Back in 2009, I've decided to cast some of the major players in the DC Comics universe, however, this article features characters related directly with the Green Arrow only. The castings for other DC characters are either on separate articles or have not yet been posted. This casting has (generally) no correlation with any other live action Green Arrow (namely Smallville).
NOTE: My fan cast is based primarily on the outer appearance of the actors/actresses because (naturally) I did not examine the acting ability of every single actor/actress. I am well aware that some people CANNOT act…
NOTE: This is a repeat of a Green Arrow fancast i posted several days ago. I just had to fix a little something something :)
The Good Guys
Josh Holloway as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
There’s no particular reason why I chose Josh as billionaire Oliver Queen except for the fact that he looks so much like the Green Arrow. He’s also of the right age. He is 41 years old which is perfect because I’ve always imagine him a little older than the other heroes (Batman played by Bale 36 etc). I’ve never seen him act, however, but I am sure he’ll do a decent job. Maybe, I’ll see him in Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Nicky Whelan as Dinah Lance/Black Canary
Once again, there’s no particular reason why I chose Nicky as the Black Canary except for the fact that she looks so much like Dinah Lance. If it wasn’t for somebody else casting her (possibly a long time ago), I would not have known her. However, now that I do, I think she’ll be a decent fit. She’s also hot :)
Justin Hartley as Roy Harper/Red Arrow
I chose to cast Justin Hartley as Roy Harper because I felt that he does a decent job as a younger version of the Green Arrow on Smallville so I thought that it was fitting to give him the role of Roy Harper. He would obviously have to dye his hair red but that’s not a problem. He definitely has the basic looks down and I want to believe that he has enough talent to pull of this role. The reason why I did not cast him as Connor Hawke (as you will find below) is because I feel like he’s too old for the role.
Zhang Ziyi as Shado
I find that Zhang Ziyi is one of the better (if not the best) and more well-known Asian actress so I decided to cast her as Shado even though I know that she is Chinese and Shado is Japanese. I think that her acting skills are good enough and she is young enough to play a convincing martial artist and Yakuza assassin. She also got that deadly look to her.
Zac Efron as Connor Hawke
I know what you’re thinking. But trust me, it’s not like Connor Hawke would ever be a big role. Plus, I think that Zac Efron now has enough exposure and enough credibility to allow him a chance to tackle this role. I haven’t seen Me and Orson Welles but I think if Zac is given a good script and a more serious role, he would be able to do okay with it.
Kristen Stewart as Mia Dearden/Speedy
Once again, some of you may agree with me…many may not. But, I chose Kristen to play Mia Dearden because I’ve seen some of her pre-Twilight roles and I think she can definitely pull off the HIV-positive, former prostitute Speedy. She has the looks and it’s the perfect role for her to play if she wants to continue being mopey (hey if a girl went through a prostitute phase and found out she was HIV positive, I would think she gets mopey sometimes).
Taylor Momsen as Arrowette
This casting was actually a late addition. I decided to cast Taylor Momsen as Arrowette not because she’s a spectacular actress. I wouldn’t know, ‘cause I don’t watch many of the shows she’s in. However, I recently watch The Grinch and I thought that if she could play the Arrowette with the same joyful innocence, she would be good to go. Thus, I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She’s also has the looks and the age which is always a plus.
The Bad Guys
Steve Bacic as Merlyn
I primarily casted Steve as Merlyn because he looks a lot like the character (except much more muscular). I also saw him in Smallville and though he did not do a fantastic job, I think it has much to do with the writing and direction of the show. I think that if he had better script, he would do much better as the rival archer (though no promises).
Jamie Chung as Cheshire
Honestly, I couldn’t find another young, sexy Asian woman to play the femme fatale, top notch assassin. Thus, I casted Jamie Chung. I can’t promise that her acting will be convincing but if she could train well enough to play a convincing assassin (in terms of stunts and stuff), I think it is worth giving her a shot. She’s also not THAT much younger than Justin Hartley whom I’ve casted as Roy Harper.
FYI: If any of you are interested in knowing, Cheshire is often times known as the second best (female) assassin in the world behind Lady Shiva. I casted Lucy Liu as Lady Shiva.
Xander Berkeley as Count Vertigo
This casting was also another late addition. I found that I had only two Green Arrow villains so I decided to put Count Vertigo in. I casted Xander Berkeley because I think that he looks a lot like the character and will make a GREAT villain.
I realize that I may be running low on villains because, I found that some of the other Green Arrows villains were too unimportant to be added onto the list.
I hope you enjoyed this. Constructive criticisms are welcome.