SAN DIEGO (AP) — Quentin Tarantino is redefining race relations in the pre-Civil War South with “Django Unchained,” his Western-style saga that he previewed at the Comic-Con fan convention.

Tarantino said Saturday that the germ of the story that struck him 13 years ago was the idea of a slave who turns bounty hunter — and goes after white men.

“Django Unchained” stars Jamie Foxx in the title role and Christoph Waltz as a dentist-turned-gunslinger who takes Django under his wing as they take on a plantation where slaves are trained for bloody sport — and dole out some vengeance along the way. The cast also includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington

The film debuts in theaters this December.