While watching a film I'm often fascinated at the casting choices made and how it affects the finished product. I can't tell you how many movies I've seen that were ruined because the parts were cast all wrong. It's tricky finding the right person for the right role. If this proves popular I plan to do more of these so if you have a film you'd like to see me cast just shoot me a message or leave a comment. Or you can tell me right now. I only have a few ideas at the moment for future installments, so more are definitely welcome.
I decided to start off tackling a big one: Superman. When it was announced they were rebooting The Incredible Hulk franchise one thought popped into my head: Was it really THAT bad? While I admit Ang Lee's Hulk is far from a masterpiece and definitely has its problems, wasn't this a bit of an overreaction? That's not what upsets me though. I do think Ed Norton will do as good if not a better job as Bruce Banner than Eric Bana, even if I refuse to accept anyone other than Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross. What bothered me was that Ang Lee was thrown under the bus while Bryan Singer, who single-handedly destroyed the Superman franchise, gets another chance. That's right, Singer is actually set to direct a sequel to the awful Superman Returns. What's worse is Lee's film (which is far superior) didn't even gross much less, yet idiotic studio execs were inexplicably clamoring for a Hulk reboot and taking every opportunity to publicly bury Lee. That Bryan Singer still has a job in Hollywood, much less is directing another Superman installment, is a miracle.
Superman Returns is a failure on every single level, the biggest of which is casting. Even Daredevil was better. What's scarier is Daredevil's star, Ben Affleck, did a better job playing Superman in Hollywoodland than Brandon Routh did in Singer's film. About the only thing Singer got right was he decided to keep John Williams score, which was really a no-brainer. The Superman franchise is in a code-red state of emergency and I have some suggestions that would help fix it. There is hope. The first thing I'd do is fire Singer.
I'm playing producer and casting director, not screenwriter so I won't give you specific details what I'd do with the story but I will say this: THEY NEED TO START OVER. BACK TO THE BEGINNING. I'd call this new version simply: Superman. That's it. One of Singer's many miscalculations was making Superman Returns some kind of quasi-sequel to Superman II. This confused newer and even older fans of the series and punctured huge holes in the story. He should've taken a page out of Christopher Nolan's book (who did a fantastic job resurrecting Batman) and just started from scratch. I will say the only directors I'd trust with this material are Kevin Smith, J.J. Abrams and maybe Len Wiseman. Here are my casting choices:
Jake Gyllenhaal (Superman/Clark Kent)
This is the choice on here I'm least enthusiastic about, as odd as that may seem given its importance. I'm going to have the most work defending this. The reason I can't get completely crazy about it is because it reminds me a little too much of casting Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man (a role Gyllenhaal was rumored to be taking over at one point). I, like everyone else, am starting to get a little sick of "sensitive regular guys" playing superheroes. My justification then? There's simply no one out there that can play the part as well as he can. He wins almost by default (and believe me I went through everyone).
In all fairness, Brandon Routh, as bland as he was, didn't do a terrible job. He was just mistakenly directed to mimic Christopher Reeve's performance in the original. Those are impossible shoes for anyone to fill. Singer has gone on record to say he cast Routh because of his stubborn commitment to "finding an unknown," as some kind of demented tribute to the original film. That's great, except the casting of Reeve didn't work because he was an unknown. It worked because HE WAS A GREAT ACTOR AND PERFECT FOR THE PART. UNKNOWN OR NOT. Routh's credentials were that he kind of looked like Reeve and once won a Halloween costume party dressed as Superman.
Gyllenhaal has the right size and look, plus is a great actor audiences like and trust. And we know he can play Clark Kent, the trickier role. His newsroom scenes in Zodiac should convince any doubters. This is one of those rare cases where the most obvious casting choice is the best one. He was actually strongly considered for the part in the last film, but lost out to Routh. That was a big mistake. Alterations will have to be made to the costume so he doesn't look as ridiculous as Routh, which shouldn't be difficult.
The final question then becomes: Do we want to potentially destroy a talented actor's career by saddling him with this role? Let's put it this way: Even though Tobey Maguire was great as Spider-Man his career may never recover and regain the credibility it once had. We know Gyllenhaal can play the role, but will we accept him as anyone else ever again? I suspect we will, which is how I justify torturing him like this. Plus, I suspect he'll share good chemistry with his Lois Lane, who'll be played by:
Zooey Deschanel (Lois Lane)
She's not a big enough name. She's a "supporting" actress. She can't carry a big budget movie. Those are the reasons I kept giving myself not to cast her, but as I ran down the list of candidates I always came back to her every time. If you've ever seen a Zooey performance you know just how ridiculous those above reasons are. I was just kidding myself. What Margot Kidder's Lois Lane had that Kate Bosworth's didn't was spark, fire and personality. While we don't want a copy of Kidder it is important the actress bring those traits.
Zooey is one of the few that would bring them and breathe new energy into the series. It also continues a positive trend that's been developing recently of good actresses being hired for superhero movies. This is actually similar to the wise casting of Maggie Gyllenhaal opposite Christian Bale in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel. I don't see many people crying over the fact Katie Holmes won't be returning as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight. Most seem to agree she was the weak link in the first installment and won't be missed. Neither will Bosworth here. Good riddance.
When you see a pick like Zooey you start to realize just how bad a choice Bosworth really was. In fact, I don't think I realized exactly how bad until now. She's proof that an actress can look good but be completely devoid of any personality or charisma whatsoever. I think the casting of Bosworth as Lois Lane ranks among the worst in recent memory and a primary reason why that film failed. If you're going to emphasize the love story (which Singer did) you better be sure to have a damn good Lois. I got a huge laugh in that film when they said her character won the Pulitzer Prize. Does anyone believe, as played by Bosworth, she could win anything other than a swimsuit competition? I could cast a wooden board in this role and it would be an improvement, but I decided to go with a very good actress instead. Also, unlike Jake, I think this role would actually benefit Zooey's career, pushing her into the upper acting echelon, where she belongs. And in the process she'll help save this dying franchise.
Terry O' Quinn (Lex Luthor)
I can't take full credit for this one. I was actually having a discussion with a friend last week about this issue and he threw out Lost star and recent Emmy winner O'Quinn's name. We kind of laughed it off, but then I realized…He's actually perfect for this part! He's the right age. He has experience in villainous roles. And he looks EXACTLY like him. And, although he hasn't been heavily tested in feature films, has the necessary dramatic chops to pull it off. I actually didn't have a huge problem with Kevin Spacey (though he wasn't great) as Luthor but the role needs to be recast so we're consistent across the board. Honestly, I like this choice far better. Gene Hackman was great in the original but one of the problems with Luthor in all the installments was he was played kind of campy and comically. It was hard to take him seriously as a threat. O' Quinn could fix that and bring some much needed gravitas to the role. He'd be great.
Brian Cox (Jor-El)
Sure, he's a little old to be playing the part, but so was Marlon Brando when he tackled it. Plus, he kind of resembles the elder Brando, which is interesting casting in itself. It isn't a huge role, but it's a very important one and Cox is known for turning in great performances with even the tiniest amount of material to work with. He always brings certain eccentricities and dimensions to various supporting characters, comedic or dramatic. This superhero universe is perfect for an actor who specializes in playing larger than life personalities. You can't go wrong casting him in any role, but this one he happens to be perfect for. By the way, I thought using the digitized Brando at the beginning of Superman Returns was offensive. Not because I'm a huge Brando fan, but because no great actor (living or dead) deserves to appear in a movie that bad.
Adam Brody (Jimmy Olsen)
Bumbling Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen is supposed to be a geek. Brody specialized in playing one for 4 years on The O.C. He wouldn't like hearing this, but he has a goofy sidekick kind of vibe to him, which is exactly what's needed here. He isn't a huge name and this isn't a huge part, so his presence won't be a distraction or upstage anyone else. I could see Brody ad-libbing a lot and bringing out a comedic dynamic that may not necessarily be in the script. Ironically, Shia LeBeouf was seriously considered for this role in Superman Returns. That's an even better choice, but he's become so big a star that this role is actually beneath him now. Does anyone even remember who played Jimmy Olsen in Superman Returns? I rest my case. That problem wouldn't exist with Brody.
Christopher McDonald (Perry White)
McDonald has to be one of the best and hardest working character actors in the business today. You might remember him from his most famous role as "Shooter" McGavin in Happy Gilmore, but it seems every time I turn around he's in something else. He's one of those actors where you know the second he pops up onscreen you'll get a memorable performance no matter how small the role or even how crappy the film. He's made a career of playing arrogant blowhards in positions of power so he's a logical choice to play boisterous, cigar chomping Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White. There's also a strong physical resemblance.
Frank Langella is a terrific actor but seemed totally out of place in the role in Superman Returns. Langella only stepped in to fill it because the original choice, Hugh Laurie, dropped out to film his television series House. Laurie, also a great actor, wasn't a much better choice. It would be great to see McDonald have a good role in a blockbuster film like this. He's worked hard and deserves it. That's not why I picked him though. I picked him because it fits.
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