel because he was shooting his first film as director, “Don John’s Addiction,” in which he also appears opposite Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. The actor-filmmaker confessed regretting not being able to participate in “Django,” naming Tarantino as one of his favorite filmmakers. He further stated that the latter had supported him in his directorial endeavors.

Weinstein Chairman (and long-time Tarantino producer) Harvey Weinstein has said that there might be some surprise additions to the cast–we should probably expect some old-timer or two (the name Franco Nero–spaghetti western O.G. has been thrown around–to show up.

Also appearing are: Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington and James Russo.

“Django Unchained” (Weinstein Company) has been slated for a Christmas Day release.