“HAPPY HOLLIDAYS EVERYBODY!”
This festive time of year brings out thoughts of DICKEN'S, “A
CHRISTMAS CAROL” with “TINY TIM and SCROOGE.
Thus I thought since we are thinking of the classics at this time
that I would put together a “MORE-LOYAL-TO-THE-GRAPHIC-
NOVEL”, “THE LEAGUE OF EXTRORDINARY GENTLEMEN”
movie fancast. This is my early CHRISTMAS present to you all!
ENJOY!
I don't hate much in this life actually but I truly HATE FOX! I hate
FOX for all the horrible CBM'S they have just puked-out! What the
heck is wrong with that movie studio? It used to be a class act, now
it's just a “CRASS” ACT!
They completely and utterly ruined ALAN MOORE'S wonderful
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN! I don't think anyone else
will ever touch that entirely fine property again!
All it was is a big jumbled up, inaccurate, live-action kiddie cartoon!
The special effects were awful (Man, that Hyde rubber monster-body-
suit was horrid, it was just plain silly, LAUGHABLE!)
But if I was a wealthy producer/screenwriter I wouldn't hesitate to tackle
ALAN'S beautifully written graphic novel idea! And what a NOVEL idea
it is! Taking fictional classic horror/literary characters and wonderfully
weaving them together into an intriguing and entertaining yarn!
The First Issue, Volume One, of “THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY
GENTLEMEN” was issued, MARCH, 1999. Published by ALAN
MOORE'S own brand under DC COMICS, “AMERICA'S BEST
COMIC'S”, it was written by ALAN MOORE and illustrated by
the wonderfully stylized artist, KEVIN O'NEILL!
ALAN MOORE
This property just screams to be made the right way, according to the
writings of ALAN MOORE, within his grand graphic novel's pages!
I'd make this movie to honor ALAN MOORE'S eccentric genius, not
partially-parody it like the FOX movie did! I would have it more
VICTORIAN ENGLAND & SHERLOCK HOLMES-LIKE than a big
boomy cartoonish Superhero movie, like FOX'S!
I would keep Mina Harker as the leader of the group like in the graphic
novel, that immortal somewhat vampiric school-teacher who is the former
wife of DR. HARKER, from the pages of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA,
Harker's wife who was bitten by COUNT DRACUL but saved from
total vampirism in the end. I would write her more powerful than she is
in the graphic novel, sort of vampiric, but not as exaggerated as she was
in FOX'S crappy version! But I would make her very strong, durable,
able to come out in the sunlight and immortal & forever young.
I would add the rest of the main characters, the elder ALAN
QUARTERMAIN, Part-Sihk Indian/part British CAPTAIN NEMO,
JACK SKINNER, the professional-thief INVISIBLE MAN who borrowed
CAWLEY GRIFFIN'S formula, and DR. HENRY JECKYLL and his
monstrous vile alter-ego, EDWARD HYDE!
I also would add Frenchman and retired private investigator C. AUGUSTE
DUPIN (POE'S “THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE”), who comes out of
retirement to help the League in the graphic novel. I would make him
an actual member, here.
But no TOM SAWYER like in FOX'S LXG! I didn't think he fit at all!
CAMPION BOND, JAMES BOND'S ancestor, is their contact at
SECTION 5 and their overall director under the leadership of the
mysterious “M”.
Mina is the field leader. (MINA thinks MYCROFT HOLMES is
CAMPION'S mysterious boss, “M”, but “M” turns out to be none other
than the dastardly archenemy of SHERLOCK HOLMES, PROFESSOR
MORIARTY!
The basic story I would go with would be the case ALAN used in the
first volume. A mysterious Chinese character known as THE DEVIL
DOCTOR has stolen samples of DOCTOR SELWYN CAVOR'S
CAVORITE (H.G. WELL'S “THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON”),
an artificial substance he invented that blocks earth's gravity and
imbues anti-gravity, causing flight. THE DEVIL DOCTOR wants to
create flying machines to aerially attack LONDON with.
The LEAGUE was formed to stop THE DOCTOR who was actually the
Chinese crime lord FU MANCHU. For this movie I would not reveal
his true name and just hint that it's FU MANCHU, just keep him the
insidious mysterious DEVIL DOCTOR.
They recover the CAVORITE and give it to “M”, who, unbeknownst to
them all, except for CAMPION, is actually the dreaded PROFESSOR MORIARTY! In the end the CAVORITE ends up being THE PROFESSOR'S death!
MY “MORE-LOYAL-TO-THE-SOURCE-MATERIAL” MOVIE FANCAST OF...
“THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN”:
EMILY looks a lot like the MINA of the GRAPHIC NOVEL.
MINA HARKER (WILHELMINA MURRAY): EMILY BLUNT
RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN played ALAN QUARTERMAIN in a
couple of entertaining movies (At least I liked them as a kid!) so I
figured since he is in his 70's now he is perfect for the part!
ALAN QUARTERMAIN: SIR RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN
MARK has already played an ARAB fellow in “BODY OF LIES” so I
believe he is a VERY fitting candidate for the part-British/part-Indian
Punjabi role of this particular NEMO.
CAPTAIN NEMO (DAKKAR): MARK STRONG
I always thought Joseph would be perfect to play the tortured DR.
JECKYLL.
DR. HENRY JEKYLL: JOSEPH FIENNES
I don't like the over-use of CGI so I would use the real actor, ROBERT
MAILLOT with prosthetics & some CGI. He's 7' tall so it doesn't take
much to make him monstrous, heck he already looks a lot like HYDE!
As I've already stated, the rubber suit was stupid in the FOX movie.
EDWARD HYDE: ROBERT MAILLOT + CGI, MAKE-UP
DOMINIC is great at playing irascible characters and I think he is ideal
for this role. MOORE used CAWLEY GRIFFIN, the original H.G.
WELLS INVISIBLE MAN but I kind of like the scalawag thief angle
from the FOX movie. In the CLAUDE RAINES original INVISIBLE
MAN movie they mentioned that THE INVISIBLE MAN'S first name
might be JACK but no one really knew for sure. I thought I'd give it to
SKINNER here to differentiate it from the FOX movie.
JACK SKINNER (INVISIBLE MAN): DOMINIC MONAGHAN
PATRICK STEWART looks just like the illustration and would be
wonderful as the elder Parisian Private Investigator AUGUSTE DUPIN!
C. AUGUSTE DUPIN: SIR PATRICK STEWART
Well, you all know exactly why I chose this actor for this part...PERFECT!
CAMPION BOND: TIMOTHY DALTON
MYCROFT HOLMES: JIM BROADBENT
VILLAINS:
Now I didn't go into this striving to make this an all Fiennes cast but
dammit RALPH is extremely “FINE” for MORIARTY, he just is!
(Sorry about the PUN!) LOL
“M” (PROFESSOR JAMES MORIARTY): RALPH FIENNES
Some castings are just...DU-U-UH...and I ain't “FU—LIN'”!
THE DEVIL DOCTOR (FU MANCHU): CHOW YUN FAT
“MERRY, MIRTHFUL, HAPPY HOLLIDAYS!!!”