Those of you who checked my previous fan casts will know for my casts I’ve taken on a bit more a generic view with casting, those of you who don’t, just to make it clear; rather than cast one specific film entry in a franchise I decided to cast of characters I’d expect to be around in the ‘5 year’ window of the New 52/existence of the Justice League, and who will hopefully crop up in DC’s future films.
Anyway, as we all know Ryan Reynold’s turd-fest Green Lantern pretty much obliterated any chances of the Emerald Warrior(s) from ever getting a movie that does him justice and any other characters outside of Batman and Superman, but hopefully if a Justice League film is successful then we will eventually get individual films for the respective team members. For some people DC needs to adopt Marvel’s approach in building up to The Justice League, but I think they could go in their strong absent this especially if Man of Steel is a success.
So, like a lot of people I’m a big fan of Geoff John’s run on Green Lantern and hope his work still influences whatever incarnation of the character and his universe that is next portrayed on the big screen, (despite his involvement in the first film) but don’t just want to see ‘Lantern v Lantern’ brawls and hope they approach the series with a slightly more grounded take, focusing on the Corps’ position as space cops more; a cross between Training Day, Dredd and Star Wars seems like the best way to go.
Essentially, for the next Green Lantern film they need to reduce the scale; keep the big space epic in the background but focus on Hal fresh out of training, working with Sinestro investigating Abin Sur’s murder whilst throwing in elements from the comic Secret Origin and the animated film First Flight. This would set up an eventual Blackest Night based film, and allow for a lot of characters and additional lanterns to be introduced in the films in between very naturally. Fiscally, this would be also be a safer bet and creatively, it’d help shine a much need spotlight on two of the most interesting and important characters within the mythos, servicing both fans and newbies alike.
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Mike Vogel as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern
There’s fair bit of debate amongst fans as to who should be the next live action Green Lantern, especially with so many characters to choose from. Well, I personally believe in giving the original character their dues before moving on to others (unless the original is extremely shit). So, with that in mind, I think Vogel is the best man for the job. He can do drama and comedy and can even play the loveable asshole role well too; that basically covers all grounds.
Anyway, unlike the New 52, I’d prefer a more drastic change up to the character’s (and other Green Lanterns’) costume; yeah it should be armoured and maintain a uniform-like space cop look, but it needs to also effectively display the ring’s power; Shawn Yap’s redesign would be great place to start –
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Scot Speedman as Martin Jordan
Casting this role proved to be a little tough for me, but in the end I thought the best way to approach it was to find an actor who could play an older Hal Jordan and had somewhat of a resemblance to Vogel, and ended up going with Speedman. Whilst Speedman doesn’t really have much resemblance to Vogel, he’s a pretty solid actor and definitely gives off the right vibe for a role like this, his recent work in
Last Resort also helped give me an idea what he could bring to the table for the role and quite frankly, I think he’d prove to be both a memorable and worthy addition to my cast.
Powers Boothe as Carl Ferris
Boothe can play a sleazy big shot bastard like a pro, and can also bring some presence to his roles too. Quite frankly, whilst this role is hardly big having such an actor in the role would definitely add some class to the cast, plus I like the idea of having an actor like Boothe as one of Hal’s normal ‘villains’.
Michelle Borth as Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire
A lot of you may be scratching your heads as to who Borth is, well admittedly she’s not very well known but her work in
Hawaii Five-0 and
Combat Hospital have shown she’s got some talent and that she’s played a slightly similar character well in the past. So, if given a chance I think she could impress, if not do a better job than Blake Lively at least.
Steven Yeun as Tom Kalmaku
Original? No, but let’s be honest; it works very well. Yeun’s showcased his acting skills fantastically on
The Walking Dead and has even proven himself to be a bit of a badass, but alongside this, the guy is naturally very funny and has a very ‘Peter Parker’ vibe to him that’d definitely help him elevate the role.
Peter Mensah as Abin Sur
I was a huge fan of the Starz TV series
Spartacus so will admit to casting a few actors from there. Anyway, Mensah really is the only choice for me here; he’s a ridiculously underrated badass who unfortunately gets the short end of the stick with most of his roles. Given the fact that he can bring a solid world weary and authoritative presence to the role (as seen in
Spartacus) I can definitely see him making the character more memorable and appealing.
Hugh Laurie as Tomar Re
Some may see this as being too small a role for Laurie, and I can definitely understand that given his credentials, but still stand by this choice simply as like Geoffrey Rush before him, Laurie could class the role up and just prove to be a solid addition to the cast.
Ving Rhames as Kilowog
Once again, not an original casting choice but there are very few actors who can fit the shoes of the late, great Michael Clarke Duncan well. Rhames has got the voice, the presence and the swagger needed for the role and is very simply the most logical choice for the character.
Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave as Ganthet and Sayd
Casting these roles was kind of tough, but end of the day the roles require actors who can bring class and gravitas to their characters. Stamp and Redgrave are put simply two of the best actors there are; not only are they heavyweight acting legends but they’re also ridiculously versatile and would definitely improve proceedings if cast.
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
This roles always been pretty tough to cast for me, but Davis is a very talented actress who I can actually picture as an intelligent badass, so it just seems very fitting to cast her here.
Omari Hardwicke as John Stewart/Green Lantern
I won’t lie, I haven’t seen Hardwicke in much and mainly chose him as he seems to be a popular choice for the role, but after checking out some his stuff in
Dark Blue I can see him doing the character justice. He can do drama, comedy and action and looks the part, so as far I’m concerned he’s right for the role.
Ben McKenzie as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern
Some might argue McKenzie comes across a bit too calm for the role, but I think he’d be a good fit especially because of his work on
Southland. He can play the tough guy and can keep things fairly light so I’d be willing to see what he could do.
Shiloh Fernandez as Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern
Fernandez is relatively unknown actor, but I’ve seen him in a bunch of things now and think he could do a serviceable job. He can do drama and comedy and has the look down plus has a ‘Peter Parker’ vibe to him which I think could work for the rookie Lantern.
Guy Pearce as Thaal Sinestro
I can see myself getting some flak for casting a ‘Marvel’ actor in a DC role, but [frick] it; I wanted Pearce as Sinestro for a while and hope he does get the job one day. He’s retardedly talented, classy, charismatic, suave, badass and pretty versatile, so I think he’d own the role, especially given the fact he’s one of the most engaging actors around even when working with bullshit material (I’m looking at you
Prometheus).
John Hawkes as Hector Hammond
Hawkes is a criminally underrated actor with a solid track record; he can play intense, obsessive and dark characters pretty well and is just overall very versatile. Seeing as how the last live screen incarnation of the character was overly camp I can definitely see Hawkes approaching the character in a darker and more grounded vein if given the chance.
Dominic Purcell as Clifford Zmeck/Major Force
Purcell is definitely an underrated actor, whilst I acknowledge he’s done some big duds it still has to be said, when he tries he puts his heart and soul into his work. From his work in
Prison Break and
Killer Elite I think he’d be more than capable for the role; he’s got the right look, the acting capabilities and is physically a very imposing individual.
Lester Speight as Mark Richards/The Tattooed Man
I haven’t seen Speight in much and from what I gather he’s an actor who’s perceived similarly to Terry Crews (as the comedic muscly black guy), but his roles in
Faster and
Transformers 3 made me think he’d be able to pull off a role like this. He’s got the potential and physically, he’s a beast so if given the chance I think he’d be able to pull it off.
Eddie Gathegi as Amon Sur
I’ve seen Gathegi in a bunch of things now and put simply, he seems to be the best choice for the role. His roles
Gone Baby Gone,
Death Sentence and
X-Men: First Class served as my reasoning behind this decision; he’s clearly versatile and engaging, plus he brings a certain swagger to his roles and can play a charismatic thug well, so in a role like this, it seems very appropriate to have him cast.
Jason Mamoa as Lobo
The guy played both Khal Drogo and Conan serviceably well. He might not be the greatest actor around, but to be honest Lobo is best known for being a badass who [frick]s shit up; Mamoa seems like an ideal fit in my eyes.
Ron Perlman as Mongul
Perlman is just a badass and talented actor. He’s been cast numerous times for various similar (if not the same) roles both by fans and in films, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Like Lobo, Mongul doesn’t really need all that much depth, but Perlman is one actor who could definitely deliver on that in spades and even bring some authority and presence to the role too.
Manu Bennett as Atrocitus
Shout out goes to
Splenda for this one!
Another
Spartacus actor, but like I said, I love that show. So, why Bennett? His role as Crixus on the aforementioned hit show mesmerised me; he basically played the ‘same’ character, a beast with a heart lost to his rage- so if given the chance to ‘reprise’ this role, it’s pretty clear he’d excel. But ignoring, Bennett is a very intense actor and also very underrated, the fact that he has a fairly unique accent and voice also factored into my decision as I think he could bring something different to the role and elevate the character into something more.
Jude Law as Bro’Dee Walker/Saint Walker
Law is a pretty damn versatile actor and another one of my favourites; he’s charming, charismatic, suave and talented. In a role like this, it could be said he’s too big an actor, but I wouldn’t have it any other way; he’s got the skills and to me is the only choice for the role.
Jackie Earle Haley as Larfleeze/Agent Orange
Haley is another pretty versatile actor, admittedly he’s played a lot of similar character downs the line but he can bring a nice touch of darkness and can bring a lot of humour and charm to his roles too. His work in
Watchmen,
Little Children and
Human Target in particular convinced me he’d the best man for the job.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Iroque/Indigo-1
Not to worry, this is the final
Spartacus actor I’ve cast. So, why Addai-Robinson? Well, like with Manu Bennett, her character Naevia showed off her talent; she’s a skilled dramatic actress and great with the emotional stuff and action-wise she also knows how to handle herself and look good whilst doing so. Whilst it might be a little clichéd casting her as a tough warrior chick, I think she could really elevate the role and just do wonders in it.
Ben Foster as William Hand/Black Hand
Foster is a wonderfully dark actor; his roles in
Hostage,
Alpha Dog,
30 Days of Night and even
The Mechanic are a testament to that. He’s clearly versatile and has a knack for playing psychotic and damaged characters well, so whilst this role might require someone a little more subtle I still think he’d nail it not only because of his talent but if we’re getting technical, his role in
30 Days of Night was basically a hillbilly version of the character, so it’s pretty clear he’s definitely got what it takes.
Imelda Staunton as Scar
I won’t lie, I found this role pretty tough to cast but am pretty pleased with the end result. Whilst Staunton hasn’t exactly played similar characters to this before, her roles in the
Harry Potter series and
Psychoville showed off her talents well and showed me she has what it takes to go full on batshit crazy; those of you who know the character will know this is clearly a necessity here.
Malcolm McDowell as Krona
McDowell is another acting legend I’ve cast here, but it fits very well. His roles in
A Clockwork Orange and
Heroes were what made chose him, as not only did he showcase his range well in those roles but they seemed like ideal spots to draw from with this character, so like a lot of the actors I’ve cast here, I’d love to see him have a go at the character one day.
Michael Wincott as Nekron
I’ve seen Wincott in a bunch of things over the years, but the main reason why I think he’d be good for the job is both due to his memorable voice and his role as Top Dollar in
The Crow. His performance there just speaks for itself.
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So, that’s my ideal cast for Green Lantern. I hope you enjoyed checking it out, and if you did look out for my Flash cast!