A Cast from the Past

[Erasmas]

Alright... we've all seen movies that are being dusted off and remade. But I had an idea that I think is far more entertaining to speculate on.

Imagine you are the most successful casting director working for the most prolific production studio in the world... now imagine that it is the 1980s. If a 'modern' movie was going to be made thirty years before its time, who would you have cast in the roles that we all now know and love?

I'll give two examples, both for discussion and for illustration purposes:

Pirates of the Caribbean:
Jack Sparrow - Chevy Chase
Will Turner - Emilio Estevez
Elizabeth Swan - Molly Ringwald
Capt. Barbosa - Christopher Lambert
Davy Jones - Rodney Dangerfield
Calypso - Whoopi Goldberg
“Puppet Duo” - Danny DeVito & Christopher Lloyd

Lord of the Rings:
Frodo Baggins - Michael J. Fox
Samwise Gamgee - Matthew Broderick
Gandalf - Paul Newman
Aragorn - Harrison Ford
Meriadoc Brandybuck - Martin Short
Peregrin Took - Rick Moranis
Gimli son of Gloin - John Goodman
Legolas of Mirkwood - Rob Lowe
Boromir of Gondor - David Hasslehoff
Arwen of Rivendell - Demi Moore
Lord Elrond of Rivendell - Max Von Sydow
Bilbo Baggins - Wilford Brimley
Galadriel of Lothlorean - Barbara Streisand
Saruman - Vincent Price
Gollum - Anthony Michael Hall
King Theoden - Rutger Hauer
Grima Wormtongue - James Spader
Cave Troll - Andre the Giant

[Dr.Epic]

Aragorn - Harrison Ford

This ring of power belongs in a museum.

You betrayed Eru Ilúvatar.

:smallbiggrin:

[Aedilred]

These "modern" movies are already ten years old! :smalltongue:

Hmm, well, part of the success of Lord of the Rings, of course, is that it cast relatively unknown actors in its major roles, with most of the established acting talent acting as a supporting cast. So I wonder whether, in casting LotR for, say, 1985, we should be looking at the stars of 1989. Not that all the major actors in LotR have gone on to anything special: only Orlando Bloom has really become a major star.

Similarly, with Pirates, part of the reason, I think, that the first film was such a success was Johnny Depp's bizarre performance as Jack Sparrow, which was completely different to that envisaged. I think the idea was to cast him as an Errol Flynn-type character, but Depp's unexpected interpretation of the character blew the casting director away... so I think any intended casting of that character is going to change the film tonally in such a way that it'd be completely different.

Not to mention, of course, that expensive, "epic" films beloved of modern audiences were widely considered box office poison for much of the 80s, after the Heaven's Gate fiasco.

Still, though, that's not really getting into the spirit of things. So if I were to cast, say, Inception in 1980, I guess:

Dom: Al Pacino
Arthur: Richard Gere
Mal: Meryl Streep
Ariadne: Jodie Foster
Mr Saito: Powers Boothe (I don't know enough Japanese actors of the period to cast one)
Fischer: Christopher Walken
Eames: Jeremy Irons
Stephen Miles: Cary Grant


Barbara Streisand as Galadriel? Seriously? :smalleek:

[Hopeless]

Well I'd certainly look forward to Boromir's end scenes!:smallwink:

I absolutely love your choice for Saruman though!!!:smallbiggrin:

Not so sure of Rob Lowe mind you how about the guy who played the machine gun bow wielding elf from Hawk the Slayer?:smallamused:

By the way who is Wilford Brimley?

Demi Moore as Arwen? with Harrison Ford as Aragorn?!:smallconfused:

God would I have loved seeing Andre the Giant as the Cave Troll?!!!:smallcool:

What do you have against James Spader mind you?:smalleek:

[polity4life]

Here's a blanket recast:

Saving Private Ryan

Every role: The entire cast from Stripes.

[DiscipleofBob]

I think I'd rather go back further.

Jimmy Stewart as Neo

Humphrey Bogart as the main guy in Inception

Errol Flynn as the entire cast of Pirates of the Carribean

Abbot and Costello go to White Castle

[thompur]

Well I'd certainly look forward to Boromir's end scenes!:smallwink:

I absolutely love your choice for Saruman though!!!:smallbiggrin:

Not so sure of Rob Lowe mind you how about the guy who played the machine gun bow wielding elf from Hawk the Slayer?:smallamused:

By the way who is Wilford Brimley? Character actor (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000979/), whose most well known genre credit is in the film Cocoon.
Demi Moore as Arwen? with Harrison Ford as Aragorn?!:smallconfused:

God would I have loved seeing Andre the Giant as the Cave Troll?!!!:smallcool:

What do you have against James Spader mind you?:smalleek:

And Andre was awesome as Bigfoot on the Six Million Dollar Man!:smallbiggrin:

[Karoht]

Mark Hammil as Peter Parker?

Super 8-Every Roll-The entire cast of the Goonies


Quick, someone suggest a cast for Pulp Fiction and Fight Club.
*grabs popcorn*

[Dr.Epic]

Mark Hammil as Peter Parker?

I don't know. Peter Parker's uncle is tragically killed. When in fiction has Mark Hammil played a character who is partially shaped due to a complex relationship with a parental figure?


Super 8-Every Roll-The entire cast of the Goonies

I thought Super 8 was a remake of the Goonies.

[Karoht]

I thought Super 8 was a remake of the Goonies.Yaay, we both got the joke!

[Dr.Epic]

Yaay, we both got the joke!

What joke?:smallconfused:

[Erasmas]

Aedilred: Yes, I know... that is why I put quotations around the word modern! But they are still part of this 'era' of films. And I put Babs in there because the thought made my giggle uncontrollably.

Hopeless: I have never seen/heard of Hawk the Slayer. Wilford Brimley is the Quaker Oats guys who then started doing commercials for "diabeetis". Big walrus moustache. He was in Cocoon. And I have nothing against James Spader, nor do I against Brad Dourif... I just think he would've been a good Grima - he was skinny, vultur-like, sneaky-looking, and snide.

I could see Mark Hamill as Peter Parker, that could work.

Alright... here's
Fight Club:
Main Character - Tom Hanks
Tyler Durden - Kurt Russell
"Pretty Boy" - Johnny Depp
Robert Paulson - John Candy
Marla Singer - Winona Rider

[TheThan]

I loved the cast of the expendables, but I can think of a cast that would kick just as much a$$.

(I’m just going to do the actual team, not the other big names).

Barney Ross- Humphry Bogart
Lee Christmas- Sean Connery
Yin Yang- Bruce Lee
Gunnar Jensen- Charles Bronson
Hale Caesar- Charlton Heston
Toll road-Lee Marvin
Tool- Jonathan Goldsmith

Really these character names sound like GI JOE names (not that that’s a bad thing).

[blackspeeker]

Gimli son of Gloin - John Goodman

If this scenario is in the 80's like you say there really is no reason John Rhys Davies couldn't do it, he was active at the time. Pretty sure he was in Indiana Jones

Also I'd make Alec Guiness Gandalf.

[Karoht]

I loved the cast of the expendables, but I can think of a cast that would kick just as much a$$.

(I’m just going to do the actual team, not the other big names).

Barney Ross- Humphry Bogart
Lee Christmas- Sean Connery
Yin Yang- Bruce Lee
Gunnar Jensen- Charles Bronson
Hale Caesar- Charlton Heston
Toll road-Lee Marvin
Tool- Jonathan Goldsmith

Really these character names sound like GI JOE names (not that that’s a bad thing).Nice cast. I would watch that film. No question.

Now do Oceans 11/12/13 :smallwink: