As previously said, I'm a fan of both DC and Marvel, though lean slightly more to DC given my preference for the World's Finest. Regardless, whilst I'm pretty happy with the output we're getting in terms of both companies' films, I'll admit every now and then they've cast a role that just hasn't sat well with me.
Long story short, for this cast I've decided to cast a potential director as well as (most of) the primary heroes and villains of the Green Arrow mythos, and essentially, who I'd like to appear in the cinematic universe, but for the sake of originality I've gone with completely different choices than the actors/actresses that have been cast already despite however much I like/dislike them. Notably, for this cast granted I didn’t know too much about the character prior to the CW show, I can’t help but have been slightly influenced by that, but also by Jeff Lemire’s short lived and brilliant run for the New 52; so, expect to see influences of that sprinkled throughout here.
Anyway, enjoy and leave a comment/thumbs up below!
Dough Liman | The Director
Notable Credits: The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs Smith, Jumper, Edge of Tomorrow
Liman is very great director who I think would be an ideal candidate for this position. He’s proven himself to be a great director, who’s fully capable with drama, action and comedy and generally just brings a very fun and adventurous vibe to his films- something definitely suitable for Green Arrow. He may not be a name that’s much associated with CBMs but frankly, he’s one of the few directors who I feel could bring the perfect balance to a character like Green Arrow, and just help reinvent him for the big screen.
The Good:
Travis Fimmel | Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow
Notable Credits: The Beast, Vikings, World of Warcraft (upcoming)
Fimmel is a solid actor and also comes off as believably badass, but also has quite the charm, and this just makes me think he'd be able to balance grit with light heartedness well and just deliver a more rounded incarnation of the character.
Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr aka Common | John Diggle
Notable Credits: Smoking Aces, Wanted, Hell On Wheels, Selma, Run All Night
Common is just a very individual and undoubtedly talented, though more so with his music than with his action, but even then he’s a solid performer and capable of doing a role a justice. He’s one of the those few actors that I think could bring some great charm and charisma to this role and really just shine as Green Arrow’s ‘‘Earth One’ Alfred’.
Natalie Tena | Naomi Singh
Notable Credits: The Harry Potter Series, Game of Thrones
To the uninitiated, granted this character is a New 52 creation, it’s worth note that Naomi Singh essentially is the New 52 equivalent of Felicity Smoak, albeit edgier like someone like Lisbeth Salander and a lot more nuanced and subtle in general.
I’ve admittedly not seen Tena in much, but there’s something very watchable and intriguing about her; not quite sure how else to define it, but either way, she’s proven herself to be a capable actress, and I can definitely see her being a great addition to a CBM in a role like this.
Josh Gad | Henry Fyff
Notable Credits: Love and Other Drugs, jOBS, New Girl, The Wedding Ringer
To the uninitiated, granted this character is a New 52 creation, it’s worth note that Henry Fyff is basically Green Arrow’s ‘Microchip’; with Naomi Singh he helps Green Arrow with his tech and gear.
I think it’s safe to say Gad is pretty damn funny and the fact that he shares a near uncanny resemblance with the character is pretty ideal granted how similar he is to the character. Either way, like with Tena, I think Gad is one of those actors who’d really just add some weight (no pun intended) to the cast and really just shine in this supporting role.
Britt Robertson | Mia Dearden aka Red Arrow
Notable Credits: The Secret Circle,
Delivery Man,
Under the Dome,
Tomorrowland
I’ve seen Robertson in a fair bit now, and I think it’s safe to say she’s somewhat of a rising talent; she’s proven herself to be fairly versatile and is capable of playing lighter and more troubled/darker characters, but she also shares quite the resemblance with the character, and all this combined just makes me think she’d be a nice fit in the role.
Alfie Allen | Roy Harper aka Arsenal
Notable Credits: Game of Thrones,
Plastic,
John Wick
I can see myself getting a bit of flack for this casting choice, but Allen is one of those actors who can walk the line well between likable and being despicable, and that’s something I think you need for a role like this. He’s not only proven himself to be a pretty solid actor, but like a few others I’ve cast, he too has quite the resemblance to the character I’ve cast him as, and personally I just think he’d be really quite great in the role.
Katheryn Winnick | Dinah Lance aka Black Canary
Notable Credits: Killers,
Vikings
Admittedly, I partially cast Winnick due to her chemistry with Fimmel, but ignoring that she is a very capable actress on her own, and also quite versatile and believably badass too. Personally, a reunion between these two actors would be nothing but beneficial for these roles, and I would genuinely be very pleased if Warner Bros. were to take them into consideration if the characters are to ever be added to their cinematic universe.
Rinko Kukuchi | Tatsu Yamashiro aka Katana
Notable Credits: Pacific Rim,
47 Ronin
I’ve not seen Kukuchi in much admittedly, but she’s a pretty cool actress, and like with Tena has something undoubtedly watchable about her. The fact that she’s proven her physical prowess obviously supports the idea of her in the role but ultimately, her resemblance to the character also so does help, and this ultimately did factor into my casting of her.
The Bad:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers | Werner Zytle aka Count Vertigo
Notable Credits: The Tudors, Mission Impossible 3, From Paris with Love, Dracula
Meyers is quite an underrated talent, who definitely has a knack at playing intense and regal characters. Whilst it could be said such a role may be out of his comfort zone, from his work in
The Tudors and
Dracula in particular, I'd say he'd make an ideal choice for the role and potentially even elevate the character too.
Brad Pitt | Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke
Notable Credits: Snatch,
Fight Club,
Troy,
Inglorious Basterds,
Fury
Since David Ayer was announced as the director for
The Suicide Squad I’ve greatly wanted Pitt for this role. He’s charismatic, tough, badass and just oozes swagger; to me that pretty much sums up what Deathstroke is, and personally, Pitt as a villain is just something so enticing it needs to happen again.
Anyway, relating to Green Arrow, whilst many see Deathstroke as only really becoming a rival of the character’s due to the success of
Arrow, I personally have loved the character in this capacity since his encounter with Green Arrow in
Identity Crisis- that being said, I’ll admit to being fond of the history
Arrow created between the two, and would love to see this be somewhat carried over for the respective cinematic incarnations.
Keanu Reeves | Simon LaCroix aka Komodo
Notable Credits: Speed, The Devil’s Advocate, The Matrix Trilogy, 47 Ronin, Man of Tai Chi, John Wick
To the uninitiated, granted this character is a New 52 creation, it’s worth note that Komodo essentially is the New 52 equivalent of Malcolm Merlyn, though rather than being someone who takes issue with Starling City, he takes issue with the Queens due to a longstanding obsession with an ancient warrior clan which they have ties to.
What can be said? Reeves has always been a badass actor, and with his recent action comeback as John Wick, he most certainly needs to be cast in a comic book movie asap. Despite all that though, I’ll admit to casting him not just due to his badass-ness he recently displayed in
John Wick, but because he pretty much already played the character in
Man of Tai Chi, pretty damn well. So, in a role like this? I think it’s safe to say he’d be pretty damn great.
Danny Sapani | Danny ‘the Brick’ Brickwell
Notable Credits: Misfits,
Hard Boiled Sweets,
Trance,
Penny Dreadful
Sapani is a very solid character who doesn’t seem to have really gotten much of a chance to shine. He can do drama and comedy and is more than capable of being tough, mysterious, imposing and intimidating very well, and frankly in a role like this, I feel he’d just deliver a very great performance and make for a solid villain.
Maggie Q | Chien Na Wei aka China White
Notable Credits: Live Free or Die Hard,
Mission Impossible 3,
Nikita,
Stalker
To some, this casting might seem like a bit of a step back in terms of quality, but Q is a really underrated actress; she’s not going to be winning Oscars any time soon, but when it comes to strong/tough women, she’s proven herself as being more than capable of delivering, especially when considering her work in roles like
Live Free or Die Hard and
Nikita.
Laz Alonso | Ricardo Diaz Jr aka Richard Dragon
Notable Credits: Avatar,
Fast and Furious,
Breakout Kings
Alonso is a pretty badass actor, I’ve seen in few things now and he’s definitely someone who could bring some weight to a role. He can do tough, intimidating and (as said before) badass pretty damn well, and fortunately shares a resemblance to the character too, so I’d be more than willing to see what he could do here.
Norman Reedus | Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot
Notable Credits: The Boondocks Saints Series,
The Walking Dead
This is far from an original casting decision but it works. Reedus is badass, funny and roguish; that more than works for Deadshot, and given his notoriety in
The Walking Dead, I can definitely see him making the character a household name.
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs aka RZA | Benjamin Turner aka Bronze Tiger
Notable Credits: Repo Men, The Man with the Iron Fists, Brick Mansions
Some of you guys are going to tear this casting choice apart, but I’ve always found RZA to be a very understated and great subtle performer, and with his work in film like
The Man with the Iron Fists and
Brick Mansions in particular, I’d say he’d be great in a role like this.
Jordi Mollà | Constantine Drakon
Notable Credits: Blow, Bad Boys II, Columbiana, Riddick
Mollà is a solid character actor and someone I feel would just really work well with the character, given all his quirks and mannerisms, especially in light of his work in
Columbiana, and
Riddick.
Devon Aoki | Jade Nguyen aka Cheshire
Notable Credits: 2 Fast 2 Furious, Sin City, War
Since first hearing Aoki being considered for a role in
Arrow, I was really hoping it’d be Cheshire, but obviously that didn’t quite work out. She’s a solid actress and pretty badass and proven her capabilities with martial arts well in the past, but despite all that, I can help but admit, that there’s just something about her that really just reminds me of the
Young Justice incarnation of the character, and that’s something I think would be great in being brought to the big screen.
Ed Skrein | Charles Graham aka Prometheus
Notable Credits: Ill Manors,
Game of Thrones,
The Transporter Legacy (upcoming)
Skrein is a relatively unknown but he’s proven himself to be a solid young performer and like Pitt has a very confident swagger to him that just feels highly appropriate for this role. Whilst it might be a bit early to say, he also does appear to fit the role physically also, so by all rights, is definitely someone I’d consider for this character.
Alexandra Breckenridge | Carrie Cutter aka Cupid
Notable Credits: She’s the Man, American Horror Story, The Walking Dead
From Breckenridge’s work in
American Horror Story, I think it’d be safe to say she’d be great in this role. She’s obviously hot as hell, and a capable actress and the fact that she looks like a nice fit for the role, just sells me on the idea of her working it well, so I’d love to see what she could do.
Joe Anderson | Garfield Lynns aka Firefly
Notable Credits: The Crazies,
Horns,
Supremacy
I think Anderson is a really underrated actor; I’ve not seen him in too much, but what little I have has definitely been a testament to his talents- he can do intense very well and is certainly capable of drama and even comedy, and would undoubtedly be an interesting watch in a role like this.
Jude Law | Onomatopoeia
Notable Credits: AI: Artificial Intelligence,
Road to Perdition,
Repo Men,
The Sherlock Holmes Series, Don Hemingway
With his work in
Road to Perdition and
Repo Men in particularly, Law’s proven his talents for this role. He’s highly versatile and talented and can playing everything from creepy to charming and badass to hilarious all very well, so with a character as unique as this, I think he’s genuinely one of the few actors that can make it work legitimately.
Micahel Irby | Abel Tarrant aka the Tattooed Man
Notable Credits: The Unit,
Fast Five,
The Following
I’ve seen Irby in a bunch of things over the years, but since his brief role in
The Following I can’t help but think he’d be able to do something very interesting in a role like this. I mean, he’s clearly proven himself to be a capable performer, but with his work there he’s really shown off his versatility well, and it definitely shows that he deserves more attention.
Steve Buscemi | Barton Mathis aka the Dollmaker
Notable Credits: Reservoir Dogs,
Fargo,
Pulp Fiction,
Con Air,
Boardwalk Empire
This might a bit of a strange casting choice to some, but I’ve always wanted to see Buscemi as a comic book villain, and frankly someone like this just fits very well. Whilst the character alone isn’t too great, granted Buscemi’s talent and unique appearance, I’d say it’s safe to say he could most certainly elevate the role and really make for a very great and disturbing villain; really that simple.
So, with that done, please leave a comment/thumbs up below!