These next couple of parts are going to come quick and fast. First up is my cast for the 4-part opus CITY OF STONE, which reveals the tumultuous backstory of Demona and MacBeth.
First, old business:
Starting things off with everyone that I’ve cast before who appears:
For those keeping count, that’s Roger Cross as GOLIATH, Jon Hamm as XANATOS, Rosario Dawson as ELISA MAZA, Garrett Hedlund as BROOKLYN, Anton Yelchin as LEXINGTON, Seth Rogen as BROADWAY, Brian Cox as HUDSON, David Anders as OWEN, John Rhys-Davies as CAPT. OF THE GUARD, Ron Glass as JEFFREY ROBINS, Annie Wersching as FOX, and Lourdes Benedicto as MARIA CHAVEZ
Along with the main characters of this particular story, played by Anna Torv and Liam Neeson.
On to new business:
CITY OF STONE presents a lot of casting challenges, mainly because the characters age over several decades, a storytelling element that is simplified in animation and complicated in live-action. I chose to keep my casting simple, focusing on the characters at their most active point in the story. I also tried my best to search high and low for mainly English, Scottish, and Irish actors to fill out the Scotland-based cast of characters.
Henry Ian Cusick (“Lost”) as YOUNG MACBETH
They could probably pull off Neeson playing his youthful self (and jack up the film's budget) with some 'Benjamin Button'-type special effects, but it would be so much simpler to just cast another actor, and Cusick is always awesome on "LOST".
David Murray (‘Batman Begins,’ ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘King Arthur’) as GILLECOMGAIN
It was down to either him or Iain Glen, so I’m saving Glen for my next part.
Kelly Reilly (‘Sherlock Holmes’, ‘Pride & Prejudice’) as GRUOCH
Brendan Gleeson as BODHE
Richard Armitage (“Robin Hood”) as DUNCAN
Tom Wisdom (‘300’) as Duncan’s son CANMORE
James Cosmo as MacBeth’s father KING FINDLAECH
For the WEIRD SISTERS, I’d say this calls for a Tim Burton alum, like Jayne Wisener (‘Sweeney Todd’)
Plus, for the WEIRD SISTERS as creepy little schoolgirls, I could easily see Adair Tishler (“Heroes,” “Dollhouse: Epitaph One & Two”)
Coming up next: AVALON! Stay tuned…