PART 1: SUPERMAN!
Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman. Unfortunately, it grows more unlikely every day that we won’t see Routh don the cape again. I personally think that is a damn shame! Even though the movie was less than stellar (I thought it was a good movie, but a very bad Superman movie, if that makes sense) Routh was great in the title role of Superman Returns. He was charismatic, entertaining, and just felt like Superman. Had Singer let Routh step out of the Reeves shadow, and given him a better script, he would have been even better. He bears a striking resemblance to Superman, even more than Superman Returns. He’s very tall, buff, and has a strong voice, all things necessary for Supes. The biggest thing for me is that I have not heard one suggestion for the Man of Steel that I think would be better than Routh. Henry Cavill? He’s the next Batman. Tom Welling? Don’t make me laugh….or cringe….or puke. Brandon Routh IS Superman.
Michelle Monaghan as Lois Lane Monaghan is an often overlooked actress in my opinion. She is pretty underrated to me. She’s a great actress, watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for proof. I can see her bringing that hot sassyness that was sorely missing from Bosworth, who was so bitchy and not the Lois we all know and love. Monaghan would wipe that bitter taste from our mouths, and bring sassyness, sexiness, and warmth to Lois, making her actually *gasp* like-able. My close second choice would be Anne Hathaway (suggested by Shaman, used by HAWK in his Superman cast), who would bring depth to Lois, as she does with nearly every character she plays. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s an Oscar-nominated actress.
Paul Bettany as Lex Luthor. I used to think Colm Feore was perfect, but alas, he is too old now. If he was 10 years younger, he’d totally be my choice, but, at 50, he’s too old for the role now. Enter Bettany, who is 38, which is both young enough for a new Lex, but also older than Superman. Bettany is a fantastic actor, and is awesome in nearly every one of his roles. He’s got that look of superiority and intelligence to him, which fits Lex to the T. Not only that, but he’s 6’3”, matching Routh in height. The only thing that worries me is if he can take off the English accent, if so, he’s pretty much perfect for Lex.
Tommy Lee Jones as Perry White. One of my favorite actors ever, Jones would be an amazing Perry. He’s got the look, that great hollering voice you can simply imagine scolding Jimmy, and more than enough talent to pull the role off. I wanted a Perry that isn’t eccentric, so as to keep the similarities between him and J Jonah Jameson to a minimum. However, I wanted him to have, of course, a distinct personality, and Jones would do exactly that. Watch the Fugitive and pay attention to how Jones interacts with Joe Pantoliano’s character Deputy Marshal Cosmo Renfro. That is almost exactly what I want out of Perry. However, if they did make Perry eccentric, the best actor for the job is, by far, Alec Baldwin. Just watch him in the Departed and not get a Perry vibe, I dare you.
Jesse Eisenberg as Jimmy Olsen. I didn’t have much against Sam Huntington’s portrayal of Jimmy, I thought he was pretty good actually. But I want a younger Jimmy, more inexperienced and naïve, and, if you’ve seen Zombieland or Adventureland, you’d know Eisenberg’s the one for the job. Eisenberg has tons of charisma and like-ability coming out the wazzu, an essential characteristic for Jimmy. If Jimmy didn’t have charisma or like-ability, he’d obviously be boring, and quite annoying, considering the type of character he is. He also has excellent comedic timing, another must for Olsen, but can do more serious scenes and still be believeable.
Greg Kinnear as Jonathan Kent. I used to want Bruce Greenwood for Papa Kent, but I decided Kinnear would be better. He plays the nice, average guy so well, he fits Jonathan Kent to the T. Pa Kent is an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation, raising an extraordinary son. Kinnear would totally own this role. My second choice would be Tom Hanks, but I think he might be too old-looking and maybe even a bit wasted in this small role. (Ignore the super-old Pa Kent in this pic, I couldn’t find a young pic of the character)
Julianne Moore as Martha Kent. Good ol’ Ma Kent. Moore has this atmosphere of warmth and comfort around her, very fitting for Mama K. Martha has to have a motherly tone, she is one of the closest people to Clark, giving him guidance, comfort, and support whenever he needs it. Moore is an amazing actress, well, she didn’t get FOUR Oscar nominations for nothing. It would be no stretch at all for her to play Martha Kent.
Rachel Nichols as Lana Lang. She’s super hot, looks great with red hair, and is a pretty good actress. What else is there to say? *Raises hand* “She’s not Kristin Kreuk.” DING DING DING, we’ve got a winner!
Jim Caviezel as Jor-El. For this character, I wanted a younger actor to play him, but not younger than, say, late 30’s. 40 was my ideal age. And guess what, Caviezel is 41! Pretty darn close if you ask me. I’ve seen support for Caviezel as Superman himself, but I think he is both too old and too dark (or grim) looking for the Boy Scout. I don’t see him with that Superman personality. But I see him as a great fit for Jor-El, and I think you can see it too.
Lena Heady as Lara Lor-Van. The biggest factor that contributed to this choice was Headey’s appearance. She has a simply elegant and graceful beauty that I think would be perfect for Lara. Headey was a strong, yet motherly, woman in 300, as she was also in the Sarah Connor Chronicles. She would be an awesome Lara.
Kristen Bell as Supergirl. Bell is an excellent actress, despite her youth. On Veronica Mars she proved she can do a touch-as-nails, sweet-hearted, intelligent (exceptionally so), and dramatic character with ease. Supergirl is tough-as-nails, sweet-hearted, and intelligent. Plus she’s SUPER (get it?) hot. The most popular choice (that I’ve seen) would be Elisha Cuthbert, who I think isn’t that great an actress, and doesn’t have the right look, apart from blond hair. She looks like she would cry over a broken nail, and I don’t get that pure, wholesome vibe from her.
Sean Faris as Superboy. Faris is a pretty good actor, and I see plenty of potential for him. He’d be a great fit for Superboy, he’s got the look, height, build, etc. needed for the role. I could totally see him rising to this role.
Now time for villains!
Hugo Weaving as Brainiac. Do I even have to explain this one?
Michael Ironside as Darkseid. I personally don’t think I should explain this one either, but I will, just because I love ya! Ironside voiced DS in the animated shows, and was pitch-perfect EVERY SINGLE TIME! His voice is absolutely haunting, sending chills down your spine whenever he says even one word. That is what I want out of Darkseid, instant fear and intimidation. You will say that he is not right for Darkseid because of the physical requirements, but, have you ever heard of, stunt-men? This problem is so easily solved, just have Ironside do the voice which he is so perfect at, and use a stunt-man for the physical part. It’s not that complicated.
Just try to listen to this clip from the show and not drop your jaw in fear!
Clive Owen as General Zod. Personally, I don’t want to see Zod in a Superman movie for a while. However, if I had to cast Zod, Owen would be my first choice. He can do action-packed and dramatic scenes, is physically fit for Zod, has a creepy-ass voice, and, I dare you to disagree on this, doesn’t he have the face of an evil dictator? And isn’t that, in two words, pretty much who Zod is?
Katee Sackhoff as Livewire. Best known for her role on Battlestar Galactica as Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, Sackhoff (funny name, you know what I’m talking about, *wink*wink*) is a really great actress. After that whole Typhoid Mary rumor that went around, I thought about which CBM character I think Sackhoff should play, and it’s Livewire!
Kevin Durand as Lobo. I can’t think of a single better choice for Lobo than Durand. He’s got everything the role requires. He’s a monster at 6’7”, is built like a brick sh*t house, is great at playing insane characters with a touch of humor thrown into the mix, and is a total bad-ass. All those things are essential to Lobo’s character and personality, Durand would pull this off with finesse. My second choice would be Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the only things keeping him from my first choice are his age, and that it would be too similar to his Comedian portrayal for me.
Keifer Sutherland as Metallo. How awesome would this be? Jack Bauer as Metallo! Sutherland kicks ass on a regular basis, and is an excellent dramatic actor in his own right. He’s got the steely, cold voice that is perfect for Metallo, and would own the dual nature between the John Corben side and the evil, metal alter ego.
Ron Perlman as Mongul. He’s The Perl-Man! What more do you need?
Sam Witwer as Parasite. Witwer is a terrific actor, and has proved he can show tons of depth, emotion, and anger. Since Parasite is a villain, these qualities would lend themselves well to the character. Witwer also is in great shape, and has a positively villainous face. He’d be pretty awesome as Parasite.
Oliver Platt as Toyman. I saw Hawk suggest this, and I couldn’t agree more. Platt can act his ass off, and looks like the spitting image of Toyman from the comics. Not much else to say. He IS Toyman!
PART 2: THE FLASH! Just a heads up, I don’t have as extensive knowledge about the Flash and associated characters, so the descriptions of the choices will be shorter than in Superman.
Scott Porter as Barry Allen. As I said in my previous cast (where I used Porter as the new Human Torch), Porter has tons of talent. He’s really great on Friday Night Lights, and he positively screams Barry Allen. He portrays an emotional character, and does it excellently, while maintaining strong like-ability. Not only does he have a heroic look and build, he is a big fan of comic books too! Better yet, the Flash is one of his top 5 favorite characters! How awesome is that?! Porter deserves his own superhero movie, if not franchise. I can totally see that franchise being the Flash! And please note the ridiculously heroic looking picture of Porter I used.
Chris Evans as Wally West. Evans is PERFECT for Wally. He’s got the humor (in spades, mind you), build, youth (28), but can do very serious roles without even an inkling of humor, for example in Sunshine (brilliant movie BTW). It may be very similar to him as Human Torch, but the fact is he’s THE MOST QUALIFIED for this role. It’s undeniable. Evans has everything required for Wally. He’s the best choice by far.
Rachel McAdams as Iris Allen. McAdams is an amazing actress, having shown depth, emotional weight, and heroism so far in her career. She would be awesome as Iris Allen, the wife of Barry and aunt of Wally. I picture her as having great chemistry with Porter as Barry, and she does look like Iris from the comics.
Grace Park as Linda Park. Sort of rolls right off the tongue doesn’t it? Grace PARK as Linda PARK. But regarding the choice itself, Park is perfect for, well, Park. She looks exactly like Wally’s girlfriend/wife, and is a great actress, check out Battlestar Galactica for proof.
Hugh Laurie as Shade. It’s Hugh God Damn Laurie! Need more? *Silence* That’s what I thought.
William Fitchner as Captain Cold. You may remember Mr. Fitchner as the bank guy from the opening scene to a little film called The Dark Knight. You may not. If not, just look into that, dare I say,
chilling stare of his. He is Captain Cold. You know it to be true.
Mark Pellegrino as Mirror Master. Pellegrino has this fierce and intense look in his face, it’s a great fit for MM. Pellegrino isn’t any push-over in the acting business either. He was superb on Dexter, and is absolutely fantastic as Lucifer on Supernatural. Come on, how much more bad-ass can you get than playing the Devil? Not much…
Richard Speight Jr. as The Trickster. Granted, the only thing I’ve seen him in was a few episodes of Supernatural, but, in those episodes, Speight embodied the character of the Trickster. Hell, his character was literally called the Trickster! Is that not perfect casting?! Speight was devious, mischievous, and super-entertaining. He’s the human Trickster! Look at that mischievous smile, he screams Trickster!
Alan Tudyk as Weather Wizard. Tudyk is a vastly underrated actor, and has quite the acting chops. I first saw him as Sonny in I, Robot, and I was stunned at his great performance. He was one of my favorite parts of the movie. I would later see him in the amazing 3:10 To Yuma in a supporting role as Doc Potter. Just dye his hair black, and Tudyk would be a fantastic Weather Wizard!
Bradley Cooper as Zoom. Cooper has the face of a villain to me, and also has an acting style to match that villain-esque face. He’d be a great Zoom, always pissing Flash off. I can definitely see him in this antagonistic role, couldn’t you?
And that about does it. This one actually took me longer than usual. Hope you all liked it! Thanks for reading.