More casting!
In honor of Breaking Bad's return to television, and also in honor of the announcement of Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor, and in a couple of cases just because I feel like it, have some more casting choices for my imaginary DC movies.
Alfred Pennyworth
Casting Call: Alfred Pennyworth (Sylvester McCoy) by catsilvermoon featuring a bandeau top
For the perfect mix of proper behavior and snark, there is really nowhere else to turn. My only problem is that Sylvester McCoy is a bit short.
(Age: 69)
Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm
Casting Call: Andrea Beaumont (Anna Gunn) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Anna Gunn is not old-school Hollywood pretty, and Andrea Beaumont is. Still, I can imagine her as someone who, twenty years ago, made Bruce Wayne happy enough to consider not being Batman because they were both so desperately in love. And I can imagine her going on a bitter crusade of revenge against the mobsters who ruined her life. I can see her as a vigilante who was capable of killing. And as an actress, she is so much better than Skyler haters would have you believe.
(Age: 45, could play a little younger)
Arisia Rrab/Green Lantern (Sector 2815)
Casting Call: Arisia (Billie Piper) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Cute as a button! And in my movie, Arisia is an adult because it's less creepy that way.
(Age: 30, could play younger but not as young as 13)
Barda Free/Big Barda
Casting Call: Barda (Ronda Rousey) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Ronda Rousey is not tall enough to play Barda, and I don't know if she can act (we'll see when Expendables 3 comes out) but she's a MMA fighter who beat the crap out of Gina Carano. Why would you choose anyone else?
(Age: 26)
Basil Karlo/Clayface
Casting Call: Basil Karlo (Tom Baker) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
When I think of Basil Karlo, this is not what I see. But since Peter Cushing is dead, we should at least make an interesting choice.
(Age: 79)
Death
Casting Call: Death (Krysten Ritter) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Just...look at her.
(Age: 31)
Dick Grayson/Nightwing
Casting Call: Dick Grayson (Enver Gjokaj) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Enver Gjokaj is living proof that Joss Whedon is a fool. Because Whedon, who is perfectly happy to cast the same five actors in everything he does, put Enver in Dollhouse and nothing else. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in The Avengers doesn't count. Whedon should have written five new shows by now, all starring Enver. In every role. Because he could do it. He could do anything.
(Age: 33, could play slightly younger)
Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Junior
Casting Call: Freddy Freeman (RJ Mitte) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Freddy Freeman suffered a spinal cord injury that caused a permanent limp, whereas RJ Mitte was born with cerebral palsy. I don't want to equate the two conditions or suggest that all disabilities are the same. On the other hand, I think that RJ Mitte would be great in the role. He's a good actor, and he deserves to have a career after Breaking Bad, even though I don't know if he's going to have one. He learned to walk on crutches for Breaking Bad, but doesn't need them in real life, so he could physically play both Freddy and his able-bodied alter ego. He'd probably need a stunt double for some of it, but most actors do, anyway. And Captain Marvel, Jr. is just a neat character. I like that his original series dealt with poverty and organized crime as opposed to the campy fun of the regular Captain Marvel at the time.
Besides, when you get right down to it, there's no reason why Freddy Freeman couldn't have cerebral palsy and nearly die at the hands of Captain Nazi. I mean, it's Captain Nazi.
(Age: 20)
Hal Jordan/Green Lantern
Casting Call: Hal Jordan (John Barrowman) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
John Barrowman is all kinds of adorable, and he has the right look and attitude for Hal Jordan. His acting is adequate for the job, and I just plain like him.
(Age: 46)
Hugo Strange
Casting Call: Hugo Strange (Robin Williams) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
This was someone else's idea, and at first I didn't buy it. But the more I think of Robin Williams's performance in One Hour Photo, the more I think he would be perfect for the role. Hugo Strange should have a persona that skirts the line between paternal and condescending. He's the sort of guy who can get you to trust him. He's not threatening at all, until he's ready for you to see him that way, at which point he's kind of terrifying, and you realize that he was creepy all along and you just didn't notice. And he's got to have a saggy face with an expressive mouth and a lumpy forehead.
(Age: 62)
Kate Spencer/Manhunter
Casting Call: Kate Spencer (Laura Fraser) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Not a very likeable character, but she has her place. Laura Fraser can definitely play chip-on-her-shoulder lawyer, and I bet she could swing weapons around, too.
(Age: 37)
Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat
Casting Call: Kirk Langstrom (Doug Jones) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Again, not my idea, but the minute I saw it I knew it was right. He can act, he's good with prosthetics, and he has such a face. Plus, he was trained as a mime!
(Age: 53)
Leslie Willis/Livewire
Casting Call: Livewire (Sara Schaefer) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
If you can't have Lori Petty, I don't see any reason not to get Sara Schaefer.
(Age: 35)
Lucius Fox
Casting Call: Lucius Fox (Giancarlo Esposito) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
As the Boy pointed out, Giancarlo Esposito would also make an amazing Mr. Fries. I seriously considered going that way instead. But my desire to see Lucius Fox played exactly like Gus Fring without the drugs and murder won out in the end.
(Age: 55)
Maxwell Lord
Casting Call: Maxwell Lord (Bob Odenkirk) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Bob Odenkirk discovered Tim and Eric, but I won't hold that against him. He plays the criminal lawyer (the criminal lawyer) Saul Goodman as somehow likeable and sympathetic, without losing an ounce of sleaze, which Max Lord absolutely needs. Incidentally, we're going with the fun Justice League International version of the character, because fuck what came after.
(Age: 50)
Mera
Casting Call: Mera (Karen Gillan) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Not super familiar with this character, but she seems neat. And while the writing on Doctor Who didn't do her any favors, I want to see Karen Gillan in more things.
(Age: 25)
Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin
Casting Call: Oswald Cobblepot (Peter Jurasik) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
This is mostly on the Boy's recommendation, since he's seen more of his work than I have, but based on Peter Jurasik's performance as Londo in Babylon 5, I do think he could make a good Penguin. My ideal Penguin would be the B:TAS version, specifically from season four, with a bit of Burgess Meredith mixed in: a sleazy, slimy, almost-legitimate businessman who retains the theatricality cultivated in his former criminal career. (Also, alliteration.) He's by turns pompous and cowardly, but also a bigger threat, both physically and mentally, than his outward appearance would lead you to believe. And while some women find him disgusting, he still manages to be a bit of a ladies' man, with a habit of making grand, romantic gestures that sweep them off their feet. I do wish that he were a bit younger, especially since I already cast thirty-eight-year-old Brooke Elliott as his OTP, Dovina. But I think it could work. And besides, look at that nose! I don't mean it as an insult, because I have a thing for long noses, but that thing is a beak.
(Age: 63, could play younger?)
Roy Harper/Arsenal
Casting Call: Roy Harper (Aaron Paul) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Obvious typecasting is obvious, but we already know Aaron Paul can play a recovering addict. And he's got real talent. With his eyes alone, he can deliver amazing degrees of pain or terror or post-adolescent belligerent swagger. If he had the same chemistry with Green Arrow that he does with Bryan Cranston and Jonathan Banks, and even with Giancarlo Esposito for the brief time they interacted, it would really be something to watch. For that matter, I'd like to see him try to impress Black Canary like in the Jesse/Skyler dinner scene.
(Age: 33, could play younger)
Scott Free/Mister Miracle
Casting Call: Scott Free (Arthur Darvill) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
He's lanky enough that I could buy him as an escape artist, he's comfortable playing second fiddle to an assertive female character, and he's just so darn cute. I agree with the TARDIS. Rory is the beautiful one.
(Age: 31)
Shotgun Smith
Casting Call: Shotgun Smith (Dean Norris) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
A lot of people want Dean Norris for Bullock, but he's so not a Bullock. Shotgun Smith, (allegedly) corrupt cop turned Gotham County sheriff, has a somewhat similar personality to Bullock, in his willingness to disregard the rules and his antagonism/grudging respect toward Robin. His relationship with his deputy, Cissy Chambers, also somewhat mirrors that of Bullock and Montoya. But ultimately, they are two different guys. If they were dogs, Shotgun Smith would be a bulldog, and Bullock would be a coonhound. I spent way too much time looking at dog breeds just now.
...ah, what the hell. I don't even know anything about Cissy, but:
Casting Call: Cissy Chambers (Freema Agyeman) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Freema Agyeman is awesome, and it's not her fault Martha was bland. (She got better.)
(Age: 34)
Tara Markov/Terra
Casting Call: Terra (Dreama Walker) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Okay, so I'm just casting Dreama Walker because we were best friends when we were nine. But the girl can act, and while she's a lovely person in real life, I know she could pull off Terra's brattiness.
(Age: 27, could play younger)
Ted Grant/Wildcat
Casting Call: Ted Grant (Jonathan Banks) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Miiiiiiiiike.
(Age: 66)
Vicki Vale
Casting Call: Vicki Vale (Betsy Brandt) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
All the Girl Reporters start to run together after a while, but Vicki is a good one. Less brassy than Lois, she's a capable journalist with a nose for a good story and the investigative skills to deduce Batman's secret identity, at least in some continuities. I can see Betsy Brandt pulling that off, and I can also see her as Bruce Wayne's love interest, but I can't see her taking his crap for long.
(Age: 36)
Waylon Jones/Killer Croc
Casting Call: Killer Croc (Ron Perlman) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
So...Waylon Jones is black. But that never really comes up. And it's not like you're going to see anything but green. So I'm willing to knowingly racebend in this case, if only because I can't think of any huge black actors who can act well through heavy prosthetics and can do a Cajun accent. Because obviously this movie's Croc would be CATverse!Croc, the sexy Cajun foodie hot-stuff ladies' man strategist who really likes the ladies. Ron Perlman voiced Killer Croc on The Batman, the version that most influenced the CATverse interpretation, and he did a great job.
(Age: 63, like it really matters under all that latex)
Yolanda Montez/Wildcat
Casting Call: Yolanda Montez (Emily Rios) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
I haven't read anything featuring this character, but she intrigues me. Emily Rios is really pretty, and as Andrea, she gives a good mix of warmth, toughness, and vulnerability in a very nuanced performance for such a small role. I would like to see her in more things, and I would like to see her interact with Jonathan Banks as Yolanda's godfather.
(Age: 24)
Zinda Blake/Lady Blackhawk
Casting Call: Zinda Blake (Alex Kingston) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
I'm pretty sure the character is intended to be younger than this, but I don't even care. With the right hair and makeup, Alex Kingston would look like a woman right out of 1945, in a way that few modern actresses could. I also think she could pull off the attitude of a fast-talking dame, and I could buy her as a soldier and an aviatrix. I think she's a great actress even though River Song is a shitty character, just as I love Lady Blackhawk even though I'm not a fan of Gail Simone's writing. So I feel like the two need to go together.
(Age: 50)
Alfred Pennyworth
Casting Call: Alfred Pennyworth (Sylvester McCoy) by catsilvermoon featuring a bandeau top
For the perfect mix of proper behavior and snark, there is really nowhere else to turn. My only problem is that Sylvester McCoy is a bit short.
(Age: 69)
Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm
Casting Call: Andrea Beaumont (Anna Gunn) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Anna Gunn is not old-school Hollywood pretty, and Andrea Beaumont is. Still, I can imagine her as someone who, twenty years ago, made Bruce Wayne happy enough to consider not being Batman because they were both so desperately in love. And I can imagine her going on a bitter crusade of revenge against the mobsters who ruined her life. I can see her as a vigilante who was capable of killing. And as an actress, she is so much better than Skyler haters would have you believe.
(Age: 45, could play a little younger)
Arisia Rrab/Green Lantern (Sector 2815)
Casting Call: Arisia (Billie Piper) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Cute as a button! And in my movie, Arisia is an adult because it's less creepy that way.
(Age: 30, could play younger but not as young as 13)
Barda Free/Big Barda
Casting Call: Barda (Ronda Rousey) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Ronda Rousey is not tall enough to play Barda, and I don't know if she can act (we'll see when Expendables 3 comes out) but she's a MMA fighter who beat the crap out of Gina Carano. Why would you choose anyone else?
(Age: 26)
Basil Karlo/Clayface
Casting Call: Basil Karlo (Tom Baker) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
When I think of Basil Karlo, this is not what I see. But since Peter Cushing is dead, we should at least make an interesting choice.
(Age: 79)
Death
Casting Call: Death (Krysten Ritter) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Just...look at her.
(Age: 31)
Dick Grayson/Nightwing
Casting Call: Dick Grayson (Enver Gjokaj) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Enver Gjokaj is living proof that Joss Whedon is a fool. Because Whedon, who is perfectly happy to cast the same five actors in everything he does, put Enver in Dollhouse and nothing else. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in The Avengers doesn't count. Whedon should have written five new shows by now, all starring Enver. In every role. Because he could do it. He could do anything.
(Age: 33, could play slightly younger)
Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Junior
Casting Call: Freddy Freeman (RJ Mitte) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Freddy Freeman suffered a spinal cord injury that caused a permanent limp, whereas RJ Mitte was born with cerebral palsy. I don't want to equate the two conditions or suggest that all disabilities are the same. On the other hand, I think that RJ Mitte would be great in the role. He's a good actor, and he deserves to have a career after Breaking Bad, even though I don't know if he's going to have one. He learned to walk on crutches for Breaking Bad, but doesn't need them in real life, so he could physically play both Freddy and his able-bodied alter ego. He'd probably need a stunt double for some of it, but most actors do, anyway. And Captain Marvel, Jr. is just a neat character. I like that his original series dealt with poverty and organized crime as opposed to the campy fun of the regular Captain Marvel at the time.
Besides, when you get right down to it, there's no reason why Freddy Freeman couldn't have cerebral palsy and nearly die at the hands of Captain Nazi. I mean, it's Captain Nazi.
(Age: 20)
Hal Jordan/Green Lantern
Casting Call: Hal Jordan (John Barrowman) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
John Barrowman is all kinds of adorable, and he has the right look and attitude for Hal Jordan. His acting is adequate for the job, and I just plain like him.
(Age: 46)
Hugo Strange
Casting Call: Hugo Strange (Robin Williams) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
This was someone else's idea, and at first I didn't buy it. But the more I think of Robin Williams's performance in One Hour Photo, the more I think he would be perfect for the role. Hugo Strange should have a persona that skirts the line between paternal and condescending. He's the sort of guy who can get you to trust him. He's not threatening at all, until he's ready for you to see him that way, at which point he's kind of terrifying, and you realize that he was creepy all along and you just didn't notice. And he's got to have a saggy face with an expressive mouth and a lumpy forehead.
(Age: 62)
Kate Spencer/Manhunter
Casting Call: Kate Spencer (Laura Fraser) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Not a very likeable character, but she has her place. Laura Fraser can definitely play chip-on-her-shoulder lawyer, and I bet she could swing weapons around, too.
(Age: 37)
Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat
Casting Call: Kirk Langstrom (Doug Jones) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Again, not my idea, but the minute I saw it I knew it was right. He can act, he's good with prosthetics, and he has such a face. Plus, he was trained as a mime!
(Age: 53)
Leslie Willis/Livewire
Casting Call: Livewire (Sara Schaefer) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
If you can't have Lori Petty, I don't see any reason not to get Sara Schaefer.
Click to view(Age: 35)
Lucius Fox
Casting Call: Lucius Fox (Giancarlo Esposito) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
As the Boy pointed out, Giancarlo Esposito would also make an amazing Mr. Fries. I seriously considered going that way instead. But my desire to see Lucius Fox played exactly like Gus Fring without the drugs and murder won out in the end.
(Age: 55)
Maxwell Lord
Casting Call: Maxwell Lord (Bob Odenkirk) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Bob Odenkirk discovered Tim and Eric, but I won't hold that against him. He plays the criminal lawyer (the criminal lawyer) Saul Goodman as somehow likeable and sympathetic, without losing an ounce of sleaze, which Max Lord absolutely needs. Incidentally, we're going with the fun Justice League International version of the character, because fuck what came after.
(Age: 50)
Mera
Casting Call: Mera (Karen Gillan) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Not super familiar with this character, but she seems neat. And while the writing on Doctor Who didn't do her any favors, I want to see Karen Gillan in more things.
(Age: 25)
Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin
Casting Call: Oswald Cobblepot (Peter Jurasik) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
This is mostly on the Boy's recommendation, since he's seen more of his work than I have, but based on Peter Jurasik's performance as Londo in Babylon 5, I do think he could make a good Penguin. My ideal Penguin would be the B:TAS version, specifically from season four, with a bit of Burgess Meredith mixed in: a sleazy, slimy, almost-legitimate businessman who retains the theatricality cultivated in his former criminal career. (Also, alliteration.) He's by turns pompous and cowardly, but also a bigger threat, both physically and mentally, than his outward appearance would lead you to believe. And while some women find him disgusting, he still manages to be a bit of a ladies' man, with a habit of making grand, romantic gestures that sweep them off their feet. I do wish that he were a bit younger, especially since I already cast thirty-eight-year-old Brooke Elliott as his OTP, Dovina. But I think it could work. And besides, look at that nose! I don't mean it as an insult, because I have a thing for long noses, but that thing is a beak.
(Age: 63, could play younger?)
Roy Harper/Arsenal
Casting Call: Roy Harper (Aaron Paul) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Obvious typecasting is obvious, but we already know Aaron Paul can play a recovering addict. And he's got real talent. With his eyes alone, he can deliver amazing degrees of pain or terror or post-adolescent belligerent swagger. If he had the same chemistry with Green Arrow that he does with Bryan Cranston and Jonathan Banks, and even with Giancarlo Esposito for the brief time they interacted, it would really be something to watch. For that matter, I'd like to see him try to impress Black Canary like in the Jesse/Skyler dinner scene.
(Age: 33, could play younger)
Scott Free/Mister Miracle
Casting Call: Scott Free (Arthur Darvill) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
He's lanky enough that I could buy him as an escape artist, he's comfortable playing second fiddle to an assertive female character, and he's just so darn cute. I agree with the TARDIS. Rory is the beautiful one.
(Age: 31)
Shotgun Smith
Casting Call: Shotgun Smith (Dean Norris) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
A lot of people want Dean Norris for Bullock, but he's so not a Bullock. Shotgun Smith, (allegedly) corrupt cop turned Gotham County sheriff, has a somewhat similar personality to Bullock, in his willingness to disregard the rules and his antagonism/grudging respect toward Robin. His relationship with his deputy, Cissy Chambers, also somewhat mirrors that of Bullock and Montoya. But ultimately, they are two different guys. If they were dogs, Shotgun Smith would be a bulldog, and Bullock would be a coonhound. I spent way too much time looking at dog breeds just now.
...ah, what the hell. I don't even know anything about Cissy, but:
Casting Call: Cissy Chambers (Freema Agyeman) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Freema Agyeman is awesome, and it's not her fault Martha was bland. (She got better.)
(Age: 34)
Tara Markov/Terra
Casting Call: Terra (Dreama Walker) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Okay, so I'm just casting Dreama Walker because we were best friends when we were nine. But the girl can act, and while she's a lovely person in real life, I know she could pull off Terra's brattiness.
(Age: 27, could play younger)
Ted Grant/Wildcat
Casting Call: Ted Grant (Jonathan Banks) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
Miiiiiiiiike.
(Age: 66)
Vicki Vale
Casting Call: Vicki Vale (Betsy Brandt) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
All the Girl Reporters start to run together after a while, but Vicki is a good one. Less brassy than Lois, she's a capable journalist with a nose for a good story and the investigative skills to deduce Batman's secret identity, at least in some continuities. I can see Betsy Brandt pulling that off, and I can also see her as Bruce Wayne's love interest, but I can't see her taking his crap for long.
(Age: 36)
Waylon Jones/Killer Croc
Casting Call: Killer Croc (Ron Perlman) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
So...Waylon Jones is black. But that never really comes up. And it's not like you're going to see anything but green. So I'm willing to knowingly racebend in this case, if only because I can't think of any huge black actors who can act well through heavy prosthetics and can do a Cajun accent. Because obviously this movie's Croc would be CATverse!Croc, the sexy Cajun foodie hot-stuff ladies' man strategist who really likes the ladies. Ron Perlman voiced Killer Croc on The Batman, the version that most influenced the CATverse interpretation, and he did a great job.
(Age: 63, like it really matters under all that latex)
Yolanda Montez/Wildcat
Casting Call: Yolanda Montez (Emily Rios) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
I haven't read anything featuring this character, but she intrigues me. Emily Rios is really pretty, and as Andrea, she gives a good mix of warmth, toughness, and vulnerability in a very nuanced performance for such a small role. I would like to see her in more things, and I would like to see her interact with Jonathan Banks as Yolanda's godfather.
(Age: 24)
Zinda Blake/Lady Blackhawk
Casting Call: Zinda Blake (Alex Kingston) by catsilvermoon on Polyvore
I'm pretty sure the character is intended to be younger than this, but I don't even care. With the right hair and makeup, Alex Kingston would look like a woman right out of 1945, in a way that few modern actresses could. I also think she could pull off the attitude of a fast-talking dame, and I could buy her as a soldier and an aviatrix. I think she's a great actress even though River Song is a shitty character, just as I love Lady Blackhawk even though I'm not a fan of Gail Simone's writing. So I feel like the two need to go together.
(Age: 50)