nablopomo #28
Only 2 left!
Well, 3.
Anyway.
Today: dream-casting the ST: TNG movie that will probably not get made for at least another ten years.
To answer your first question: yes I am a nerd. No I do not consider myself a Trekkie; however, I did grow up watching TNG and Voyager with my father.
So it's in the blood, as it were.
Anyway, here's a pic of the original (main) cast members:
From left to right: Wesley Crusher, William Riker, Data (android), Counselor Deanna Troi, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander Worf (Klingon), Dr. Beverley Crusher and Geordi LaForge.
(Yes that was from memory. My "not a Trekkie" argument is falling apart, isn't it?)
I'm going to be fancasting/dreamcasting with mostly known people, so no pics. Also, I promised myself I would be in bed by 10, so, shortcut posting.
First up: The Wesley. The original "Gary Stu". What to do with him? Three options:
1. Cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt as "The Wesley". As far as I can tell, no-one hates JGL, so insta-points. Also, he can act his butt off, saving this character.
2. Cast Anton Yelchin as Wesley. This has problems as Yelchin is already Chekhov in the AOS, but it could work, especially if it takes another 10 years. Yelchin, like JGL, seems to be baby-faced for much longer than others.
3. Best option: Starbuck the role and cast someone like Ellen Page. Transform the role into a girl's role, automatically decreasing the sausage-quotient and increasing the probability girls will watch.
Next: William Riker.
This has got to be a guy that is beefier (for lack of a better word) than Picard but less so than Worf. (He was originally designed to be Kirk.2, so.) If Aaron Eckhart could beef up a bit (not too much, but he's a bit stringy right now), he'd be great at the role.
Other suggestions migh include Michael Shanks, who has proven he can beef up with the best of them, but he is aging. In the next 5 years? Definitely. Next 10? Hmm, maybe not.
(Okay, just checked birthdates on both these guys and same caveat for Eckhart. He's actually 2 years older than Shanks.)
Other suggestions? (Ideally, he'd look good in a beard!)
Data is a toughie.
However, I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt, if not cast as Wesley, would be a good option. Others include Alan Tudyk (Wash/Alpha/etc), who has proven he can do odd but human at the drop of a hat. He's very underrated.
Finally, Alan Cumming, although on the old side, would be a wonderful Data. (Keep in mind that Brent Spiner was 37 (-ish) when TNG started and kept looking fantastic the whole time. Pancake makeup will do that for you!)
If you have other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Deanna Troi should be Marion Cotillard, but with shorter (still curly) hair or a professional, yet still messy bob. Claudia Black would also be good, but she, like most of the rest of the cast, is aging.
Noomi Rapace, aka Lisbeth Salander from the Millenium Trilogy and "Sim" from the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, would also be good in the role, I think.
Not sure if they should keep the UST/RST between Troi and Riker, but if so, who plays well off of Cotillard? (Or Black?)
Skipping Picard for now, let's move on to Worf.
I think there's really only one option here, don't you?
Vin Diesel.
Dr Beverley Crusher is another hard one to cast, largely because I don't remember that much about her. There is definite UST/RST between her and the captain, but as with The Wesley, I'm tempted to genderfuck the role and have Michael Shanks play "her". (If they cast a guy as Crusher, they should totally keep the UST. I'm just sayin'.)
Another option would be Alyson Hannigan, a redhead who has repeatedly proven she can act.
(If there was a wiseass in the group, which there's really not, I would definitely recommend Ben Browder, any day. Browder is, however, really a one-note violin (?) and does jackass/wiseass/smartass well, but that's about it. As far as I can tell, anyway. Same goes for Michael Weatherly!)
Geordi...hm. I don't really know of any actors of color in the right age-range. How sad is that? Okay, there's Mekhi Phifer, whom I hate because he stole the role in Miracle Day from Enver Gjokaj and because he added nothing to Lie to Me*, and there's the actors who played Eggs and Lafayette on True Blood (Mehcad Brooks and Nelson Ellis, respectively). Without the do-rag, Ellis would actually probably be a good Geordi, if he could play an earnest "goody two-shoes", which, given that all I know him from is True Blood, is a possibility.
Okay, save "the best" for last: Picard.
Honestly?
No idea.
You'd need a Brit or someone who could fake a good British accent. I'm tempted to say James McAvoy because of the X-Men connection, but I don't think McAvoy has the proper gravitas. You need someone who can play "Human Spock", because that's basically what Picard is, especially in early seasons. (He admits to being bad around children to his First, Riker, and asks to be reminded of when he's being short.)
Obviously NOT Zachary Quinto, who is so good at being Spock that I'd hate to pull him away from the role. But you need someone with that straight face, stick-up-his-arse, etc.
And he should be balding/willing to be bald. Because that's a major part of the Picard image.
I think Tom Hiddleston could pull it off admirably, but not sure if he's right for the role. So could Tom Hardy, but it'd be a bit weird, especially for fans who saw the (not-very-good) Nemesis. Obviously, Michael Fassbender, like Hiddles, would do the role justice, but again, not sure if he's right for the role.
Finally, as a side note: I would love to see any of these roles genderfucked and/or introduce some more young-ish female characters, perhaps played by Emma Stone, Amanda Seyfried, or Kristen Bell. But please, if you go this route, don't make them giggly girly-girls. Give them substance. (Another "Gaila" would definitely be fun! And the first two could definitely pull off a good Gaila (or similar Orion girl).)
If you had to dream/fancast TNG, who would you cast?
Well, 3.
Anyway.
Today: dream-casting the ST: TNG movie that will probably not get made for at least another ten years.
To answer your first question: yes I am a nerd. No I do not consider myself a Trekkie; however, I did grow up watching TNG and Voyager with my father.
So it's in the blood, as it were.
Anyway, here's a pic of the original (main) cast members:
From left to right: Wesley Crusher, William Riker, Data (android), Counselor Deanna Troi, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander Worf (Klingon), Dr. Beverley Crusher and Geordi LaForge.
(Yes that was from memory. My "not a Trekkie" argument is falling apart, isn't it?)
I'm going to be fancasting/dreamcasting with mostly known people, so no pics. Also, I promised myself I would be in bed by 10, so, shortcut posting.
First up: The Wesley. The original "Gary Stu". What to do with him? Three options:
1. Cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt as "The Wesley". As far as I can tell, no-one hates JGL, so insta-points. Also, he can act his butt off, saving this character.
2. Cast Anton Yelchin as Wesley. This has problems as Yelchin is already Chekhov in the AOS, but it could work, especially if it takes another 10 years. Yelchin, like JGL, seems to be baby-faced for much longer than others.
3. Best option: Starbuck the role and cast someone like Ellen Page. Transform the role into a girl's role, automatically decreasing the sausage-quotient and increasing the probability girls will watch.
Next: William Riker.
This has got to be a guy that is beefier (for lack of a better word) than Picard but less so than Worf. (He was originally designed to be Kirk.2, so.) If Aaron Eckhart could beef up a bit (not too much, but he's a bit stringy right now), he'd be great at the role.
Other suggestions migh include Michael Shanks, who has proven he can beef up with the best of them, but he is aging. In the next 5 years? Definitely. Next 10? Hmm, maybe not.
(Okay, just checked birthdates on both these guys and same caveat for Eckhart. He's actually 2 years older than Shanks.)
Other suggestions? (Ideally, he'd look good in a beard!)
Data is a toughie.
However, I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt, if not cast as Wesley, would be a good option. Others include Alan Tudyk (Wash/Alpha/etc), who has proven he can do odd but human at the drop of a hat. He's very underrated.
Finally, Alan Cumming, although on the old side, would be a wonderful Data. (Keep in mind that Brent Spiner was 37 (-ish) when TNG started and kept looking fantastic the whole time. Pancake makeup will do that for you!)
If you have other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Deanna Troi should be Marion Cotillard, but with shorter (still curly) hair or a professional, yet still messy bob. Claudia Black would also be good, but she, like most of the rest of the cast, is aging.
Noomi Rapace, aka Lisbeth Salander from the Millenium Trilogy and "Sim" from the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, would also be good in the role, I think.
Not sure if they should keep the UST/RST between Troi and Riker, but if so, who plays well off of Cotillard? (Or Black?)
Skipping Picard for now, let's move on to Worf.
I think there's really only one option here, don't you?
Vin Diesel.
Dr Beverley Crusher is another hard one to cast, largely because I don't remember that much about her. There is definite UST/RST between her and the captain, but as with The Wesley, I'm tempted to genderfuck the role and have Michael Shanks play "her". (If they cast a guy as Crusher, they should totally keep the UST. I'm just sayin'.)
Another option would be Alyson Hannigan, a redhead who has repeatedly proven she can act.
(If there was a wiseass in the group, which there's really not, I would definitely recommend Ben Browder, any day. Browder is, however, really a one-note violin (?) and does jackass/wiseass/smartass well, but that's about it. As far as I can tell, anyway. Same goes for Michael Weatherly!)
Geordi...hm. I don't really know of any actors of color in the right age-range. How sad is that? Okay, there's Mekhi Phifer, whom I hate because he stole the role in Miracle Day from Enver Gjokaj and because he added nothing to Lie to Me*, and there's the actors who played Eggs and Lafayette on True Blood (Mehcad Brooks and Nelson Ellis, respectively). Without the do-rag, Ellis would actually probably be a good Geordi, if he could play an earnest "goody two-shoes", which, given that all I know him from is True Blood, is a possibility.
Okay, save "the best" for last: Picard.
Honestly?
No idea.
You'd need a Brit or someone who could fake a good British accent. I'm tempted to say James McAvoy because of the X-Men connection, but I don't think McAvoy has the proper gravitas. You need someone who can play "Human Spock", because that's basically what Picard is, especially in early seasons. (He admits to being bad around children to his First, Riker, and asks to be reminded of when he's being short.)
Obviously NOT Zachary Quinto, who is so good at being Spock that I'd hate to pull him away from the role. But you need someone with that straight face, stick-up-his-arse, etc.
And he should be balding/willing to be bald. Because that's a major part of the Picard image.
I think Tom Hiddleston could pull it off admirably, but not sure if he's right for the role. So could Tom Hardy, but it'd be a bit weird, especially for fans who saw the (not-very-good) Nemesis. Obviously, Michael Fassbender, like Hiddles, would do the role justice, but again, not sure if he's right for the role.
Finally, as a side note: I would love to see any of these roles genderfucked and/or introduce some more young-ish female characters, perhaps played by Emma Stone, Amanda Seyfried, or Kristen Bell. But please, if you go this route, don't make them giggly girly-girls. Give them substance. (Another "Gaila" would definitely be fun! And the first two could definitely pull off a good Gaila (or similar Orion girl).)
If you had to dream/fancast TNG, who would you cast?