Quentin Tarantino rarely shies away from offbeat casting if he thinks a particular talent is perfect for a role. And the director has a deep appreciation for the craft of filmmaking, which means he often likes to collaborate with other legends in the field. So news that Oscar-winning make-up artist Tom Savini has joined Tarantino’s spaghetti Western Django Unchained makes sense, even if - for now - we have to take the information with a grain of salt.

Savini’s casting is being reported exclusively by The Coventry Telegraph, which claims that it has learned that Tarantino tapped the stuntman and producer to play vile slave owner Ellis Brittle – one of three Brittle brothers who rape and deform Broomhilda, the captured wife of lead character Django (Jamie Foxx). The site has plenty of plot details, informing us that Ellis and his siblings are the target of bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who is aided in his quest by Django. As we’ve previously reported, Leonardo DiCaprio will play plantation owner Calvin Candie, whose ranch – CandieLand – is run by Ace Woody (Kurt Russell).

The Coventry Telegraph isn’t exactly known for breaking movie stories, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of reporting a real scoop. And like I said, Savini seems like he’s be perfect for Tarantino. They collaborated on From Dusk ‘til Dawn in 1996, and Savini has been in Robert Rodriguez’s stable over the years. Tarantino tapping him for a role is a no-brainer.

I’m starting to worry that Django Unchained has too many characters, and major actors are going to be elbowing each other for screen time. Then again, Tarantino juggled a large ensemble for Inglourious Basterds, so there’s a good chance it won’t be a problem for Unchained.