Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fantasy JLA Casting Game

I saw this on a couple sites post-SDCC -

People have been choosing who they would like to make up the cast of a hypothetical Justice League of America film. A year or so ago, such a film was in the works with George Miller (MAD MAX) set to direct, but (thankfully) it never went in to production. I say thankfully because a bunch of heart-throbs and teeny-boppers had been cast as the titular supergroup. Now, with THE AVENGERS coming together nicely and DC planning a route similar to Marvel's for its future films, interest in a JLA film is mounting. I'll take a stab at the casting process and I'd like to hear what other people think as well.

The players:

Batman - I see this film not happening for a few years and by that time I'd expect Christian Bale to have moved on from Batman and not being interested in a JLA film, so the casting is open - Australian actor Joel Edgerton would have my vote. I'm not sure how well he'd fair as Bruce Wayne, but Batman stays mostly in character when with the JLA,so I don't think that would be a problem. He's big, he's brooding, he's got a square jaw and he can act.

Green Lantern - Ryan Reynolds

Flash - John Hamm - A lot of people think of the Flash as a young, cocky individual. I think of him more as the boyscout Barry Allen. I just read "Blackest Night" and I really like the way he was portrayed. He was more of a take-charge kind of leader and something made me think of Hamm.

Wonder Woman - This is an almost impossible role to cast. Most popular actresses are very petite, much too petite for Diana Prince. The actress needs to be both beautiful and amazonian. I think BSG's Tricia Helfer could pull it off well or previously rumored Morena Baccarin.

Superman - Brandon Routh - Superman is one of the most difficult characters to cast. The person has to be just right. For all its faults, SUPERMAN RETURNS got this very right. Routh is a spectacular Superman/Clark Kent, but since the WB and DC are moving on from RETURNS, there is literally no chance of Routh returning. The iconic character returns to his own film, tentatively titles THE MAN OF STEEL in late 2012, so I imagine we will hear some casting news on this in the next year.

Aquaman - Alexander Skarsgard - I think it was this guy's birthright to play Thor, but that opportunity has passed. He's got a swimmers form and a quiet intensity, so I think Arthur Curry would also be a good fit for him.

The Atom - Guy Pearce - I can see Pearce fitting into this role nicely. He's a great actor with an intelligent appearance. I just saw a picture of him LA CONFIDENTIAL and I was sold on this idea. Palmer would likely be a more minor character and that's something that Pearce has been excelling at lately.

Green Arrow - Brad Pitt - This was suggested in one of the articles I read and I liked it a lot. Pitt has been mentioned in regards to other comic book characters over the years, ranging from Spider-Man to Thor. If I could pick the perfect comic character for Pitt to play it would have to be Oliver Queen. The blond, liberal playboy character is practically tailor made for the actor. Unfortunately, he's starting to get a little old, so perhaps it's not meant to be. Also, I'm not sure that he'd be all that interested in playing this relatively minor hero. A backup choice for me would have to be Charlie Hunnam.

Martian Manhunter - Michael C. Hall - For some reason I hear a lot of black actors being brought up in relation to this role. I don't see any reason why Manhunter would have to be black. Is it something to do with his voice? I don't know. I see Hall in this role because of his stoic, icy monotone moments in "Dexter". I think he could capture this potentially interesting character quite well. I also see him fitting into the role of Manhunter's human counterpart J'onn J'onzz.

Hawkman - Karl Urban - This guy just looks like Hawkman. Hawkman is also kind of a jerk and Urban definitely has the ability to capture that. He often alternates between heroes and villains in the roles he chooses and I'm sure there's some sort of happy medium with this character. For now, Urban is slated to take on the role of another graphic novel icon - Judge Dredd.

No comments: