Does John Hawkes look like a young Robert DeNiro? Writer-director Dan Schechter seems to think there is a resemblance of some sort, as he has just cast him to play a younger version of DeNiro’s character from Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown. A few years back, Schechter wrote a spec script for an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel The Switch, a prequel that takes place 15 years before Rum Punch, the book that Jackie Brown was based on. Leonard ended up liking it so much that he granted him the rights to make the movie and also signed on as a producer. Now Schechter is also directing the movie, and Yasiin Bey (the actor formerly known as Mos Def) has also signed on to play Samuel L. Jackson’s former role. The plot synopsis is as follows:

“Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they’re out, they’re joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. But they didn’t figure the lowlife husband wouldn’t want his lady back. So it’s time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing — with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who’s hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.”

My first thought after hearing about a Jackie Brown prequel is that it would like be nothing more than direct-to-video fodder, especially without the involvement of Quentin Tarantino. Dan Schechter has only two films under his belt, neither of which I have heard of previously (Goodbye Baby, Supporting Characters), and that doesn’t seem particularly reassuring. However, they’ve now got two solid actors in Hawkes and Bey, and the fact that Elmore Leonard has given it his blessing should mean something as well… right? Are you interested in seeing a Jackie Brown prequel?