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Jonah Hex is a 2010 American Western superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jimmy Hayward (in his live-action debut) from a screenplay by Neveldine/Taylor, the film stars Josh Brolin in the title role, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon and Wes Bentley. Produced by Legendary Pictures, Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance Productions and Akiva Goldsman's Weed Road Pictures, the film was released on June 18, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was a commercial failure, having grossed only $11 million against a budget of $47 million. It received generally negative reviews from critics. Plot Jonah Hex is a Confederate soldier who refuses an order from his commanding officer Quentin Turnbull to burn down a hospital. Hex is forced to kill his best friend Jeb, Turnbull's son, who draws a pistol on Hex. Turnbull later tracks Hex down at home and takes revenge for Jeb's death by killing Hex's family and branding Hex's face. Hex is found near death and healed by the Crow people; the experience leaves him with the ability to speak to the dead. Turnbull fakes his death in a hotel fire and Hex, unable to seek revenge, becomes a bounty hunter. In 1876, a gang of men led by Turnbull hijack a train carrying components of an experimental weapon invented by Eli Whitney. President Grant realizes that Turnbull is planning to rebuild the weapon and use it to attack the U.S. on the Fourth of July. Grant instructs Army Lieutenant Grass to find Hex and hire him to track down and stop Turnbull. Grass' men find Hex in a brothel with a prostitute named Lilah and inform him that Turnbull is still alive. Hex travels to meet Grass at his encampment and uses his ability to interrogate a dead soldier. The soldier tells Hex to find former Confederate Colonel Slocum, who now runs an illegal fighting pavilion in South Carolina. Hex confronts Slocum, who refuses to reveal Turnbull's location and sarcastically suggests he ask his dead friend Jeb. Hex throws Slocum to his death and burns the pavilion down. He decides to travel to Gettysburg and dig up Jeb's body to ask him for help. Jeb and Hex briefly fight before Jeb accepts Hex's apology for killing him. He grudgingly reveals that his father is at Fort Resurrection. Jeb also warns Hex to avoid death because many in the afterlife have plans for him. Hex confronts Turnbull at the fort and kills several men before he is shot point blank in the chest. Hex escapes by horse and travels back to find the Crow people. Turnbull orders a man named Burke, who helped kill Hex's family, to track down something Hex loves and bring it to him. While Hex is being healed again, Burke finds and kidnaps Lilah. Turnbull assembles the weapon and conducts a test on a small town in Georgia, completely destroying it. Hex sends a message to Lt. Grass with Turnbull's location and requests backup. Hex travels to Independence Harbor and infiltrates Turnbull's ironclad warship. He kills Burke, using his abilities to bring him back from the dead and incinerate him. Turnbull holds Lilah at gunpoint and forces Hex to surrender. Hex and Lilah escape their holding cell as Lt. Grass arrives and attempts to arrest Turnbull. Grass and his crew are destroyed by the weapon and Turnbull begins his attack on Washington, D.C. Hex attacks Turnbull, as they fight Hex jams the weapon with a hatchet before locking Turnbull's neck in the machine. Hex and Lilah escape the boat as the weapon backfires and explodes, killing Turnbull and all of his men. The next day, President Grant gives Hex a large reward and a full pardon before offering him a job as Sheriff of the entire United States. Hex declines, but assures the president they can find him if they need him; he leaves the city with Lilah. The film ends with Hex visiting Jeb's grave to apologize for his father's death before riding off. Cast Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex: A disfigured bounty hunter who is the film's antihero protagonist. Brolin initially hated the script, but changed his mind after growing to like its tongue-in-cheek tone. John Malkovich as Quentin Turnbull: The main antagonist who murdered Jonah Hex's family and disfigured the former. Megan Fox as Lilah Black: A gun-wielding prostitute and Jonah's love interest whose real name is Tallulah Black just like in the comics, but goes by Lilah for short and doesn't have scars on her body or a missing left eye unlike her comics counterpart. Michael Fassbender as Burke: A bowler hat-wearing, tattooed and psychopathic Irishman who is Turnbull's right-hand man. Fassbender likens his character to that of The Riddler and Malcolm McDowell's performance in A Clockwork Orange, saying he mainly found his character when he tried on the derby bowler. Will Arnett as Lieutenant Grass: A Union soldier who enlists Hex as a bounty hunter. Michael Shannon as Dr. Cross Williams: The ringleader of a gladiator circus. The studio planned to have Williams in a recurring character if a sequel surfaced. Wes Bentley as Adleman Lusk: A corrupt politician. Aidan Quinn as Ulysses S. Grant: The 18th President of the United States (Quinn was on set for only 3 days for this role). Lance Reddick as Smith: An armorer of sorts who supplies Hex with his new weapons. The film also includes John Gallagher, Jr. as Lieutenant Evan, Tom Wopat as Colonel Slocum, and Julia Jones as Cassie; as well as an uncredited Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Jeb Turnbull. Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds also made a small cameo appearance. Prior to Brolin's casting, actor Thomas Jane petitioned the studio for the role by hiring a makeup artist to give him the appearance of Jonah Hex. Jane instead voiced Hex in the 2010 animated short DC Showcase: Jonah Hex. Production In 2000, 20th Century Fox developed a one-hour television adaptation based on the character, with producers Akiva Goldsman and Robert Zappia involved, but the project never came to fruition. In July 2007, Warner Bros. held the film rights to the character and sought to make a film. Goldsman paired with Andrew Lazar as producers, and Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor wrote the screenplay, which adapted an incarnation of the comic books that combined the Western genre with supernatural elements. In October 2008, Josh Brolin entered talks to be cast as Jonah Hex under the direction of Neveldine and Taylor. The following month, Neveldine and Taylors stepped down from being directors due to creative differences with the studio. The studio explored the possibility of hiring Andy Fickman or McG and by January 2009, it chose Jimmy Hayward (who previously directed Horton Hears a Who!) to direct Jonah Hex. By the following February, Brolin was set to star alongside John Malkovich, who was cast as the antagonist Quentin Turnbull. Filming began in Louisiana in April 2009. Director Francis Lawrence was brought in to supervise a number of reshoots. Brolin would later admit that he hated the experience making the film stating t.... Discover the Francis Jonah popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Francis Jonah books.