This would be intended for a trilogy-style film project, to be in theaters. FFX is a great story with a lot of emotional investment to tug at the heartstrings. Also, the setting would be a dream to recreate in real life. Much like my FFVII film cast, I think FFX would really be able to catch the attention of the masses and spread the amazing story to non-gamers everywhere. Anywho, here's the cast:
DAVID GALLAGHER as TIDUS
CREDITS: Super 8, Kingdom Hearts (voice role)
REASON: Funny how I ended up thinking of Gallagher for this role. I knew Kingdom Hearts, another amazing Square Enix title, had an all-star voice cast. Gallagher does the voice of the dark character Riku in the Kingdom Hearts games. But, after seeing pictures of him (especially the younger picture of him on the right), he looks a lot like your blond, sporty, pretty boy, which is perfect for Tidus. He's a solid actor and he has experience with Square Enix already, so he's the only choice for me to play the lead role here.
BONNIE WRIGHT as YUNA
CREDITS: Harry Potter Series
REASON: I really did spend a while on my choice for Yuna. I originally had Karen Gillan as Yuna, which seemed like a really good choice. However, for some reason, I always seem to neglect considering the height of the actor/actress when I'm casting. Gillan is 5'11''! That's taller than Gallagher! So, I obviously had to reconsider. Arriving at Wright is something I'm very happy about because she also looks the part very well and Yuna would be a comfortable character for the actress who played Ginny Weasley in HP. This ended up probably being a better choice than Gillan even not counting the height discrepancy.
IAN McSHANE as AURON
CREDITS: Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides, The Pillars of the Earth
REASON: He couldn't look more like the perfect Auron. Also, his style of acting is very similar to what is needed for Auron. In Pirates 4, he plays it cool for a lot of the movie. Really, though, his resemblance to Auron is just too strong to not choose him.
MARK DACASCOS as WAKKA
CREDITS: Drive, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
REASON: Dacascos is a Hawaiian actor who I think bears a strong resemblance to Wakka and who I also think deserves more attention than he's getting. Since he's from Hawaii, not to sound cliche, but he should be able to replicate Wakka's voice pretty well due to his upbringing. I did try to find an actor from the Caribbean, but none of the ones I could think of seemed right.
OLGA KURYLENKO as LULU
CREDITS: Quantum of Solace, Max Payne, Centurion, Seven Psychopaths
REASON: I think if look-alike's were the only factor, this would be my best fancast by quite a bit. Kurylenko looks so much like Lulu it's not even fair. Really, the looks is the major factor in this decision, but she's also been solid in a number of titles, so I'm confident in her acting ability as well.
STEVE TOUSSAINT as the voice and motion capture for KIMAHRI
CREDITS: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
REASON: If you've seen the Prince of Persia film, then you'll remember Toussaint as the character Seso. Seso and Kimahri are literally parallel. They are cut from the same cloth, same archetype. I'd love to have Toussaint as Kimahri. The one time he speaks in Prince of Persia reveals a perfect voice for Kimahri, and he has the right physique as well.
SASHA PIETERSE as RIKKU
CREDITS: Pretty Little Liars, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl
REASON: Okay, there were so many actresses I thought of for Rikku and they all seemed like good ideas; Hannah Murray, Blake Lively, Taylor Momsen, Hayden Panettiere, Dakota Fanning... I'm sure there were a few more, too. Pieterse is a talented actress who I think really looks like Rikku, so I finally went with her. Murray is the close second choice because I feel like she would nail Rikku's personality judging from her performances in Skins, but she doesn't have as good of a resemblance as Pieterse or Momsen do. Really, any of the ones I've listed would probably do just fine. If only Tuesday Weld were the age she was in the 1960's...
STUART TOWNSEND as SEYMOUR GUADO
CREDITS: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Queen of the Damned
REASON: Townsend, with the right make-up, would be able to look exactly like Seymour. From the roles he's filled in the past, I really get the Seymour aura from him. Really feels like the right choice.
NORMAN REEDUS as JECHT
CREDITS: The Walking Dead, The Boondock Saints
REASON: His portrayal of the character Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead is amazing and really makes me feel like he could play Jecht just as well. Jecht, like Daryl, starts out as an asshole but then turns out to be a decent, admirable guy. Also, Reedus would be able to pull of Jecht's scraggly voice very well. I literally did consider Chuck Norris for this role, but I felt he was too old now.
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS as LORD BRASKA
CREDITS: There Will Be Blood, Lincoln, The Crucible
REASON: Day-Lewis has more than proven himself to be an amazing actor and he really does feel like the right choice for Braska; he really looks like him and I feel like he is the perfect actor to handle Braska's personality. It would only be a guest appearance slot, so I'm not sure how enthusiastic Day-Lewis would be about that, but I feel like he'd enjoy the character of Lord Braska; at least worth a shot.
GINA TORRES as DONA
CREDITS: Firefly, Serenity, The Matrix
REASON: Another perfect choice, Torres looks like the perfect Dona and is a great actress, having been a part of my all-time favorite cast, Firefly. Torres has always struck me as the tough girl, so seeing her has Dona would feel really natural.
BRANKO TOMOVIC as CID
CREDITS: The Wolfman, The Bourne Ultimatum, Silent River
REASON: I really had to force myself away from casting Bruce Willis in this role because Cid just isn't big enough of a role for Willis to play; it would feel awkward. After a little searching, I came to Tomovic from looking at the cast of The Wolfman. I feel like he'd work really well as Cid, he'd only need to be aged a little with make-up.
SHAVARSH "SHAVO" ODADJIAN as BROTHER
CREDITS: Bassist of System of a Down, Producer
REASON: He's never really been an actual actor before, but Shavo has so much experience in the industry that I have no problem giving him his first role here. This choice just made me smile so much. I was looking at pictures of Brother and was thinking "Now, who does that remind me of? It reminds me of someone..." and when I eventually realized that someone was Odadjian, I was elated to say the least. This might be the best resemblance in any of my casts. Even Brother's hair is something Shavo would do. No other choice. Period.
CHRISTOPHER LEE as JYSCAL GUADO
CREDITS: Star Wars Episodes II and III, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
REASON: Lee would be a perfect cameo appearance as Jyscal. He was the right visage to play Jyscal and his voice would be nice for the character, too.
CHOW YUN-FAT as WEN KINOC
CREDITS: Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
REASON: Wen Kinoc is a character I really couldn't care less about, but I still felt like it was important to include him in the cast, so I threw in Yun-Fat for good measure. He's a solid actor who looks the part.
OMAR SHARIF as GRAND MAESTER MIKA
CREDITS: Lawrence of Arabia, Hidalgo
REASON: I'm happy with this choice because not only would Sharif be able to look a lot like Mika, but also because he is yet another example of the cultural diversity I've consciously put into this film. FFX in and of itself feels very exotic and worldly, so being able to include the likes of Sharif, Odadjian, Tomovic, Kurylenko, Dacascos, Yun-Fat, and Torres really adds to that feeling of diversity. Sharif has had a long, very successful career and now, being 80 years young, I think it'd be really nice to have him as the Grand Maester.
EVA GREEN as LADY YUNALESCA
CREDITS: Dark Shadows, Casino Royale, Camelot
REASON: No other actress even comes close to looking so attractive and so evil at the same time. Green would make the perfect Yunalesca; just by looking at the above pictures it's easy to tell. If you've seen her performance in Dark Shadows, it's even more apparent.
And there you have it. I'm pretty satisfied with this cast, please comment telling me what you think. Constructive criticism much appreciated! :)