This marks my second attempt at uploading this article, since the first one grew legs and ran away or something.
For length purposes, I split this article in two -- you can read part one here if you’d like. These next choices don’t quite cover all the characters in the manga, but I did cover most of the major players featured in the anime.
So without further ado, here’s part two of Attack on Titan.
Survey Corps
Michael Fassbender as Commander Erwin
Age: 37
Others Considered: Chris Evans, Charlie Hunnam
Because no fan-cast would be complete without Michael Fassbender, right? In all seriousness, I think Fassbender just has this crazy kind of intensity to him that would work great for Erwin Smith. He might be proud and noble, but he’s also one of the more morally-dubious "hero" characters in the series. Not to knock the alternative choices, but Fassbender is also a far better actor than either of them.
Dane Dehaan as Captain Levi
Age: 29
Others Considered: Daniel Radcliffe
Although he’s a little young for the role (in my opinion) Dane Dehaan’s got a really powerful kind of darkness about him that reminds me of Captain Levi. Maybe it’s something about his eyes, or maybe I’m just thinking of his performance in Chronicle, but I believe he’s a strong choice for Levi. Better than my alternate, at least.
Noomi Rapace as Zoë Hange
Age: 35
Others Considered: Rebecca Hall, Emily Deschanel
For eccentric Squad Leader Zoë Hange (or Hange Zoë, if you prefer it that way) I chose Swedish actress Noomi Rapace. She’s best known for the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo films, as well as Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. I think she’d be able to portray Hange’s wisdom as well as her quirks.
Liam McIntyre as Mike Zacharias
Age: 33
Others Considered: Josh Holloway, Alexander Skarsgard
Not a great actor, but Mike isn’t the talkative type, so this could play to his advantage. This isn’t a role that requires someone with a lot of charisma -- just a guy with a strong physical presence. I felt Josh Holloway was too likable, and giving the role to Alexander Skarsgard just seemed like a waste of good talent.
Kate Mara as Petra Ral
Age: 32
Others Considered: Karen Gillan
I wanted to find an actress whom I thought could best play Petra’s kindness and sincerity. To that end I chose Kate Mara of Netflix’s House of Cards and Fox’s upcoming Fantastic 4 reboot. She’s a talented actress, and likable in a very subdued kind of way. She’s been treated as little more than eye candy in past films such as Shooter, but I would really like to see what else she’s capable of.
James Norton as Oluo Bozado
Age: 30
Others Considered: Anders Holm
James Norton is the star of the PBS mystery series Grantchester. I haven’t seen much from him, but he’s a good enough actor to convince me he could play pig-headed (but endlessly endearing) Oluo Bozado. He has a look about him that makes me think he’d be convincing as a smarmy, self-absorbed oaf.
Jesse Spencer as Eld Jinn
Age: 36
Others Considered: Shaun Evans
You may recognize Jesse Spencer from House, M.D. or Chicago Fire. Sad to say it, but there’s a particular reason for choosing him besides his resemblance to the character. He’s a decent actor who I’m sure would do well as Squad Levi’s second-in-command.
Jonathan Bennet as Gunther Schultz
Age: 33
Others Considered: Matt Long, Steven Strait
This one was weirdly tricky. For Squad Levi’s Gunther Schultz, I landed on Jonathan Bennet of Mean Girls and Veronica Mars. This is a relatively minor part, so I don’t think Gunther really needs an exotic or award-winning actor -- just someone likable.
The Military
Neal McDonough as Hannes
Age: 49
Others Considered: Kevin McKidd, Rhys Ifans
Neal McDonough is one of those actors you always point at and say, “Hey! It’s that guy from that other movie!” He gets typecast in villainous roles a lot, but I think he could very easily play Hannes, a sort of surrogate father for our central protagonists.
Michael Rooker as Instructor Shadis
Age: 59
Others Considered: Iain Glen, Jerome Flynn
Keith Shadis is the instructor of the 104th Training Corps, and a former Commander of the Survey Corps. Michael Rooker is an intense, intimidating actor who would be perfect as a savagely forthright drill sergeant.
Terry O’Quinn as Commander Pixis
Age: 62
Others Considered: Gary Oldman, Patrick Stewart
I really wanted to choose a non-American actor for Garrison Commander Pixis, but Patrick Stewart is an unoriginal choice and Gary Oldman just doesn’t fit the same way. O’Quinn, however, seems like such a good fit for Pixis’ quirky personality -- and if his performance on LOST was any indication, he’d be great in the role of a wise, old man.
Lee Pace as Nile Dok
Age: 36
Others Considered: Adrien Brody
This mostly comes from me just wanting to include Lee Pace in this list. Military Police Commander Nile Dok is a complex character, considering where his loyalties lie, and I think Pace would play up that complexity very well.
Timothy Dalton as Premiere Darius Zackry
Age: 71
Others Considered: Donald Sutherland, Viggo Mortensen
Picking an actor to play Premiere Zackry (Zackary? Zackly?) was one of the toughest decisions on this list, but ultimately I think I landed on a fairly solid choice. Though he’s been in both Penny Dreadful and Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz, he’s definitely best known as the fourth actor to play James Bond. He’s old, experienced, and charismatic enough to be a great fit for a cautious military general.
And that’s all, folks. Like it? Hate it? Comment below, let me know.
Thanks for reading.