The stars have both unchained themselves from Quentin Tarnatino’s hotly anticipated western film, with the latter being the second to pull out of the same role.

It was announced via twitter that Russell had exited the cast, with no reason explicitly given. The 55-year-old actor is the second to leave the role of Ace Woody (a villain who forces slaves to fight each other for entertainment), after Kevin Costner quit the project last September. There have been suggestions that Russell is taking some time out to spend with family after a busy workload.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s departure seems a bit more straightforward, a press tour for The Dictator forced him to not take on the “cameo role” he had tentatively signed up for. Cohen announced he will no longer be involved in an interview on the Howard Stern Show, HitFix reports.

Django Unchained is scheduled for release Dec 25.

Are you disappointed the actors will no longer feature in the movie?