We are now half-way to the end of the first round of the Fan Cast Tournament. So far MrMurdock, mtwiggs, Mumbix, and Prince Awesome have all advanced into the second round. We still have seven new competitors to go ...and one former challenger being given a second chance after a flake and a bunch of alternates turning down a spot for different reasons. More on that later on. But right now we have our next eight to deal. Who joins the other four in the quarter finals? Sound off below to determine who moves on.
But now onto today's match...
The Uncanny X-Men debuted in 1963,introducing us to the original teenagers with attitude. More imporantly, it introduced us to the concept of mutants, gifted people who society hates and fears. A metaphor for the civil rights movement, the X-Men had been a staple of comics before booming in the 1990's with an excellent cartoon series during the spectator boom. As per usual with these situations, the movie studios came calling. Fox landed the righs to the X-Men franchise, with the first film debuting in 2000 to solid reviews. However, Bryan Singer's choices for how he portrayed the X-Men has been controversial to say the very least. He swapped out colored costumes for leather biker gear that the stars could not move in. The cast were not allowed to research the comics. Ontop of that, there are many who claim that theor time line is messed up. With faithful adaptations being all the rage, people have been clamoring for a clean slate for the X-Men.
Forager and Batmanbeendrinking now have the chance to create that clean slate with their fan casting of the X-Men universe. Wil they begin small? Are the comics costumes still intact? Most importantly, which cast do you feel is best representative of the X-Men as YOU know them? Voice your opinion as to which one of these gifted youngsters survives the culling.
First...
Forager's Casting Choices
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Mark Strong as Professor X
While Mark Strong usually plays antagonists in movies, he is equally capable of delivering much more nuanced performances as in Black Gold or in The Imitation Game and he showed more recently that he was able with Kingsman to portray a humoristic character. Strong is a talented actor who would be perfectly capable of interpreting a kind and clement professor Xavier but who would at the same time keep secrets about his his past.
With his performance in Kingsman, Taron Egerton showed his actor skills and ability to be the protagonist of an action movie. And if the team-up he formed with Mark Strong convinced me that both would be great to transcribe the relationship between Professor X and Scott, it was his role in Eddie the Eagle that made me realize that he would be perfect. Dynamic and appealing, he would have the ability to allow Scott Summers to shine as he deserves.
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Saoirse Ronan as Jean Grey
Saoirse Ronan is a very talented actress, maybe one of the best of her generation. She has already demonstrated her capacity to star alongside an ensemble cast as it was the case in The Grand Budapest Hotel but also to be feature as an action star as in Hanna. She also managed to deliver extremely emotional performances making her the perfect choice for an uncertain Jean Gray, still having trouble controlling her powers.
Kylie Bunbury is an actress whom I discovered very recently through the series Pitch in which she is incredible. In only a few episodes, she has established herself as a talented actress capable of having a strong presence on screen. Athletic, she has the skills to play the character regarding the action scenes while also being able to put forward the human aspect of Storm with her traumas. A role like this would allow her to show a larger audience the immensity of her talents.
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Aidan Turner as Wolverine
Unfortunately Aidan Turner is not Canadian as Wolverine should be but I quickly forgot this little flaw. Turner is an extremely talented actor who has already shown his talents in blockbusters like the Hobbit trilogy but also on television as in Being Human or in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. I'm sure he would be able to embody Logan on the big screen with his part of violence and wrath but also with his part of emotion and heart.
Augustus Prew as Beast
Augustus Prew is a strong actor, capable of interpreting intelligent and brilliant as it was the case in Pure Genius. He already has a solid career and is used to playing alongside great actors like Tom Hiddleston or Jeremy Irons in High-Rise. He has what is need to interpret a memorable Beast, still young, but already blue furred. He would be able to give a sensibility to the character, behind his savage apparence, making him appealing for the audience.
Doug Liman is a director who may not be an independent filmmaker, but he is the best at what he does: that is, making blockbusters with a very strong vision. Despite the fact that the film was a financial disappointment, Edge of Tomorrow was incredible in terms of action and visuals. Liman also succeeded with this movie to build a narratively ambitious story with strong characters. An X-Men film directed by him would be a unique experience for the viewer.
...and his opponent...
...formerly with the longest name EVER...
Batmanbeendrinking's Casting Choices
Mahershala Ali as professor x- Mahershala has shown that he can be commanding while still being very composed( House of Cards) and nurturing to those who come looking for help(moonlight). It is widely known that the inspiration for Professor Xavier was Martin Luther King so I figured why not make it more prominent
Idris Elba as magneto- for Magneto I was looking for somebody who could command (beasts of no Nation) and who had a very imposing voice that could strike fear and leadership all at once (The Jungle Book). It is also widely know that the inspiration for Magneto was Malcolm X so I figured why not make it more prominent.
Tom Hardy as wolverine- Tom Hardy is it is an actor who has shown that he is both tough and intimidating throughout his films(Bronson, Lawless, Warriors, etc...) I also believe that physically he is a perfect fit in height and body structure.
Chris pine as Cyclops- for Cyclops I wanted somebody who is very charismatic and has the look of a leader. As well as someone who could bounce off of Tom Hardy as they did in this Means War which I thought their chemistry was fantastic in.
Emily blunt as Jean Grey- Jean is by far one of the most powerful and emotionally tortured mutants in the X-Men universe. Emily Blunt has shown that she can be a very powerful woman( Edge of Tomorrow) and broken with the ability to keep moving forward while still finding hope(sicario).
Taron everyone as iceman/bobby- for Iceman I was just looking for somebody who looked the part but could also play a naive student/troublemaker
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as juggernaut- I was looking for somebody big who could also Act
Javier bardem as beast- some of the best things about Beast is his demeanor in the way he carries himself but also in the way he speaks which just exudes intelligence, and I believe Javier Bardem has that voice and demeanor were you just want to listen to every word that comes out of his mouth.
Natalie Dormer as Mystique- Mystique has always been a character that just screams sexy and deadly so I figured why not get one of the most beautiful woman in the world in my opinion whose character in Game of Thrones kind of resembles that, and if tweaked a little bit could be a very Sly, mischievous, and always looking out for herself which I believe is true to mystique's character
Jon bernthal as sabretooth- I don't know why it just fits in my opinion
Screen play by Matthew Vaughn(xmen frist class, kingsmen, kickass) and Scott Frank(logan, Minority Report) - a dream collaboration, both know how to write a character driven story with heart. I would have Scott as the lead writer with Vaughn lightening the script.
Directed by Peter Jackson - Jackson has experience with directing a large cast while balancing them all. As well as shooting large scale battles. And over all shooting a gorgeous film
Cinematographer by Michael seresin