20 Things You Didn't Know About Django Unchained
7. 'Black Hercules' Was A Reference To Ken Norton
During the dinner scene, Dr Schultz is telling Candie about the type of Mandingo fighter that he is looking to buy. He says that he wants a fighter with panache, a sense of showmanship. Then, elaborating further, he says that he would like to be able to bill him as the 'Black Hercules'. This is a reference by Tarantino to one of his favourite movies.
The 1975 Blaxpoiltation flick Mandingo was hugely influential on Tarantino. He called it 'a full-on, gigantic, big-budget exploitation movie'. One of the actors in Mandingo is Ken Norton, an actor-turned-boxer who was nicknamed Black Hercules during his fighting days. For anyone interested in watching Mandingo, the full film is on YouTube.