Wesley Snipes in "Gallowwalkers" — Wesley Snipes in “Gallowwalkers”

On first glance at the press release, I thought the title of the project was “The Harder They Come,” wondering if it was to be a remake of the 1972 Jamaican crime drama classic, which starred reggae legend Jimmy Cliff as an aspiring musician lured into a life of crime.

But, no, it’s not that (although, as recently as 2012, there was talk that a modern-day remake of “The Harder They Come” was in the works from Jamaican-born Canadian filmmaker Clement Virgo’s production company which never came to be).

This project is titled “The Harder They Fall,” and will be directed by Jeymes Samuel, whose name should be familiar (he directed “They Die By Dawn” – the short western featuring black cowboys, led by an all-star cast that included some fan favorites: Jesse Williams, Michael K. Williams, Isaiah Washington, Bokeem Woodbine, Clifton Powell, Rosario Dawson, Giancarlo Esposito, Erykah Badu, and others; we featured it quite a bit on this blog, from the moment it was announced in 2011/2012).

Samuel is returning to the so-called wild, wild west for another western starring some of the actors from “The Die By Dawn” like Michael K. Williams, Rosario Dawson, Bokeem Woodbine, Erykah Badu, Jesse Williams and Felicia Pearson.

Wesley Snipes will star in the feature as the leader of a gang of killer crooks in late 1800s Oklahoma. The story will follow a group of outlaws (led by Michael K. Williams) who are on the hunt for the head of Snipes’ character.

Samuel will direct from his own script, and will produce alongside Mark Collins and Maandi Media, in association with Das Films.

The deal was announced at Cannes today, with filming eyed to begin later this summer.

A couple of years ago, Snipes starred in another western – although more of a horror-western – titled “Gallowwalkers,” which we also covered.

Variety was first to report the news on the project.

Isaiah Washinton