Cast Your Favourite Books

Guards! Guards! By Terry Pratchett



Hugh Laurie as Sam Vimes



Pam Ferris as Lady Sybil Ramkin



Terry Jones as Sergent Colon



Nick Frost as Corporal "Nobby" Nobbs



Alexander Ludwig as Carrot Ironfounderson



Alan Rickman as Lord Vetinari



Toby Jones as Lupine Wonse

Really this list is just an excuse for me to point out how pitch perfect Hugh Laurie and Pam Ferris would be in as Vimes and Lady Ramkin in the Discworld series. All the others are take them or leave them, I blatantly casted Alan Rickman to type (because I think Jeremy Irons completely missed the mark as the Patrician in the Miniseries). I found Carrot the hardest to pick and settled on Ludwig because he has the right build and could see him playing naive goodnatured role.

Jonathon Letham's

Chronic City

 

Chase Insteadman

John Cusack

 

Perkus Tooth

Philip Seymour Hoffman

 

Richaard Abneg

Eli Roth

 

Oona Laszlo

Oona Chaplin, (because why not).

 

Janice Trumball

Charlotte Gainsbourg

I pegged him as a little to old for the role. I think the role requires someone who only just started to shave.

Patrick Stewart would work as Vetinari, but I kind of like the idea that the Patrician always appears evil at first glance. He, himself says that you need to be evil to effectively run a city because the truly good are only good at planning to overthrow the evil and once that is done they are bad at planning how to keep things running so that they can stay in power. As it is I like the dichotomy of the Patrician, he is a cunning cutthroat villain who has the welfare of the city in forefront of his mind and everyone is better for it.

Since we're talking Discworld, ever since the new Galactica, I've wanted to see James Callis as Rincewind:

 

Blood Meridian

 

The Judge- Daniel Day-Lewis

 

The Kid- Ezra Miller

 

Toadvine- Sam Rockwell

 

Glanton- Michael Shannon

 

Tobin/Ex-Priest- John Hawkes

 

Davy Brown- Walton Goggins

 

John Jackson- Keith David/John Jackson- David Keith

 

Edited by Bailey - 4/29/12 at 2:21am

I would love to see a Lies of Locke Lamora book, but damn I can't think of anyone..

For me Charles Dance was the perfect Vetinari and my imagination fails me when I try to come up with someone who could match him, let alone better him.

 

I've loved Hugh Laurie in comedies for years and I know he's a popular choice for Vimes but the only dramatic work I've seen from him is House which I find unwatchable. I guess he could be a Vimes worth watching but I don't know if he could be my Vimes - I have trouble seeing Laurie as streetwise. For me someone more like Andy Serkis or Christopher Eccleston (if he put on a little weight) fit the role, maybe even Sean Bean, although he's too much of a sexy melonfarmer really.

 

The best suggestion I ever heard for Mustrum Ridcully was Brian Blessed, narrowly ahead of Stephen Fry.

 

And Tim Roth should play Carcer, because the best Vimes book is Night Watch, so we need a Carcer.

 

 

 

 

Aw crap Richard, I don't want to see anyone as Rincewind unless it's in a very minor, side-character capacity as in Unseen Acdemicals. That character's lack of agency (at least, agency not driven by cowardice) makes him the biggest dud Sir Terry ever wrote in my book.

Well, my Discworld experience is sadly limited to the first two books, where he's at the forefront and I asusme hasn't worn out his welcome yet.

Discworld are my all time favoutite series of books.

 

Hugh Laurie as Sam Vimes - no not really - for one thing he brings too much baggage from his Jeeves & Wooster, Blackadder and Fry & Laurie days - too his core, he's too much of a fop. Maybe a slightly older and greyer Vinnie Jones for Vimes, maybe.

 

Only actors I've ever had clearly in my head for any characters are:

 

John Savident - Stick this guy in a beard and he is Mustrum Ridcully

Eric Idle - there is no one else to play C.M.O.T.Dibbler

 

Open to suggestions on other characters...

Anno Dracula

 

 

 

Charles Beauregaurd - Michael Fassbender

Genevieve Dieudonne - Melanie Laurent

Dr Jack Seward - David Tennant

Lord Ruthven - Johnny Depp

Sergent Dravot - Daniel Craig

Quincy Morris - Jensen Ackles

Jonathon Harker - Matt Smith

Lord Godalming - Ewan McGregor

Mina Harker - Michelle Ryan

Penny - Natalie Portman

Van Helsing - Stellen Skarsguard

Mary Kelly - Billie Piper

Mycroft Holmes - Kenneth Branagh

Kate Reed - Felicia Day

Queen Victoria - Helen Mirren

and as the King of Vampires himself: Dracula - Richard Grant

 

 

 

That's a really intriguing choice, and you know he'd rock it, but the Judge as written is just so damn...uncastable.

 

In the Blood Meridian thread I mentioned that Roger Ebert has fancast Tom Noonan as the Judge:

 

 

...and fuck yeah he gets the creepiness and the evil intelligence, but the Judge is also supposed to be massive. You'd almost have to Dr. Manhattan that shit.

 

But shave Day-Lewis' head, make him all albinoed out, get him to pack on some weight, and baby, you got a stew goin'. You would need a star in the film, and your other casting choices, awesome as they are, aren't stars on the level of Day-Lewis. His presence would definitely kick the movie's chances up a notch.

 

Of course, it'd also have to be NC-17 and probably be banned in dozens of counties across America, if you're going to really do the book. And if you don't have the NC-17 stuff you're not really doing the book.

 

Tangentially, the creepiest Judge Holden visualization I've seen is this custom figure made out of a Gentleman figure from the Buffy episode "Hush."

Edited by Martin Blank - 4/29/12 at 7:34am

Tom Noonan is an interesting choice, but I throw my hat in the ring for Brendan Gleeson as The Judge.

I've never been wedded to the need to portray Holden as a giant hairless baby.  I understand it's not just a randomly chosen description by McCarthy, that it has meaning, but I think it'd be much more important for the film to get the actor who can best portray the Judge's intimidating mixture of fierce intelligence, measured malevolence, otherworldly evil, intimidating aura, and most importantly, balance the performance between the kind of realism we expect and theatricality the part calls for.  In short, there's no choice like Day-Lewis.

Had to look him up, but yeah the look is dead on. Certainly better than my choice for Vetinari.


Wow, didn't expect so much resistance for this role. Though it did strike me that both my choices for Vimes and Ramkin are older than the roles they would play in the first of the city watch books so they aren't perfect choices, just the best I can think of right now.


Brian Blessed always needs more work.


Funny, I know he's not English, but I always pictured C.M.O.T. Dibbler as:



Michael Keaton in wig out mode.

As a side note: Wow, I had no idea Michael Keaton is now 60.

Discworld again - Mackenzie Crook = Rincewind.

And yes I know there's a dedicated Bond thread, but I'm playing to rules and as it's cast your favorite book, I'll throw in Jason Issacs as Bond.

 

 

 

Lynch actually has some fantasy casting on his livejournal.

 

http://scott-lynch.livejournal.com/

 

Oh, you gotta check out Going Postal Tim. There are nits to pick but for me it was by far the best Pratchett adaptation yet.

 

 

 

With Hugh Laurie it's that he personifies British comedic goofiness and gormlessness to me, whereas Vimes is a down and dirty copper from the streets. I can believe he has the talent and skills to do it, I just haven't seen all the evidence yet.

I forgot he was in Going Postal.

I actually think I had stricken that adaptation from my memory in self defense. It starts off very promising, but then turns into a feature length anti-smoking ad.

I know Vimes should really be British and all.

 

But fuck it, If I can't have 60's Clint Eastwood in some colorful fantasy world? I don't think anybody deserves to see anybody else.

I agree Eastwwod is what we're aiming for, I'm just trying to think of a modern equivalent actor who is in his mid forties.

Closest I can come up with (outside of Laurie) is



Guy Pierce.

Though that might just because how much I love L.A. Confidential.

Imagine him grizzled up a bit with the voice of a life long smoker and what do you think?

I can work with that.

There already was a film, but we can do better...

 

Breakfast of Champions

Directed by Spike Jonze

 

Nicolas Cage as Dwight Hoover

 

 

Philip Baker Hall as Kilgore Trout

 

 

Willem Dafoe as Harry LaSabre

 

 

Chris Cooper as Moe the Truck Driver

 

 

Stanley Tucci as Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

 

 

Tucci looks nothing like Vonnegut, but since listening to the audio book I really can't picturing any one else delivering Vonnegut's deadpan humor as well.

I don't know...with a walrus mustache and a big grey fizzy mop, Tucci  would be a fine stand in for KVJ.

Armor by John Steakley

Felix - Christian Bale
Jack Crow - Robert Downey Jr
Lya - Jennifer Connolly
Karen - Julie Benz
Sar Borglyn - Danny Trejo
Hollis Ware - Giovanni Ribisi
Col. Shoen - Rhona Mitra
Nathan - Brandon Routh
Wice - Dolph Lundgren
Dominiguez - Armaury Nolasco
Forrest - Zoe Bell

After this last season of Justified, I think Neal McDonough could do a pretty solid Judge in Blood Merridian. He had gleeful malevolence, sexual predation, and a big, stupid baby head down pat.

The BURKE series by Andrew Vachss, adapted into a series on HBO (I can dream)

Burke: Michael Wincott
Mole: Ben Kingsley
Max the Silent: Jason Scott Lee
Mama: Michelle Yeoh
Michelle: Angela Bassett
Strega: Christina Hendricks.
Flood: Gina Carrano
Wesley: Guy Pearce
Edited by Judas Booth - 5/2/12 at 8:09am

With the right glasses and wig, Tucci can pull off Vonnegut.   Vonnegut adaptations in general would be really hard to pull off. But I believe that Slaughter House Five is do for a remake.  I really like your cast, Chris Cooper needs more work.

I love that this thread has had Micheal Wincott pop up more than once.

 

Which says good things about humanity in general.

Crytonomicon by Neal Stephenson

 

Directed by Stuart Gordon

Written by Danny Boyle

 

Randy Waterhouse - Alan Tudyk

Lawrence Waterhouse - Paul Dano

Sgt. Bobby Shaftoe - Charlie Hunnam

America Shaftoe - Q'orianka Kilcher

Doug Shaftoe - Bill Paxton

Alan Turing - Hugh Dancy

Andrew Loeb - James Franco

Young Goto Dengo - Tadanobu Asano

Old Goto Dengo - Togo Igawa

Enoch Root - Daniel Day-Lewis

Gunther Bischoff - Willem Defoe

Actually, you know who would make a good Judge Holden - Tom Hardy.

 

He's got the size, the presence, and after Bane and Bronson, we know he can play a mean bald son-of-a-bitch. Strip him of his eyebrows, put him on a horse, and boom - you got the best possible Holden that we could hope for outside of Marlon Brando being resurrected to fill the part.

I think Hardy needs a few more years, but he's definitely got the makings of a guy who could do the part justice.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union

 

 

I considered him for Baronshteyn, but he's supposed to be pretty young.  Maybe one of the other parts!

Peter Berg's The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow

 

Now, I admit this, I have no idea how to cast a lot of this because major roles are a Japanese, A Samoan, and a Hawaiian.

 

Boone: Bradley Cooper

Dave the Love God: Taylor Kitsch

High Tide: The Rock

Johnny Banzai: Japanese cop in early 30s. No idea.

Red Eddie: Hawaiian drug dealer in his 20s, no idea

Hang Twelve: Zach Gilford

Sunny Day: Adrienne Palicki

Petra: Emily Blunt

Silver Dan: Jeff Bridges

Tammi: Minka Kelly

George Pelecanos's King Suckerman

 

I owe the casting of Wilton And Clagett to Virtanen from the Who Should Play A Villain Thread

 

Marcus: You need a guy who can play laid-back and cool, but capable of violence, so Michael K. Williams. If he's not big enough for studios, Terrence Howard

 

Karras: A fuck-up basically. Dominic West

 

Wilton Cooper: Very cool, very violent. Will Smith

 

Claggett: A kid who barely looks legal age to drink. A psychopath, develops a very strange relationship with Cooper. It would change the perception of both actors drastically. Michael Cera

 

Director: You need a director who knows music and good at characters hanging out and talking and bullshitting. Craig Brewer.

 

 

 

 

Zelikman, Mr.Michael Fassbender

 

 

 

 

Amram, Mr.Idris Elba

 

 

 

...and Kodi Smitt McPhee as Prince Filaq

 

 

 

 

Adapted for the screen by Michael Chabon.

 

A Peter Jackson film.

(what a great thread idea, I could do this all day)

 

 

 

 

 

Carey Mulligan as Mina Harker

 

 

 

James McAvoy as Jonathan Harker

 

 

 

Emilia Clarke as Lucy Westenra

 

 

 

Andrew Garfield as Sir Arthur Holmwood

 

 

 

Tom Hiddleston as Dr. John Seward

 

 

 

Armie Hammer as Quincey P. Morris

 

 

 

Asia Argento as Dracula's Bride

 

 

 

Alan Tudyk as R. M. Renfield

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and starring as Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, Tom Hardy

 

 

 

 

 

 

...special guest appearance by Gary Oldman as Dr.Abraham Van Helsing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adapted to the screen and directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

 

GREAT director pick! Williams and West are good picks, maybe a bit too old? Aren't Karras and Marcus in their early 30s in KS? Ashton Kutcher would make a pretty good Karras too, he could do immature asshole pretty well.

 

I would kill to see this film, especially Cera covered in acne and missing a few teeth.

Finally found the name for the guy who's my pick to play Marcus in KING SUCKERMAN: Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (wonder I couldn't remember THAT). Has the looks to pass for a guy in his late-20s who's been to Vietnam.

 

 

If this ever did happen and they wasted the role of Boone on Bradley Cooper, I would be seriously pissed off.

Bradley Cooper's just fine.

Yeah, I know Williams and West are a little older than the book characters, but they'd do the job.

I picked Cooper based on his work in The A-Team and Limitless.