As we all know by now, one of the most anticipated movies coming out next year is another X-Men film, the latest in the film series. The film will mark the on-screen debuts of such characters as Warpath, Blink, Bishop, and the Sentinel robots, among others, and has generated quite an amount of hype for its cast and story.
BUT, ask with me if you will a trademark Marvel question:
What if....they DIDN'T make this movie and went for something else?
That's where my final fancast for the year comes in. My Bruce Timm-designed DTV adaptation of the classic X-Men story "The Dark Phoenix Saga" was met with great reception, so after finally reading this story, I figured I'd present you, my fellow CBM'ers, with a fitting sequel: an animated DTV film adaptation of the other great X-Men story arc, "Days of Future Past", originally done in 1980-81 by writer Chris Claremont and artists John Byrne and Terry Austin.
Everyone who's read it pretty much knows the plot: a future version of the X-Men's (then-)newest member, Kitty Pryde, is sent back in time into the body of her younger self in order to warn the team of a plot to assassinate presidential candidate Senator Robert Kelly, which would lead to a future where all of North America is ruled by the Sentinel robots. To thwart this future, the X-Men must stop the assassins: the new incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, led by the shape-shifting Mystique.
This has been a story I've wanted to read, but was unable to do so due to A)the most recent TPB being out of print, and B)being unable to find a used copy. Well, after finally reading it, my fancast gears started turning again:
-The film, like its predecessor, would be a period piece set during the time of the original story's publication.
-It would also be the B-side to a special re-release of my Dark Phoenix Saga film, sort of like what they did with "Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles" and "Robotech: Love Live Alive" recently.
-DVD cover art and character designs by Bruce Timm (who I used for my Dark Phoenix Saga fancast), and I maintain that I would want to see him work his magic on the denizens of the Marvel Universe.
-Voice direction would be by Jamie Simone.
-Directed by Lauren Montgomery.
And now, the main event--my voice cast, one of whom was inspired by RobertGarlen's 1990's X-Men trilogy fancast. I also think that, for a few of them, it'd be an interesting challenge to hear them play their characters' present and future selves with some form of variation:
#X-Men (returning and new cast members)
+Present Team
-Terry O'Quinn returns as the voice of Professor X/Charles Xavier
I've been getting into the new Hawaii Five-O lately, and a lot of people here have used O'Quinn in their X-Men fancasts, but I guess I'm the first to use him as a voice actor. I feel O'Quinn would work nicely as Charlie X.
-Gina Torres returns as the voice of Storm/Ororo Munroe
Torres did a great Vixen on Justice League Unlimited, and really made Superwoman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. She hasn't done any Marvel stuff yet, and I immediately thought "the voice of Storm". This would also mark the first time in another medium where Storm is portrayed as the team leader (since Cyclops had left a few issues earlier). If I had gone to the trouble of figuring out VA's for the future X-Men members, I know who I would've cast as Storm had she still been alive: Eartha Kitt.
-Jackie Earle Haley returns as the voice of Wolverine/Logan
I've said it thrice, and I stick by this: Haley would be an excellent voice for Logan, probably the best next voice once Steven Blum gets tired of playing the guy. See my fancast for "Marvel Team-Up Presents: Wolverine" for more.
-Liam O'Brien returns as the voice of Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner
He voiced him in "Wolverine and the X-Men", and I thought he did the best voice for Kurt out of the rest who came before, so here he is again.
-Travis Willingham returns as the voice of Colossus/Piotr Rasputin
I think Willingham would be capable of doing a better Colossus than my initial choice, Michael Adamthwaite. He's good at doing gruff and deep voices, and he played a tall metal guy already--the younger of the two brothers in Fullmetal Alchemist.
-Justin Hartley returns as the voice of Angel/Warren Worthington III
Hartley's already got the experience of playing a comic book rich guy with a double life, so I think he could easily portray Angel.
-Miranda Cosgrove returns as the voice of Kitty Pryde (going by the codename "Sprite")
She really knows how to play feisty, upbeat, and clever characters, and she hasn't done any comic book-related stuff yet--hence choosing her to voice the inspiration for Buffy Summers. It'd also be an interesting thing to hear her portray a more mature Kitty as she's possessed by her adult self.
-Emily Mortimer as the voice of Dr. Moira MacTaggart
A while ago, I caught a few episodes of The Newsroom and have to say Mortimer does a great performance on the show, so I thought that, with more of a Scottish tint in her voice, she'd be a capable Moira. I'm also using her as Moira for my fancast of "Wolverine and the X-Men" season 2.
+Future team
-Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as the voice of Kate Pryde-Rasputin
I really had a hard time trying to figure out who could voice the adult Kitty, but eventually I thought Louis-Dreyfuss would work, as you almost never see her in any serious kinds of roles. It's also not the first time she's ever done voiceover, if any of you remember her turn as Snake's ex-girlfriend Gloria on "The Simpsons".
-Wil Wheaton as the voice of Franklin Richards
Even though Franklin's role in this would almost be akin to LeVar Burton's Black Lightning in the "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" film, I still felt that Wheaton would be a decent voice for the son of Reed and Sue.
-Melissa Disney as the voice of Rachel Summers
Disney's been mostly voicing DC characters for a while now, but thanks to the Deadpool video game she got her taste of Marvel, so I felt she'd be decent as this future member (both literally and figuratively, within the context of the later issues) of the X-Men.
-Edward Asner as the voice of Magneto/Erik Lensherr
I was inspired by the way Asner voiced Dr. Fate/Kent Nelson on Young Justice, and he's been in a few Marvel productions here and there; therefore, he'd be decent enough voice for the (now-crippled) master of magnetism. (This also marks the first time I've ever used Magneto in an X-Men-themed fancast.)
#Brotherhood of Mutants
-Juliana Marguiles as the voice of Mystique/Raven Darkholme
That makes three times I've used her in a fancast, but her talent speaks for itself when I decided to choose her. I think she would make an absolutely sinister Mystique in this animated flick.
-Jessica Lange as the voice of Destiny/Irene Adler
I've been hearing a lot about Lange's performance in "American Horror Story: Coven", and that inspired me to cast this veteran actress as the precognative best friend and confidant to Mystique.
-Patrick Warburton as the voice of the Blob/Fred Dukes
As hinted before, RobertGarlen cast Warburton as the Blob for his 1990's X-Trilogy fancast, and I felt that he'd also be great as the voice for the character. He can make the Blob sound like the complete *bleep*hole he is in the story, which is just the way I'd like it.
-Pat Fraley reprising the voice of Pyro/St. John Allerdyce
Fraley's a veteran VA who voiced Pyro in the 1989 "Pryde of the X-Men" pilot, and I felt that it was a decent enough portrayal that he ought to get another shot at the character.
-Jason C. Miller as the voice of Avalanche/Dominic Petros
Miller, as of late, has voiced a few DC characters, namely Black Condor and Doll Man on "Batman: The Brave and the Bold". He also voiced Deimos, the son of Ares and the god of Terror, in the 2009 Wonder Woman animated movie. So, with Avalanche, he'll have played two supervillains of Greek descent.
#Bruce Boxleitner as the voice of Senator Robert Kelly
I felt Boxleitner would do a good job in his portrayal of Kelly, he seems like he could play the political type really easily.
#Jonathan Adams as the voice of the Sentinels
Adams has a really great, deep voice that would be very fitting for the Sentinels. Look at his turns as Galactus, Martian Manhunter, Dormammu, and Kang the Conqueror for proof.
#Additional Voices
-Timothy Hutton reprises/cameos as Sebastian Shaw
-Jon Hamm reprises/cameos as Henry Peter Gyrich
And, we're outta time! To see my Dark Phoenix Saga fancast, check this link:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/news/?a=60597
Thanks for tuning in for my final fancast of the year, and now ladies and gentlemen, fitting with the theme of going back in time--HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (plus Tower of Power):