In May 2010, Legendary Pictures purchased the film rights to Bioware's hit Mass Effect . The movie still remains in the early development stage, and casting has not yet begun. This fan cast's goal is to assemble the best possible ensemble to avoid the trend of poor game-to-film adaptations. Mass Effect is a highly customized RPG, making a film difficult to appeal to all fans of the game. Because Commander Shepard varies in appearance, character, origin, race, and gender, casting the main protagonist requires the best actor/actress available.
Commander Shepard
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is a rising actor. The man is known to most people through his recent role as Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto in
X-Men: First Class. However, his work in the upcoming film
Shame is an early Oscar contender for Best Actor. Fassbender has a strong screen prescience to carry the weight of the trilogy. Shepard, as portrayed by Fassbender, will be paragon (morally just) with some renegade flair. His origin will be Earth-born, and war-hero. The character will be a combination of adept, soldier, and engineer.
Dr. Liara T'Soni
Summer Glau
Summer Glau is a well-known commodity to the CBM crowd. However, her name is not marquee, and may be an obstacle to overcome for Legendary Pictures. Yet Dr. Liara T'Soni is a daughter of an Asari matriarch studying the ancient Protheans. She is extremely awkward around humans, especially Shephard. Glau has made a career out of successfully playing the awkward female in a sci-fi setting (see
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and
Firefly/Serenity).
Kaidan Alenko
Zachary Levi
One of my personal favorite actors simply for his role as Charles Bartowski on NBC's
Chuck. Levi had the chance to play Fandral the Dashing in
Thor, but a scheduling conflict denied him the opportunity. Levi's acting talents continue to polish and shine. Kaiden is a notably smaller role with a male Shepard but could be a scene stealer, if done properly.
Saren
Andy Serkis
*Voiced by Fred Tatasciore
Saren, the principle antagonist, is a Turian that betrays the Citadel to join forces with the long forgotten Reapers. The character visually requires motion capture. Andy Serkis is a pioneer in the field of motion capture acting with brilliant performances as Caesar and Gollum. Unfortunately, his voice is too weak for the character and will be dubbed by Saren's video game voice, Fred Tatasciore.
Ashley Williams
Olivia Wilde
Ashley Williams is a fierce soldier that is a poetry reading girl at heart. This dynamic is the sole reason I didn't give Michelle Rodriguez (who bears a striking resemble to Ash in the first game) the part. Mass Effect 3 remodeled Ashley making her appearance more akin to the
House veteran.
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
Alison Brie
Tali'Zorah is a Quarian, a species whose immune systems are so weak that they cannot leave their protective suit. The role is mainly voice only and Alison Brie's voice is similar to her video game counterpart. Plus, it doesn't hurt that she can fill out her suit.
Garrus Vakarian
Bryan Cranston
Garrus is a veteran of Citadel Security. With his experience, he has learned how unjust the system has become at times. Enter Brian Cranston, 3-time Emmy winner. The actor has a grizzled voice suitable for the actor's willingness toward vengeance and capital punishment.
Other Roles:
Urdnot Wrex: Ron Perlman
Jeff "Joker" Moreau: Seth Green
Captain David Anderson Laurence Fishburne
Donnel Udina: John Slattery
Matriarch Benezia: Kate Winslet