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 a ‘5 year’ window of the Marvel universe/existence of the Avengers (yes, I’m inspired by the New 52), and who will hopefully crop up in Marvel’s future films.
As a 90’s kid, the X-Men were one of the few superhero teams I was properly introduced to, and in turn educated by, given their unique stance on civil rights and the fact that they were the outcasts of society; it just made them that much cooler. Nonetheless, with Bryan Singer’s X-Men universe a lot of fans are divided; I personally don’t love them or hate them, he’s done a solid job with some aspects of the mythos whilst emaciated others. So, like a lot of fans I one day hope to eventually see a take on the characters that’s both different from what we’ve seen before and more faithful to the source material. Personally speaking, if I had my way I’d like the X-Men films to draw some influence from the 90’s animated show, X-Men: Evolution and the Ultimate universe comics, as frankly to me, these three mediums best portrayed everybody’s favourite mutants.
So, how should it be done? If I had my way, I’d like the X-Men to be like a cross between JJ Abrams’ Star Trek, Hellboy, Heroes, Chronicle and Prometheus (mainly for the inclusion of the Celestials). Might seem like a strange list of films to draw from but I think this would allow for the perfect tonal balance and give us a deeper and grittier more sci-fi look at the X-Men and their world. Anyway, going back to making X-Men a little bit like Hellboy and Heroes, I kind of like the idea of the government (SHIELD or maybe even Weapon X) keeping mutants secret for years like the BPRD or the Company (from Heroes), only for them to be exposed/reveal themselves only to face public persecution. Personally speaking, this’d be a great way to introduce them into the current MCU, or even a new cinematic universe.
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Jason Isaacs as Charles Xavier
Isaacs is a brilliant actor. No other way to put it; he shines regardless of whether his role is big or small and he’s very versatile and capable with many genres. He can play tough, intelligent, suave and charming, and I think if cast he could bring a darker edge to the role and make Xavier someone who’s a little more willing to get his hands dirty as opposed to saint-like view the character’s best known for. Ultimately, I cast Isaacs here primarily because of his work in
The Patriot,
Brotherhood and
Good; his collective performances there seem like a pretty good indication of what he could do as X-Men’s mentor.
Sam Claflin as Scott Summers/Cyclops
Clafflin is essentially somewhat of a new comer but I’ve seen him in a few things now and I think it’s safe to say he’s an actor to watch. Claflin’s proven himself as capable of playing the young and naive good guy as seen in his work in
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and
Snow White and the Huntsman; in both these films he’s brought a very raw kind of humble and honest appeal to his characters and was even a little badass (in the latter film at least). Alongside this, as seen in
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Claflin is more than capable of playing characters with a bit of an edge too, so rather than playing the character like a simple boy scout I think he like Isaacs could bring a very deep and multifaceted performance to the role and ultimately bring some depth to the role and really just flesh out the character well and finally give him a proper chance to shine.
Only other thing I’d like to mention; obviously from the above image I have a bit of soft spot for the
Ultimate X-Men suits, though personally I’d like the next set of movie suits for all the characters to look like a cross between those suits and both the
X-Men: First Class movie and comic suits, more so the comic suits though; I just love me some matching black and yellow suits lol –
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Sarah Gadon as Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix
Gadon is another relatively unknown up and comer, but I’ve seen her in a few things now and other than it being clear she’s stunning, she’s also pretty talented. Gadon can play smart engaging characters very well and just has a very natural and genuine likability which just works very well for the role. Whilst I know she’s rumoured to have a part in
The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, I think she’d own the role and just really shine as a young Jean Grey.
Max Thieriot as Bobby Drake/Iceman
Thieriot as Iceman? Might seem a little off to some you but I’ve seen him in a bunch of things also and it’s clear he can handle both light and dark material well. He can play the wisecracking charmer like a pro and also knows how to work with drama well to, but ultimately I cast him mainly because of his work in
Bates Motel as there, he brings a sort of innocent/vulnerable appeal to his character despite being a ‘bad boy’ and this is something which I think he could apply to this role to just further bring a deeper insight into the character.
Ed Speleers as Warren Worthington/Angel
This role was a bit tricky for me to cast, no joke, but ultimately, I went with Speleers as put simply he reminds me a lot of the character. First off, Speleers has definitely got some talent- he needs some work, but he can act. Regardless of this, Speleers also is capable with drama and even comedy to an extent but I primarily cast him as he has somewhat of a knack of bring a strangely weird balance of smugness/arrogance and humbleness to his roles and put simply, I think it’d apply well to this role.
Patrick Fugit as Hank McCoy/Beast
Fugit’s a pretty underrated actor; he’s cropped up in a fair bit now and it’s clear he’s got some talent that deserves a bit more of a spotlight. Despite that, I mainly cast him as personally speaking I think he naturally has a very ‘classic Beast’ vibe; he comes off as clumsy/bumbling but intelligent and also just has the right kind of build and stature needed for the role. Quite simply, if cast I think Fugit would do the character justice and ultimately prove to be a worthy successor to Kelsey Grammer.
Anyway, I’d just like to mention, obviously from the above image I’ve used, I’m a fan of Beast’s current look from
All New X-Men, so hope to see this make it to the big screen, though if ever a reboot is in order, I would like for him to gain his blue appearance in a similar way as done via
X-Men: First Class; that just seemed like a logical way of explaining his condition to me personally.
Kat Graham as Ororo Munroe/Storm
Like Sarah Gadon, Graham is another relatively unknown up and comer, but I’ve seen her in a few things now and other than it being clear she’s very hot, she’s also pretty talented. Despite that, I primarily cast Graham as she has a very natural, feisty kind of appeal, so personally speaking; I think she’d definitely be able to make the character more multidimensional than Halle Berry’s lifeless incarnation.
Robert Sheehan as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
Sheehan’s primarily known for his comedic talents as seen on
Misfits, but he’s proven himself to also be pretty capable with drama both on the aforementioned show and the guilty pleasure film
Season of the Witch. End of the day, I think Sheehan can bring a good balance to the role and really just make the character shine, as it’s pretty clear he’s a charismatic enough actor to make his characters likable even when they shouldn’t be.
Benjamin Walker as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus
Walker’s known for 2 main things; being Meryl Streep’s son-in-law and
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Whilst neither really qualifies him for the role, despite his notable role in the aforementioned guilty pleasure (borderline crap) film, he’s actually a pretty decent actor. He’s got a talent for drama, as prior to even tackling film, he was highly praised for his theatre work, but I mainly cast him as he’s a pretty big guy, who has a very Russian look and also is good at playing deep and humble kind of characters, as also seen in his small role in
Kinsey. Whilst he’s a little older than I’d have like for the role, he has got one of those faces that can pass off both younger and older, so frankly, if given the chance, I’d be more than willing to see what he could do.
Olivia Cooke as Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat
I’ll be honest; I only know Cooke from
Bates Motel, but she proved herself to be a talented young actress there, and I personally, couldn’t help but think her role there was essentially somewhat I’d expect for the role of Kitty Pryde. There she played smart, slightly quirky, likable and endearing very well, and when it’s get down to basics, I think it’s right to say that is what defines the character.
Only other thing I’d like to mention, whilst I’m not too sure anymore what her power set is like in the current Marvel universe, in the Ultimate universe, Pryde had managed to master her powers to such a degree that she could phase both; become intangible and super tangible, essentially super strong/hard as a result- this is something I’d love to see alongside the character’s trademark intellect on the big screen.
Willa Holland as Anna Marie/Rogue
This might seem like a bit of a strange casting decision to some, but Holland’s another talented young actress, who I feel has the potential to do really well. Whilst admittedly, she hasn’t really wowed me in anything yet, she’s consistently provided solid performances across the board and dabbled well with both dark and light material. Despite that, I mainly thought of her in the role after seeing her in
Straw Dogs; there she pulled off the Southern accent really well and played a similar kind of flirty/promiscuous character- again whilst the performance wasn’t necessarily anything amazing, it was definite indicator that she has some talent that just needs the right direction.
Tom Hardy as James ‘Logan’ Howlett/Wolverine
Bronson,
The Take,
Warrior,
Lawless and
The Dark Knight Rises are all a testament to Hardy’s talents and why he was born to play the Canadian ronin. Whilst this choice is far from original, it is very, very fitting. Throughout the films I’ve mentioned not only has Hardy proven his talents and versatility time and time again, but he’s consistently delivered and essentially ‘auditioned’ for the role already. So, that along with the fact that he resembles the character strongly both in size and stature just really make me want to see him one day take on the role of the iconic character.
Still, worth mentioning, rather than go too in depth into Wolverine’s history, I prefer how the character was originally more mysterious, so if anything would only like brief flashes to his sordid history rather than a full on exposure; the mystery is just or rather was just one of the many appeals of the character.
Gillian Anderson as Moira MacTaggert
Anderson earned her sci-fi credentials a long time ago with her work in
The X-Files, and quite frankly, given her talents there and more recently in
Hannibal, I’d definitely like to see her take on the role of Xavier’s confidante. She can play smart, confident and authoritative characters with presence pretty well; whilst these aren’t necessarily all traits that are associated with the character, I still think it more than qualifies her for the role and would love to see her one day take it on.
Robert Patrick as Nathan Summers/Cable
This might seem like a slightly strange casting decision given his role in
The Terminator saga, but ultimately, I cast Patrick as he’s definitely a badass actor who’s unfortunately very overlooked and personally speaking, I think he has somewhat of a resemblance to Clafflin. He can play gruff, tough, suave, smart, badass, manipulative and cold and calculating all very well; a clear indication of his versatility, but despite all that I think Patrick has a natural kind of scrappiness, essentially a raw kind of edge to him that would just make him own the role.
Sterling K. Brown as Lucas Bishop/Bishop
Brown is essentially a pretty unknown actor, but since first seeing him in
Supernatural as the unhinged and sociopathic hunter Gordon Walker, I knew he was someone to watch. Whilst, admittedly I haven’t seen him in much since, nor has he been in anything too notable, his performance there is still a very solid testament to his talents and like with Patrick, he has a very scrappy kind quality to him. But personally speaking, when you get down to basics, his character there was essentially a survivor who was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals; so not too far a stretch from what Bishop is. So, Brown as Bishop? Definitely something I’d like to see one day.
Denzel Washington as Nick Fury
Replacing Sam Jackson? Not an easy job, but if there is one actor in Hollywood who could surpass him as super spy Nick Fury it’s Washington. He’s a badass and has proven himself time and time again and with roles in films like
Training Day and
Safe House in particular showed me what he could do as Fury and I loved his characters in both films so would love for him to eventually get the role.
Rhona Mitra as Maria Hill
First off I just want to say Cobey Smoulders is a hot but cringe worthy actress whereas Mitra on the other hand, is a really great actress. She won me over a long time ago with her work in
Doomsday and more recently
Strike Back. If given the chance I’m certain she could deliver with the role in spades, because let’s face facts; she’s hot, she’s tough and she can act- already an improvement from Smoulders.
Lance Reddick as Uatu the Watcher
Reddick is a really great actor and I could give thousands of reasons why I’d love to see him cast in the role but let’s keep it simple;
Fringe. Reddick’s role in that show really struck a chord with me and convinced me he’d really shine in the role. Yeah, admittedly he wasn't an Observer but he's got a really great and powerful voice too so personally, I think he'd own in this and just be really great as the glue that binds the MCU together.
Viggo Mortensen as Max Eisenhardt/Eric Magnus Lensherr/Magneto
The Prophecy,
The Lord of the Rings,
A History of Violence and
Eastern Promises; all these films best display why Mortesen is perfect for the role (and many others too, but that’s something else). He’s one of the most transformative and talented actors around, and probably the only guy who could surpass Ian McKellen’s epic portray of the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. But hell, if you wanna get technical, he’s basically played a similar kind of role opposite Isaacs very well in the past, so it’s pretty damn clear he’s qualified for the role.
One thing I’d like to mention though, admittedly Mortensen is a little young to be playing a WWII survivor, but whilst it’s never really been explained in the comics (at least any I’ve ever read) I personally think it makes sense that he ages a slightly slower and differently as he draws energy from the Earth’s magnetic poles/core- just a cool way to expand on his powers too I guess.
Emily Blunt as Raven Darkholme/Mystique
I’ve seen Blunt in a fair amount now and whilst none of her roles really qualify her for Mystique, I still just think she’d own the role. She’s definitely a talented actress and very beautiful, but I mainly cast her as she has like a suave and classy kind of presence to her; I can’t quite explain it but I think she’d bring a great kind of femme fatale vibe to the role and do wonders both as Magneto’s 2nd in command and as her own woman.
Harry Lloyd as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver
Since being introduced to Lloyd in his brief stint as a baddie on
Dr Who I knew he was one to watch. He’s a talented and pretty versatile actor who knows how to handle dark material well and as seen by his role in
Game of Thrones has experience at playing (slightly) similar characters well. So, put simply I think Lloyd is the only choice for the role and if given the chance to play the character I think he’d really make him shine.
Rooney Mara as Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch
Since her work in
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Mara caught my attention; she’s great at playing dark and disturbed characters and just very pretty too. The fact that she happens to share a resemblance to Lloyd and is pretty good pulling a Euro accent just further makes me think she’d be great choice for the role.
Nick Gomez as Jonathon Silvercloud/Forge
I mainly know Gomez from his brief stints in
The Walking Dead and
Dexter; whilst not really reflective of what you could expect here, his roles in both shows proved that he’s got talent and can work gritty characters and material well. I don’t necessarily expect him to outshine anyone in this role, but I can definitely see him doing a good job and just making for a memorable character.
Alex Pettyfer as Remy LaBeau/Gambit
Whilst Pettyfer is/was something of a leading man, but I think he’d work better as a supporting character especially given his lack of success at doing so. Despite that, Pettyfer is a talented young actor and he’s got a bit of a bad boy/rebellious charm that lends itself well to the character. Whilst I’m not too sure if he could pull of the Cajun accent he also pretty strongly resembles the character, so I’d at least be willing to see what he could do.
Jesse Williams as Jaime Madrox/Multiple Man
Casting this role was a bit tricky for me, but ultimately, I settled with Williams. He’s a very talented young actor and knows how to work drama very well, but naturally he comes off as very charming and easy going but also knows how to balance this well with seriousness. So, when it gets down to basics, you need someone like this for this kind of role, and with someone like Williams? I think he’d do really well and make the character very memorable.
Warren Kole as John Allerdyce/Pyro
Kole first caught my attention in
Mother’s Day; whilst his role there was nothing too amazing, he soon blew me away with his great turn as Roderick in
The Following. It’s clear to me know he’s a very talented actor and has knack as play suave, manipulative, creepy, cold and calculating sadists very well. So quite frankly, if cast here, I think he’d just own and make for a very badass villain.
Dean Winters as Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind
With his role as Ryan O’Reilly in
Oz I became an instant fan of Winters’ work. He’s a very talented actor and would be a perfect fit for this role; he can play charming, charismatic, ruthless, smooth, sleazy, and manipulative and calculating all very well. So if cast here, I imagine he’d do wonders and really just elevate the role.
John Sharian as Frederick Dukes/the Blob
Admittedly, I haven’t seen Sharian in anything outside of the underrated Christian Bale film
The Machinist, but his role there is one that has stuck with me to this day. There he brought a perfect balance of intimidating and creepy very well and was just very memorable, owning the film and brilliantly chewing the scenery alongside Bale. Whilst I haven’t seen him in anything else since, I’d love to see him take on this role, as I feel personally, that he’s one if not the only actor who could make the character genuinely scary and just give him a little credibility in the process.
Ryan Hurst as Victor Creed/Sabretooth
I only know Hurst from his work as Opie in
Sons of Anarchy, but I think it’s safe to say it’s a strong enough testament to his talents. There he essentially played an honourable and ‘good’ version of the character, but he owned the role very well with his natural physicality and presence. Whilst I haven’t exactly play anyone as savage as Sabretooth, I think he’s got a lot of potential and if cast could do wonders and work brilliantly off of Hardy, so personally, I do hope he gets the chance to play the part one day.
Bruce Greenwood as Robert Kelly
With his work in
Thirteen Days,
Star Trek and
Flight, it’s clear Greenwood is a very charming and charismatic actor who has a very wise/fatherly kind of ‘American ideals’ kind of presence- this is something I feel would allow for him to make for a very interesting and different kind of villain and just allow him to own the role.
Powers Boothe as Bolivar Trask
Boothe can play a sleazy big shot bastard like a pro, and can also bring some presence to his roles too. As seen per his role in
Sin City, Boothe was born to play characters like this so I have no doubt he’d own.
Christopher Plummer as William Stryker
Note: First off, just want to mention, I really liked Bryan Singer’s incarnation of the character, but next time round, I’d prefer the corrupt religious figure as opposed to the military leader, especially as I’d prefer Weapon X to remain a little more mysterious I wouldn’t necessarily want any particular face associated with them.
So, Pummer as Stryker? Well, like with Greenwood, he’s a very charismatic actor who often brings a very fatherly and wise presence to his roles, so I think it’d be great for him to subvert this image by playing a villain. From what I’ve seen of his work, its clear Plummer can do this in spades and bring a very classy and cerebral quality to the role in the process as seen in particular with his roles in
Inside Man and
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Stephen Moyer as Sebastian Shaw
I only know Moyer from his work in
True Blood but he more than proved his talents there and showcased a lot of versatility with his work. It’s clear he’s a talented actor, but despite that I cast him mainly as he has a very suave kind of presence and has a very natural and classic kind of ‘James Bond villain’ vibe going for him. So, if cast, I’d love to see what he could do.
Rosamund Pike as Emma Frost
Pike’s a pretty underrated actress; I’ve seen her in a fair bit now and it’s pretty clear she isn’t getting her dues. She’s a talented and classy actress and definitely comes off as very intelligent but despite that, I mainly cast her because of her role in
Die Another Day. It was admittedly a pretty shitty film, but what she did there was essentially an audition for the role, and as I personally feel she’s refined her talents since that film, so personally I’d be willing to see what she could do.
Elliot Cowan as Cain Marko/the Juggernaut
Cowan’s a bit of unknown (at least in my eyes) and I’ve only really seen him in
The Hammer of the Gods, but he’s a talented actor and a pretty big guy who brings a certain gruff and tough and authoritative presence to his roles. There’s something very savage and (dare I say it) alpha about him; he’s not a standard beef-head actor, but he’s imposing and pretty badass so with the obvious movie magic, I’d like to see what he could do.
Aidan Gillen as Nathaniel Essex/Sinister
After seeing him in
Shanghai Knights and
Game of Thrones, I think it’s safe to say Gillen is a solid candidate for this role. He’s a talented actor who’s good at playing cold, calculating and manipulative villains well so if given the chance, I’m confident he’d really just shine in the role.
Edward James Olmos as En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse
What can I say? With his roles in
Blade Runner,
Battlestar Galactica and
Dexter in particular I’d say he’s a perfect fit for the role. Despite that, Olmos always brings the right and necessary kind of authoritative and weirdly wise and mysterious presence to his roles; this with his iconic voice just makes me think he’d perfectly embody the character and prove to be a brilliant cinematic villain.
Anyway, just thougt I'd mention as you guys can probably tell, I'm fond of the Ultimate universe look for the character, primarily due to the more heavily armoured look and 'forehead diamond' thing like Sinister, but would prefer a nice balance between his more simplistic classic look and this version, though with the red colouration; personally speaking, I think it work well and just make him look like a powerful and regal warlord.
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So, that’s my ideal cast for X-Men. I hope you enjoyed checking it out, and if you keep a look out for anything else I drop!