With the announcement that Fox if going to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise (a move that I actually think is a pretty good one) I’m sure a lot of us have been thinking (prematurely) about who the studio should cast in the iconic roles. I’m no exception.
I’ve actually thought for a long time about alternative casting for Fantastic Four since I’ve always thought the movies were miscast in the first place (not that all the cast did a bad job… no at all… Thing and Torch were actually pretty good… but still not my first picks for casting).
So now, for your approval and debate, I present to you The Movie Blog’s choices for casting in the new Fantastic Four movie!
DOCTOR DOOM – CHRISTOPH WALTZ
WHY? Some people loved Inglourious Basterds, and some hated it… but almost everyone agreed that the very best element of the film was the fantastic performance of Christoph Waltz as the film’s main antagonist. In my mind he’s perfect for Doom. He can turn on an aura of power very quickly and convincingly. His natural charm is fear inducing… not the mention the guy can just flat out act. For my money, this man is your new Doctor Doom.
WHY NOT? The only thing I can think of is that he’s not a very physically intimidating presence. However, since he’d be in the armor most of the time, that’s not really a huge issue to me.
The runner ups I’d also consider:
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David Moorse In my opinion one of the most talented character actors working in the business today. I’ve always thought it was a shame that he never really had a chance to be a legit leading man. He’s not exactly what I’d “picture” as Doctor Doom… but talent trumps and I’d have no problems putting him in. |
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Ralf Moeller You may not recognize the name, but he was Conan on the short lived TV show, and one of Maximus’ allies in prison in “Gladiator”. He is a huge, physically intimidating presence, has a great voice and could scare the hell out of you with just a look. He’d be more of a comic book choice to me, but I’d put him in. |
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Jürgen Prochnow Best known throughout his career as “that guy from Das Boot”, Prochnow hasn’t done a TON of North American work, but when he does he’s instantly recognizable. Once again, he’d be more of a “characature” pick for Doom, but one I’d be comfortable with. |
SUE STORM – YVONNE STRAHOVSKI
WHY? There are three things to consider here. First of all, she just looks the way I’ve always sort of envisioned Sue Storm looking. Maybe a little bit young, but aside from that, when I’ve pictured Sue Storm in my head before, she’s what I’ve seen. Second, she is DYNAMITE to look at. Dear sweet heavens, when I see her I feel like I need private time. But most importantly the girl has game. On TV’s “Chuck” she pulls off sexy and funny and can do physical action as well as Jennifer Gardner ever did on Alias. For these reasons and more, she is EASILY my top pick for Sue Storm.
WHY NOT? As i alluded to earlier, the one knock I have against her in the role right now is age. Grated, she certainly doesn’t come across any younger than Alba, but if she had just a couple of more years I’d call her “perfect”.
The runner ups I’d also consider:
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Scarlett Johansson When she’s “on”, this woman can push the VA-VOOOOM meter right off the scale. A solid actress with the beauty and sexiness the role calls for. Don’t know if I can really see her doing action though. She may pull it off in Iron Man 2, but I haven’t seen her do any yet. |
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Kristen Bell There isn’t a lot I wouldn’t put Sarah Marshall herself in. This girl has it all and I see her getting better and better as an actress all the time. Like Strahovski, I see her as a bit too young. She actually comes across as younger to me. Still… if the above choices weren’t available, I’d put her in without hesitation. |
MISTER FANTASTIC – RALPH FIENNES
WHY? For me, whoever plays Mister Fantastic has to first and foremost be a great actor, because as the leader of the team he’ll probably carry as much or more screen time and dialog than any other character in the movie. He also has to be able to pull off slightly nerdy while not quite being a total looser geek (like in the first two movies). He must have a strong side to his mild disposition. Ralph Fiennes meets all these qualities and more. On of the best actors in the business today, I have no doubt he’d make a remarkable Mister Fantastic.
WHY NOT? The only possible potential problem I see could be the accent. He’s have to pull off a totally natural and smooth American accent. Other than that, totally no drawbacks here.
The runner ups I’d also consider:
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George Clooney The last great movie star. I actually think this guy can do very little wrong when it comes to acting and when you go down the checklist I have for what is needed for Mister Fantastic, Clooney meets them all. The one drawback I see with him is age. At this point, I think it might be just a LITTLE bit to old for the role. But still, in the absence of Fiennes, I’d but Clooney in no questions asked. |
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Zachary Quinto Our beloved Sylar from heroes is an odd choice I know, but one I’m convinced would work. Quinto is a fabulous actor with a load of charisma and would do a great job in the role. He is a bit too young for it, but again, he’d be my third choice. |
THE THING – MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN
WHY? Let’s see… an Oscar nominated actor with that kind of size, physical presence and that voice. This is a no brainer to me, Duncan is the guy. Yes, I also heard the rumor that he might be black… but who cares? Being white or black isn’t an essential part to his character anyway… and besides… he’ll be Orange most of the movie.
WHY NOT? He might almost be TOO big. Not for “Thing”, but for Grimm. Meh, something I think we can all easily overlook.
The runner ups I’d also consider:
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Adam Baldwin This guy is like Moorse in many ways… just a solid character actor who does an amazing job at it. He’s also a very big man and would make a great Ben Grimm in my opinion. |
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Vin Diesel Another odd choice… but think about it. He’s got a great voice for it, he’s a very big guy and carries that intimidation factor with it. I’m not a fan of Vin Diesel, but this is actually one role I’d totally put him in if I was in charge of a studio. |
THE HUMAN TORCH – CHRIS PINE
WHY? This guy really impressed me (and a lot of other people) with his performance in Star Trek. He’s got a great maturity about him, but still that side that could completely be Johnny Storm. He’s got the perfect look for it… and he could easily pass himself off as Yvonne Strahovski’s brother. He can do comedy and deeper stuff and action… and… well… he’s my guy for Johnny Storm.
The runner ups I’d also consider:
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Ryan Reynolds This almost goes without saying… and is almost too perfect. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that Reynolds is in almost every comic book movie coming out in the next few years, I’d probably put him in my #1 spot for the role. He’d be perfect for it… but it’s too obvious and he’s over used now for the genre. However, if Pine backed out, I’d put him in… overused or not. |
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Just a brilliant emerging talent. Not too happy with his performance in G.I. Joe… but that was a hiccup on an otherwise brilliant career to this point, and he just keeps getting better. |
So there you have it folks. My selections for the new fantastic Four cast. I know it’s not filled with big HUGE names, but with this cast I think you’d have the building blocks for a winner. I mean… it wouldn’t mean anything if the script sucked… but at least you’d have the tools to make a good movie out of it.
So start the discussion. How would YOU cast the fantastic Four reboot? And please… for the love of humanity… understand that you CAN NOT bring back the same actors for reboots, so don’t mention Michael Chiklis or Chris Evans please.
