I would absolutely love to see a live action Naruto. I'd intend to start off with a feature film, chronicling the events of Naruto from the beginning to the death of Zabuza. After that, move over to television and create remakes of the episodes, minus the fillers, with another feature film every once in a while for big parts of the story. I think it would actually be very good and it would help spread the emotional appeal of Naruto to a broader audience. Just so long as M Night Shyamalan stays far, far away from it.
All right, here goes...
THOMAS BRODIE-SANGSTER as NARUTO UZUMAKI
Credits: Nowhere Boy, Love Actually
REASON FOR DECISION: He’s not a huge actor, but I think he has a good appearance for Naruto. I feel like he’d be able to play the emotional parts very well; he has the face for it and the acting potential. The ability to convey raw emotion is probably the most important thing about Naruto as a character. Really can’t think of someone who would be absolutely perfect for Naruto, though; I’m not sure if that actor even exists, but as of now, Brodie-Sangster is my choice for the main role.
DEVON BOSTICK as SASUKE UCHIHA
Credits: Adoration, Assassin's Creed: Lineage
RFD: He really looks a lot like Sasuke, plain and simple. Bostick, like Brodie-Sangster, really hasn’t gotten the chance to blossom as an actor, only getting a short amount of time as Ezio in Lineage, which looked promising. So, I’d like to give him the opportunity here in a serious lead role. Not going to lie to you, though, the primary reason I chose him was purely cosmetic.
TOM STURRIDGE as SASUKE UCHIHA (SHIPPUDEN)
Credits: Like Minds, Waiting for Forever
RFD: I would probably be fine with keeping Bostick throughout the whole series, but I couldn't help but think think this route would be the better choice. Sasuke goes through a lot of changes after he leaves the Leaf, so seeing the actor change would highlight that dynamic. Also, Sturridge really reminds me of the Shippuden Sasuke. I saw so many moody, emo-looking pictures of Sturridge and it really clicked for me.
SAOIRSE RONAN as SAKURA HARUNO
Credits: Atonement, The Lovely Bones, Hanna
RFD: Now here’s one of the choices I’m really excited about and proud of! First of all, Ronan is a phenomenal actress, having been nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the mere age of 13. Also, she really couldn’t look more like Sakura, especially in the picture I used here. I keep seeing people cast the likes of Hilary Duff and Hayden Panettiere as Sakura, which to me seems uninspired and awkward, considering Sakura isn’t supposed to look like some teen model. Apparently, that’s what a lot of people want though, to each their own. Ronan is the only choice for me, though, would love to see this happen.
TOPHER GRACE as KAKASHI HATAKE
Credits: That 70's Show, Spiderman 3
RFD: If you’ve even watched a little of That 70’s Show, you see how this could work really interestingly and well. Grace is the king of snobby sarcasm, which is essential for Kakashi. Also, Grace has a really good frame for Kakashi and I feel like a good face, too, even though it doesn’t really matter what his face looks like anyways. Another choice that I’m very, very happy with.
CHRISTIAN BALE as IRUKA UMINO
Credits: The Dark Knight, The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma
RFD: This one was one of the more difficult castings for me. I eventually decided to just go with Bale because, in all honesty, Bale can play whatever he wants and he (with a tan and a scar across his face) would be able to look like a decent real-world incarnation of Iruka. He’s such a large actor, that it’d be hard to get him on board, but I’d have Iruka be a lead part in the first feature film, so there’s that to go from at least.
AARON YOO as SAI
Credits: 21, Disturbia, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
RFD: I always pictured Sai as either Korean or Chinese, so I started my search there. Yoo has that pretty-boy face that I feel like Sai should have. Also, his acting background seems to have a decent amount of chemistry with the character. I could just picture Yoo doing Sai’s famous fake smile, it’d be pretty perfect.
JIMMY SMITS as CAPTAIN YAMATO
Credits: Star Wars Episodes II & III, NYPD Blue
RFD: Smits really doesn’t look like Yamato at all, but using him would better suggest that Yamato is related to the First Hokage. I’m not sure why I like this choice, but I do. Smits just feels like Yamato for me, but I could see were others might disagree here.
DARYL SABARA as SHIKAMARU NARA
Credits: Spy Kids, John Carter, Generator Rex (voice role)
RFD: First of all, I’d like to say that I could play Shikamaru, he is me, we are the same person. Joking aside, Sabara has that lax, not-a-care-in-the-world air to him that is instrumental in casting Shikamaru. Not to mention that he was in Spy Kids, which is a huge nostalgia trip for me and any others my age. Shikamaru is one of my most cherished characters and it’s hard for me to trust any actor to play him, but I think Sabara could get the job done.
DOUG BROCHU as CHOJI AKIMICHI
Credits: Sonny with a Chance
RFD: He’s a chubby actor who looks like Choji in the face a little… not to sound shallow, but that’s all that’s really important here. The only part where any acting skill at all is even needed to portray Choji is when he fights Jirobo.
TAYLOR MOMSEN as INO YAMANAKA
Credits: Gossip Girl, We Were Soldiers
RFD: Really, who else? Ino is rebellious, a little crazy, and supposed to look very attractive. Momsen is all of those things and more than a little crazy. And, from my experience, the Gossip Girls are actually very talented actresses, and I have every confidence that Momsen would be able to easily play Ino.
COLIN FARRELL as ASUMA SARUTOBI
Credits: Total Recall, Phone Booth, Alexander
RFD: Okay, I absolutely love this choice. I’m not the only one who has it; TheSoulEater has a lot of my same choices (I even kind of stole one from him because of its genius, to be discussed later). Could Farrell look any more like Asuma?! The answer is yes… only after the hair and make-up is finished. After that, he’d literally look like Asuma brought to life (sorry for the feels, it was unintended). And not only is the appearance spot-on, but Farrell would act Asuma pretty much flawlessly. He’s one of the better actors around. Seeing the interaction between him and Sabara would be gold.
JOSH HUTCHERSON as KIBA INUZUKA
Credits: Bridge to Terabithia, The Hunger Games
RFD: Another one that I am not alone in choosing. I’m not even sure why this works so well, but it does. Maybe it’s because of Hutcherson’s experience in playing characters in the wild, and that seems to echo Kiba. Anyway, Kiba is very different than the other roles that Hutcherson has played so far, so it’d be interesting to see him as Kiba.
MICHAEL CERA as SHINO ABURAME
Credits: Arrested Development, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
RFD: Cera is just one of those actors that I will cast any time I have the excuse to do so. I identify with Cera; he’s like my celebrity double. Since it doesn’t really matter what Shino looks like, Cera would be fine. He’d make Shino nice and awkward, but able to be strong when it matters.
EVANNA LYNCH as HINATA HYUGA
Credits: Harry Potter Series
RFD: Another choice that I really like. She’s really only famous for playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, but from looking at her, I think she’d make a fine Hinata. Luna is definitely not shy like Hinata and Hinata is certainly not loopy like Luna, but yet there still seems to be a connection between the two characters that makes this casting seem right. Lynch deserves to branch out as an actress, too, so I’d love to cast her here.
JENNIFER CONNELLY as KURENAI YUHI
Credits: Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind
RFD: Connelly is just an amazing actress, plain and simple. I also think she could be made to look a whole like the original Kurenai. I really feel like the fact that she starred in A Beautiful Mind had a lot to do with me casting her as a master of Genjutsu…
COLIN MORGAN as NEJI HYUGA
Credits: Merlin, Island
RFD: Not sure why I didn’t think of this quicker than I did; Morgan feels like the obvious choice for the role. His acting in Merlin suggests he would easily fit into Neji’s shoes. Also, he looks like a real world Neji in a lot of ways. He looks like a smart, badass smartass in a way, which is exactly what Neji should look like. Also, I feel like he’d be able to have good older brother chemistry with Evanna Lynch.
BOOBOO STEWART as ROCK LEE
Credits: Twilight Saga, Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft
RFD: Considering Rock Lee’s character was based off of fighting legend Bruce Lee, I really felt like, for me, Lee should be Chinese. Booboo would be able to pull off the bowl hair and bushy brows look as well as the next guy, and having been a stuntman, he’d probably have no trouble with the choreography for Lee’s Taijutsu. Really, Rock Lee is just not the type of character you can hope to replicate in real life, so appearance wasn’t very important for me here.
LUCY HALE as TENTEN
Credits: Pretty Little Liars, Scream 4
RFD: She looks like Tenten… that’s about it. Considering Tenten is probably the simplest character, that’s all that really matters.
JET LI as MIGHT GUY
Credits: Hero, The Expendables
RFD: Guy has to have that chemistry with Rock Lee, it’s probably the most important sensei-student connection when it comes to their chemistry. Li and Booboo would be a great match up. And this goes unsaid but I’ll say it anyways; Li is a master of martial arts and as such, would have no problem with Guy’s choreography. Also, Li has the potential to be silly almost as much as Jackie Chan, which is another fun concept.
ELIJAH WOOD as GAARA (thank you TheSoulEater)
Credits: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
RFD: And here’s where I must thank TheSoulEater, because I would never have thought of this myself. Such an innovative choice and works so well, I can’t even believe it. Gaara is in many ways my favorite character and he looks really unrealistic, so I really was having a hard time finding someone. But I saw this, and the search was over. Wood really has the hidden potential to play such a demonic character, and he actually does look like Gaara in a few of his photos, which is insane. Would LOVE to see this happen, I’m actually really sad knowing that it's pretty much guaranteed that it never will.
ALEX RUSSELL as KANKURO
Credits: Chronicle, Carrie (upcoming)
RFD: Another of my better castings, in my opinion. The resemblance here is very strong and he has played the older brother of an unstable, destructive boy before in Chronicle. Really the only choice here, not much more explaining needed, I think. The only weird thing is that Elijah Wood is older than both Russell and Ashley Benson (my Temari), but Hollywood can make people look younger pretty easily and if any older actor can be made to look younger very easily, it’s Mr. Frodo himself, Elijah Wood.
ASHLEY BENSON as TEMARI
Credits: Pretty Little Liars, Spring Breakers
RFD: They look pretty similar and all, but the main reason for my choice here is a little more creative than you’d expect. Benson is perhaps an even better dancer than she is an actress; she’s been dancing competitively since age 2. I always thought it would be really cool to incorporate more dance choreography into Temari’s attacks during battle because of her wind style, you know. It’d really feel like the right image for her, especially with her fan, kind of like an Airbender. That was actually the deciding factor here.
MAGGIE SMITH as CHIYO
Credits: Harry Potter Series, Hook
RFD: I guess Smith is a fine elderly actress to play Chiyo, but in truth, the one I really wanted to cast is Gloria Foster from The Matrix. But, alas, she passed in 2001. Really, think about it. It’s a unique choice because no one would expect an African-American actress to play Chiyo. It’s also the perfect choice because the Oracle in The Matrix is one of my most favorite characters of all time and has philosophical similarity to Chiyo. I did think about having her successor as the Oracle, Mary Alice, play Chiyo, but she doesn’t have the same aura to her. So, I ended up going with Smith, who is a great actress, but I really wish I could have gone with Foster…
MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY as JIRAIYA
Credits: The Lincoln Lawyer, Dazed and Confused, Tropic Thunder
RFD: McConaughey does look a lot like Jiraiya in the face, even though he is younger, but old age make-up and effects are easy. Even more importantly is McConaughey’s acting background. He’s been known to play guys that come across as jerks, and he can be funny and weird, so I believe he’s worthy to play the great Pervy Sage.
JOSEPH FIENNES as OROCHIMARU
Credits: Camelot, Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth
RFD: Okay, I have been really excited about this choice!! Just imagine… the younger brother of actor who played Lord Voldemort playing Lord Orochimaru… literal perfection. Not even considering that Fiennes is an amazing actor in and of himself. Voldemort and Orochimaru are similar in a lot of ways; both are associated with snakes, both latch onto other’s bodies to live, both put a mark on a major character that pains them, both are inhumanly pale… need I go on? I really, really would love to see that dynamic highlighted in a live action Naruto film. Ralph and Joseph Fiennes have defined similarities physically, being brothers. I at first thought about having Ralph as Orochimaru, but I feel like the younger Joseph would make a better Orochimaru. I certainly do picture Voldemort older than Orochimaru, and more dark and cold while ol' Rochi is more theatrical and crazy, which I feel suits Joseph a little better.
TOM HIDDLESTON as KABUTO YAKUSHI
Credits: The Avengers, War Horse, Midnight in Paris
RFD: I can alreayd hear the squealing fangirls... next up we have Tom Hiddleston. He really doesn’t look like Kabuto, I will admit. But, he doesn’t need to for him to be perfect for the role. He’s got that really friendly look to him that can change to sinister in 0.2 seconds, a.k.a. Loki. Hiddleston’s style just screams Kabuto, you can’t deny it.
JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS as KIMIMARO KAGUYA
Credits: Bend It Like Beckham, August Rush
RFD: Looks like him and is used to being shirtless, to put it bluntly. Whoever plays Kimimaro has to be able to make themselves seem the dominant, powerful force in the scene, and Meyers would be spot on in that regard.
MARILYN MANSON as SAKON
(Musician cameo for the Sound Ninja Four)
RFD: Sakon looks so creepy and so does Marilyn Manson… I really feel like this choice sort of explains itself…
HAYLEY WILLIAMS as TAYUYA
(Musician cameo for the Sound Ninja Four)
RFD: I don’t know why, but Tayuya always reminded me of Hayley Williams. Maybe because Hayley Williams is one of my favorite people and I listen to Paramore all the time. Anyways, considering Williams has no acting experience, I’d make Tayuya pretty simple, which she kind of already is. Since music is my life, and since I’d already decided to have Marilyn Manson, a musician, as Sakon, I thought I may as well have music be the common theme with the Sound Ninja Four… they are the SOUND Ninja Four, after all.
TYLER THE CREATOR as KIDOMARU
(Musician cameo for the Sound Ninja Four)
RFD: Running with the common music theme, Tyler is the perfect musician to portray Kidomaru. They both have that insane, disturbed quality to them. Really, seeing Manson, Hayley, and Tyler in these roles is just for sh**s and giggles, just nice fun.
JAMIE WAYLETT as JIROBO
(Couldn't find good musican for cameo)
Credits: Harry Potter Series
RFD: And here I break that common theme with Waylett as Jirobo. What could I do? Waylett looks exactly like Jirobo, it was a perfect match. Couldn’t really think of any musicians that reminded me of Jirobo, either.
KAT DENNINGS as TSUNADE
Credits: 2 Broke Girls, Thor, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
RFD: More than anything, Tsunade has to be a tough girl. If you’ve seen 2 Broke Girls, that’s what Denning’s character comes across as. She really has the perfect persona to play Tsunade… and the perfect… um… well, you know…
STANA KATIC as SHIZUNE
Credits: Castle, Quantum of Solace
RFD: Shizune is probably the most normal-looking anime character ever devised; I think Katic looks like a more interesting version of her. Based off of other roles she’s filled, I think she’d make a very good Shizune.
RYAN OCHOA as KONOHAMARU SARUTOBI
Credits: iCarly, Mars Needs Moms (voice role)
RFD: Here’s a kid who’s very good at playing the annoying little brat, as seen in iCarly when he plays Chuck. Although he really doesn’t look like Konohamaru at all, I think this one is a good choice because he would really make sense during both the meaningful scenes and the annoying little kid scenes.
MAX RECORDS as UDON
Credits: Where the Wild Things Are
RFD: Really don’t care who plays Udon… Records look like him and was in Where the Wild Things Are, so I just sort of threw him in.
WILLOW SHIELDS as MOEGI
Credits: The Hunger Games
RFD: The only reason I included Udon in the cast is so I could also include Shields as Moegi. I think they look a lot alike and I just recently watch The Hunger Games and I feel like Shields is a promising young actress.
JOHN HURT as HIRUZEN SARUTOBI
Credits: V for Vendetta, Crime & Punishment, Merlin (voice role)
RFD: I was torn between Hurt and Nathaniel Lees for this role, but I finally ended up going with Hurt. The resemblance is just too strong to not go with Hurt. Hurt is one of those cool elderly actors who always plays the wise old roles, and the Third is my favorite of those because he’s so much more than just that. I feel like this would turn into Hurt’s best role, which is another great reason to choose him, although, once again, I still think Lees is equally as good of a choice, and a little more different...
ZAHN McCLARNON as HASHIRAMA SENJU
Credits: The Cherokee Word for Water, Ringer, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (voice role)
RFD: I always pictured the first two Hokages as Native American, don’t ask me why, even I don’t know. I guess it’s a combination of the First’s skin tone and the Second’s face painting and fur coat. Anywho, McClarnon is a solid actor and the only Native American actor I’ve seen enough of to be confident about him, and luckily, he’s just right.
CHRIS HEMSWORTH as TOBIRAMA SENJU
Credits: Thor, The Avengers, Cabin in the Woods
RFD: I really couldn’t think of someone to play the Second Hokage and, to be frank, I wasn’t very motivated to, due to his lack of screen time. So, I just threw in Hemsworth as a cameo because seeing Hemsworth as Thor is majestically fun already… imagine him in the Second’s garb!
JAMES FRANCO as MINATO NAMIKAZE
Credits: Spiderman, 127 Hours, Pineapple Express, Oz the Great and Powerful
RFD: He has the right face for Minato, that’s for sure. He he also a diversely talented actor, having been in just about every type of movie. Really, the choice here was mostly based off of appearance, but I think it’s a good one.
RUFUS SEWELL as MADARA UCHIHA
Credits: The Illusionist, Dark City, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
RFD: Now this one was a brain-twister, but when I thought of Sewell, I was very happy about it. He is actually one of my favorite actors and definitely has had sufficient enough roles in the past to qualify him to play Madara. He could pull elements from his roles in films such as The Illusionist and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter to form himself into Madara, I think it would work quite well. The only that worried me is I wasn’t sure if he could look like an Uchiha, but after seeing the picture above, I think it would work.
DANNY MASTERSON as OBITO UCHIHA/TOBI
Credits: That 70's Show, Yes Man, The Faculty
RFD: These two look very similar and Masterson is another actor frommy beloved That 70’s Show. One thing’s for sure, he’d be able to nail Tobi. And his resemblance to Obito is strong enough for me to think he’ll work well. Plus, seeing Masterson and Grace work together as Kakashi and Obito would be great!
ASA BUTTERFIELD as OBITO UCHIHA (YOUNG)
Credits: Hugo, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Ender's Game (upcoming)
RFD: Well, to say that Butterfield is one of the best young actors around is an understatement. Really, just pure confidence in this boy’s acting and his age being about right are the two main factors in this decision. Looking forward to seeing him play Ender in Ender’s Game.
BEN BARNES as ITACHI UCHIHA
Credits: Dorian Gray, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
RFD: Barnes was actually the first person I thought of when I was thinking about casting Sasuke. But I knew that he was too old now, so I thought about it for a bit and decided he’d be perfectly fine as Itachi. After really think about it, though, I think he’d be better as Itachi. Fangirls usually seem to think Itachi is the more attractive of the two, and Barnes is possibly the most handsome actor around. Plus, based off of his performance in Dorian Gray, Barnes would be better as the evil but not so evil Itachi than the brooding Sasuke.
JON BERNTHAL as KISAME HOSHIGAKI
Credits: The Walking Dead, The Ghost Writer
RFD: I thought I was being completely original when I thought of this, but then I saw a guy on YouTube had the same idea. I guess that means it really does make sense. Now, for Kisame to work in real life, his visage would have to be altered, a little more minimalist on the shark-like qualities. But Bernthal has the right face for it and I can’t express how much I enjoyed him in The Walking Dead as Shane, so I’d absolutely love to see him as Kisame, who is even more insane than Shane.
JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER as DEIDARA
Credits: Twilight Saga, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Camelot
RFD: This is the third fancast I’ve put him in, but you know what? Each of them I’ve done really fit. I have him as Reno in Final Fantasy VII and as Billy Nolan in a remake of Carrie. Now, look at him and look at Deidara. If you’ve seen Sweeny Todd, you’ve seen how good an actor Bower is. His looks not only reflect Deidara’s appearance, but also his personality.
JAMES McAVOY as SASORI
Credits: Atonement, Wanted, X-Men: First Class
RFD: Yes, he looks older than Sasori normally does, but he’s the only one I get that same vibe from that I got from Sasori. You know it’s there. There's something child-like in McAvoy’s adult face, I don’t quite know how to put it. Sasori is supposed to look very young and sweet to contrast the puppet that he disguised himself in the whole time. McAvoy has the right appearance, and the skill as an actor to play the very emotional character of Sasori. Specifically, what I’d be hyped to see is McAvoy as Sasori in the scene where he is holding the puppets of his parents around him. That’s a nice image.
TOBY KEBBELL as HIDAN
Credits: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Wrath of the Titans, War Horse
RFD: Yet another choice I am proud of. I really have to point to Kebbell’s performance in Prince of Persia for this one. I found Garsiv to be the most interesting character alongside the Prince himself, and he was quite the warrior. The face Garsiv gets when he was fighting the Prince… perfect for Hidan at all times. Once again, doesn’t really look a lot like the character, but Hidan looked kind of normal beforehand, I think I’d end up enjoying Kebbell even better than the original.
RICHARD BROOKS as KAKUZU
Credits: Firefly, Law & Order
RFD: Like with Michael Cera before, Brooks is just one of those actors I like to cast whenever I have the chance. Brooks would make an absolutely amazing Kakuzu. First of all, I have to point to my favorite aspect of Brooks’; his voice. If you’ve seen the last episode of Firefly, you know what I’m talking about. Having Brooks use his voice for the monster-like Kakuzu would be beautiful.
MATTHEW LEWIS as ZETSU
Credits: Harry Potter Series
RFD: I don’t understand why Matthew Lewis hasn’t been getting any real attention post-Potter. He was one of the best members of the cast, if you ask me, portraying Neville Longbottom near perfectly, really bringing out the transformation in the character. Zetsu, being the reserved member of the Akatsuki, would be welled played by Matthew Lewis. I’d probably support a sort of re-styling of Zetsu; keep the whole duality thing apparent, but make it different because Zetsu would look absolutely ridiculous in real life and I wouldn’t want Lewis’ shot at branching out to be a joke.
JENSEN ACKLES as PAIN
Credits: Supernatural, Smallville, My Bloody Valentine
RFD: Ahh, now here’s a choice that I’m very fond of. Ackles has more than proven himself in the much-loved BBC show Supernatural. Let’s point out the obvious; Ackles literally looks just like Pain, possibly the best resemblance in my entire cast. His acting is top-notch, too, so I can easily trust him with one of my favorite characters.
BELLA HEATHCOTE as KONAN
Credits: Dark Shadows, Not Fade Away, In Time
RFD: To compliment an amazing Pain must be an amazing Konan. I went through a few Konan choices before arriving at Heathcote. Her performance as Victoria Winters in Dark Shadows is very exemplary of what Konan should be like in a live action production. She really looks like a great interpretation of Konan as well. She’s absolutely adorable and really pretty, and Konan is too in a broken sort of way.
JUNO TEMPLE as KARIN
Credits: Atonement, Mr. Nobody
RFD: Temple would be able to play Karin so well. I can picture her with the glasses on, going crazy like Karin does very easily. Karin is interesting because she doesn’t really have any real ninja techniques, just slapping and kicking really hard and apparently using poisonous perfume (I think I remember that from Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations). Temple really seems like the kind of actress to be able to nail that type of character.
DAVID KRUMHOLTZ as SUIGETSU HOZUKI
Credits: Numb3rs, 10 Things I Hate About You, Serenity
RFD: Suigetsu was one of the hardest to cast for me because I really like him but no one seems to really capture his appeal. But I felt like it was a stroke of genius when I thought of Krumholtz. I remember Suigetsu rating people’s fights on a number scale, like, whenever he’d beat someone, he’d be like “Hmm, I give it… 50 points” and lave them lying on the ground. This association with numbers connects with Krumholtz more than anyone else. And Krumholtz actually looks like Suigetsu more than anyone else I can think of (yet another character that no one can really look like). Ended up pretty content with this choice.
TOM HARDY as JUGO
Credits: The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Lawless
RFD: Hardy came to mind automatically when thinking about Jugo, probably due to his recent performance as Bane. I tried to consider some others, but really, Hardy is the man for the job here. Jugo is a raging beast in combat, and Hardy’s background of playing Bane reflects that in him. Also, Jugo is a conflicted character with a pretty moving story, so you can’t just go with any old muscle man for this role. As a bonus that I actually just thought of while typing this up, Hardy and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (as Kimimaro) would playoff of each other very well, I get the feeling. They just seem to have a lot in common.
CRISPIN GLOVER as ZABUZA MOMOCHI
Credits: Alice in Wonderland, Beowulf, 9 (voice role)
RFD: Don’t really see any possible flaws with this choice. Only a select few actors have that devilish glare to them, and Glover is one of them. When he played the Knave of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, it’s like he was actually exerting tension on all of the scenes with just his presence, his facial expressions. That is the essential element for Zabuza; to be able to have that unspoken intimidation that makes the air in the room seems thick… in a literal sense even with Zabuza.
REEVE CARNEY as HAKU
Credits: Twilight Saga, Snow Falling on Cedars, The Tempest
RFD: Okay, can you say HARDEST CASTING EVER?!?!?!?! My God, I’ve never spent so much time trying to find someone. I was honestly about ready to give up and cast a girl so many times. And then when I finally find someone, I find two close potential choices. So after racking my brain trying to find a male actor to play Haku, I then had to rack my brain some more to choose between the two I thought of; Carney and Jonathan Jackson (from Tuck Everlasting). Eventually, I decided on Carney because he could look like a girl with some make-up and effects a little easier than Jackson would. Also, Carney was in Twilight, which seems to resonate with Haku a little.
COMMON as KILLER BEE
Credits: Smokin' Aces, Wanted, major hip-hop artist
RFD: I sort of made this choice by default; I thought about other actors to play Killer Bee that would work very well, but sadly, none of them were rappers. Really, Killer Bee’s rapping is more important than anything else so I wanted to have someone who, you know, could actually rap. Common happens to be a very talented hip-hop artist and also has a decent amount of acting under his belt, too.
KIMBO SLICE as A (RAIKAGE)
Credits: Blood and Bone, Merry Christmas Drake & Josh, professional MMA fighter
RFD: Kimbo Slice only has a limited resume for acting, but he is a professional MMA fighter and he looks identical to the Raikage in many aspects. He’d have to be aged a little, but that’s really the only concern. You’ve got to admit that seeing Kimbo Slice do the Liger Bomb may be the most epic thing since Nutella cookies.
RICHARD WILSON as ONOKI (TSUCHIKAGE)
Credits: Merlin, One Foot in the Grave
RFD: The first thing I thought when dealing with Onoki was Yoda… which wasn’t helpful at all. So basically I went to my mental list of epic older actors and pulled Wilson out as what I think is the best choice. Onoki cannot be replicated accurately in real life, but judging from Wilson’s portrayal of Gaius in Merlin, he’d make a splendid non-anime Onoki.
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS as MEI TERUMI (MIZUKAGE)
Credits: Firefly, Mad Men, Detachment
RFD: Yeah… if you know who Hendricks is and you know who the Mizukage is, then there is no need to even explain anything here.
ALAN RICKMAN as DANZO SHIMURA
Credits: Harry Potter Series, Die Hard, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
RFD: And lastly, we have Rickman, and I think it’s as good a choice as any. He’s very adept at playing the cruel guy that everyone hates and he’s the right age and would look pretty badass as Danzo if you ask me.
And there it is! Took awhile, but that's my Naruto fancast. Oh, and please do NOT complain about the actors not being Japanese because, one, the only Japanese actors I'm even remotely familiar with are the ones from Battle Royal and, two, saying that only Japanese actors should play these roles is both ignorant and closed-minded. If you want a Japanese-only cast, fine, but that doesn't mean it's the only way it should be.
Ranting aside, hope you enjoyed! :)