Dresden Files fantasy casting

[thorgrim29]

I haven't heard anything about a new series, and in any case I feel like the story would be better suited for a cartoon in the animation style of Legend of Korra or Black Lagoon, but just for fun let's say somebody buys the rights to adapt the Dresden Files for tv, ideally a streaming service that can do miniseries based on each book (I think most books could be covered in 6 or so 45 minutes episodes, though you could pad it out by adapting some of the short stories into single episodes). Who would they cast? Let's try to stick with actors that aren't outrageously popular because they'll need money for special effects. I'll start with the main characters from the first 3 or 4 books.

Harry Dresden Now Jim's dream casting of Will Smith is pretty much impossible, but when I think tall funny guy who can't shut up to save his life I think Keegan Michael Key. I'm not sure he has the drama and action chops but he's popular enough to be a draw for the show. He's also about 10 years too old to play Harry circa Storm Front but I'm not sure how big a deal that is. I'm sure Nathan Fillion could also do a good job with the role but he might be too charming. Jared Padalecki could be a good choice if they ever put Supernatural out of it's misery. And if we're willing to ignore height and he can do another american accent than west texas so would Dominic Cooper.

Karin Murphy I think Sarah Michelle Gellar is the clear choice for Murphy. She's who most people over 25 think about when they imagine a short blond woman who kicks ass after all. And she's about the right age.

Thomas Raith I'm gonna say Matt Bomer. He's a good actor and I'm pretty sure he's a sex symbol already.

Justine She's too big for that small a part but Emmy Rossum would crush it. I could also see her as Luccio 2.0

Susan Rodriguez Stephanie Beatriz maybe? You need an actress who can trade words with whoever ends up being Harry, she could do the job, but she'd need to find a middle point between her Rosa voice and her real voice (she's way too bubbly for Susan)

Carmichael No clue

Morgan I'm not sure about this one either... I recall the guy who did in in the previous show doing a good enough job I guess. Maybe Andrew Lincoln?

John Marcone A hard casting, This is a bit out of left field but John Hamm could probably pull it off.

Michael Carpenter Is Tom Welling too young for the role? Because I could see him as the Fist of God.

Lara Raith This is going a bit more ahead than I wanted but I just had a brain flash and Eiza Gonzalez can pull off menacingly sexy like nobody's business.

[Prime32]

I feel like the story would be better suited for a cartoon in the animation style of Legend of Korra or Black LagoonI just know that if Japan gets hold of it, Harry needs to be voiced by Tomokazu Sugita (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/TomokazuSugita). This is non-negotiable. :smalltongue:

(and if budget isn't a concern - Hikaru Midorikawa (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/HIkaruMidorikawa) as Thomas, Takehito Koyasu (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/TakehitoKoyasu) as the White King, and Norio Wakamoto (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/NorioWakamoto) as Morgan)

[Serenity]

There's a very clear choice for Gentleman John Marcone, so far as I'm concerned: Charles Dance. The man's played Tywin Lannister and Vetinari. Magnificent Bastardy comes naturally to him.

Nathan Fillion's getting a bit old these days for Harry, I think. Would have been perfect in his Firefly days. These days, I'm leaning Jared Padalecki as you mentioned--and then we can have Jensen Ackles as the voice of Bob and Jeffery Dean Morgan as Michael.

How about Tom Hiddleston for Thomas? Would that he were still among us, I'd have wanted David Bowie for Lord Raith. In his absence, perhaps Benedict Cumberbatch? (Though I've also considered him for Nicodemus.)

Katee Sackhoff for Murphy, perhaps. Starbuck establishes some pretty serious bona fides as 'small but fierce'.

If Mike Colter can pull off a good Russian accent, he's definitely got the physcal presence to play Sanya.

Tilda Swinton is Mab.

Mark A. Sheppard definitely belongs here, probably as either Binder or Morty Linquist.

No, this isn't something I think about a lot, why do you ask? ;)

[Tyndmyr]

Harry Dresden: Benedict Cumberbatch.
Lara Raith: Emily Blunt.

Tom Hiddleston for Thomas would indeed be glorious.

[The Glyphstone]

Nicholas Cage as Harry. Nicholas Cage as Marcone. Nicholas Cage as Thomas. Nicholas Cage as the voice of Bob. Nicholas Cage as Murphy.

If nothing else, it'll save lots of money for CGI. 😁

[Tyndmyr]

Morgan Freeman for voice of Bob. Much as like the idea of turning the whole thing into a Cage fight, I think it'd be tough to top Freeman for a disembodied voice.

[thorgrim29]

Oh yeah I forgot about Bob... Sam Riegel. Dance is too old to be Marcone by about 20 years IMO. I could see him as The Merlin though.

[Serenity]

Oh yeah I forgot about Bob... Sam Riegel. Dance is too old to be Marcone by about 20 years IMO. I could see him as The Merlin though.

I have no idea how old Marcone's supposed to be, but I've always pictured something in the 'silver fox' vein. I feel like his role and persona allows a lot more freedom to go older with the casting than for the central heroes. I was kinda thinking Anthony Hopkins for the Merlin.

[thorgrim29]

He's roughly 50 at the beginning of the series I think, he's described as middle aged and very physically fit, and as clawing himself to the top fairly recently. I can't see Dance pulling off the knife throwing from Fool Moon or the wading into combat from White Night (especially in 10 years or so).

[Dr.Samurai]

Harry - I'd say someone like Alexander Skarsgård or Armie Hammer (though I don't know if they can pull off the attitude, as I haven't seen most of their movies).

Marcone - Jim Caviezel I think would be perfect.

Murphy - Sarah Jones, though she's a little "tall" at 5'8.

Morgan - Ciaran Hinds

Thomas - I think Matt Bomer is a good choice.

Crap... work calls.

[Traab]

I haven't heard anything about a new series, and in any case I feel like the story would be better suited for a cartoon in the animation style of Legend of Korra or Black Lagoon, but just for fun let's say somebody buys the rights to adapt the Dresden Files for tv, ideally a streaming service that can do miniseries based on each book (I think most books could be covered in 6 or so 45 minutes episodes, though you could pad it out by adapting some of the short stories into single episodes). Who would they cast? Let's try to stick with actors that aren't outrageously popular because they'll need money for special effects. I'll start with the main characters from the first 3 or 4 books.

Harry Dresden Now Jim's dream casting of Will Smith is pretty much impossible, but when I think tall funny guy who can't shut up to save his life I think Keegan Michael Key. I'm not sure he has the drama and action chops but he's popular enough to be a draw for the show. He's also about 10 years too old to play Harry circa Storm Front but I'm not sure how big a deal that is. I'm sure Nathan Fillion could also do a good job with the role but he might be too charming. Jared Padalecki could be a good choice if they ever put Supernatural out of it's misery. And if we're willing to ignore height and he can do another american accent than west texas so would Dominic Cooper.

Karin Murphy I think Sarah Michelle Gellar is the clear choice for Murphy. She's who most people over 25 think about when they imagine a short blond woman who kicks ass after all. And she's about the right age.

Thomas Raith I'm gonna say Matt Bomer. He's a good actor and I'm pretty sure he's a sex symbol already.

Justine She's too big for that small a part but Emmy Rossum would crush it. I could also see her as Luccio 2.0

Susan Rodriguez Stephanie Beatriz maybe? You need an actress who can trade words with whoever ends up being Harry, she could do the job, but she'd need to find a middle point between her Rosa voice and her real voice (she's way too bubbly for Susan)

Carmichael No clue

Morgan I'm not sure about this one either... I recall the guy who did in in the previous show doing a good enough job I guess. Maybe Andrew Lincoln?

John Marcone A hard casting, This is a bit out of left field but John Hamm could probably pull it off.

Michael Carpenter Is Tom Welling too young for the role? Because I could see him as the Fist of God.

Lara Raith This is going a bit more ahead than I wanted but I just had a brain flash and Eiza Gonzalez can pull off menacingly sexy like nobody's business.

Doesnt harry make the buffy comparison in regards to murphy more than once? I think that would actually be freaking hilarious. An adult, mature sarah geller being compared to buffy? If nothing else she could probably pull off the annoyed exasperation without having to act. :smallbiggrin:

As far as harry, remember they made a 5'11" ian mckellan tower over the 5'6" elijah, so height isnt a make or break issue really. So we need someone who can pull off the fit but lanky look and is good with a wisecrack. How about ryan reynolds? He is rather good at playing the hero with a good heart who cant stfu even when he really should. I bet he could get gritty and serious for the part easily enough.

[random11]

Don't know about the rest, but Michael Chiklis as Marcone

[oudeis]

I'm an unapologetic purist when it comes to casting actors to match established character descriptions, but I think many of the suggestions here are focusing too much on physical characteristics. Alexander Skarsgard and Padalecki have the height- and Padalecki has shown some good comic chops in Supernatural- but I don't see Harry in either of them. Harry's reflexive smartass patter is driven by deep feelings of betrayal and anger at his treatment by virtually every authority figure or male parental figure he's known, so he can't just be played like some glib Joss Whedon character. He has old fashioned, even outdated beliefs on male protectiveness, but this is rooted in the terrible belief that he inadvertently burned his first love alive when he battled Justin DuMorne. I don't think Butcher writes characters very well, but Harry would need to be played by someone with with a subtle touch.


Merlin: Terrence Stamp would be my first choice, simply because of the power of his voice. Donald Sutherland would be superb at depicting his ruthless calculation. I can't see Ciaran Hinds as Morgan but I can definitely see him in this role from his portrayal of Caesar in HBO's 'Rome'.
Marcone: I can't be the only one who saw Ray Wise as The Devil in 'Reaper' and immediately imagined him in the part. What about Toby Moore, Wesley from 'Daredevil'? He's got the coldness down pat, and I think he's a good enough actor that Marcone's rare flashes of humanity would be all the more poignant. Sebastian Stan (Bucky) would also be good.
Morgan: Brendan Gleeson? He's got Irish Cop Face, so this one is kind of cheap, but I think he could carry off Morgan's obsessed bitterness pretty well.
Bob: NOT Morgan Freeman. NEVER Morgan Freeman. Anybody BUT Morgan Freeman. Why? Because Bob is the anti-Morgan Freeman. Not a scrap of dignity or gravitas to him at all. When Bob 'speaks', he should be voiced by whomever he is speaking with, with just enough audio processing so that it's not immediately apparent. Mess with the viewers' minds just for the hell of it. Otherwise, Matthew Mercer. Actually, just Matthew Mercer. Forget my first suggestion.
Murphy: Jessica Chastain, just because of this (https://youtu.be/lZMzf-SDWP8?t=56) :smallbiggrin:.
Michael Carpenter: Jim Caviezel. Michael is a man of both faith and fatalism- he knows Knights rarely live long enough to retire- and Caviezel has the depth to bring both of these out.
Nicodemus: Faran Tahir (Captain Robau from NuTrek).

[Velaryon]

I cannot imagine anyone other than James Marsters as a satisfactory Harry Dresden. Yes, he's 56 years old, but have you seen what they've done with Samuel L. Jackson in the Captain Marvel trailer? Age is not the barrier it once was here. Anyway, if need be I would rather have an animated film or series with Dresden voiced by Marsters than a live action with anyone else.



Nicholas Cage as Harry. Nicholas Cage as Marcone. Nicholas Cage as Thomas. Nicholas Cage as the voice of Bob. Nicholas Cage as Murphy.

If nothing else, it'll save lots of money for CGI. 😁

...okay, I will make an exception for this. But only if they can also get Nicolas Cage for Susan and Nicolas Cage for Ebenezar.

[tomandtish]

I'll have to open with a disclaimer: I actually enjoyed the original series.... but I watched it before I started with the books. So it is gonna be hard for me to break Paul Blackthorne,=. He's still who I visualize when i read them...

Also, how much are we staying with the book descriptions? Remember, part of the universal description of Harry is how tall he is (6'9"). While we may not cast quite that tall, are we still going to have him obviously taller than most people?


Marcone: I can't be the only one who saw Ray Wise as The Devil in 'Reaper' and immediately imagined him in the part. What about Toby Moore, Wesley from 'Daredevil'? He's got the coldness down pat, and I think he's a good enough actor that Marcone's rare flashes of humanity would be all the more poignant. Sebastian Stan (Bucky) would also be good.
[/LIST]

Don't get me wrong, I love Ray Wise (and loved Reaper). But he doesn't strike me as serious enough for Marcone. Ray always comes across a bit as the sleazy lawyer type (which worked great for Reaper). For Marcone I'd suggest Richard Burgi (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0121404/?ref_=nmls_hd). He has the dry wit and appearance necessary to suggest a serious criminal boss with principals.

Sanya: Isaiah Amir Mustafa (the Old Spice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE) guy). Seems to have the right combination of smugness and irreverence.

Harry: I'm sticking with Paul Blackthorne.

Bob: You need a Cartman personality with an undead voice... Let's go Seth Green.

Murphy: I'll agree with Katee Sackoff. "Tiny, but fierce".

[Legato Endless]

If height is a determinative factor I feel a slightly more grizzled Lee Pace would be great for Harry. 6 foot five inches clearly evokes tall and won't require a ton of perspective tricks to emphasize further if you're so inclined.

He's perfectly capable of pulling off the tortured pathos that's supposed to undergird the guy. Pace can also ham it up very well for scenes where Harry is getting his wizardry facade on and restrain himself for subtler quieter moments. He casts well for an ensemble, being an excellent straightman for when Harry is reacting to this or that oddity but also easily embody the weird vibe Dresden gives off to mundanes due to all his quirks (Never looks people in the eye due to Soul gaze, etc.)

[oudeis]

That is an inspired choice, though I would argue Pace has, if anything, too much presence for Harry. Perhaps Morgan or even Kincaid would be a better fit for his talent.

EDIT: Nope. He's Michael Carpenter.

[Lvl45DM!]

That is an inspired choice, though I would argue Pace has, if anything, too much presence for Harry. Perhaps Morgan or even Kincaid would be a better fit for his talent.

EDIT: Nope. He's Michael Carpenter.

No. Hugh Jackman is Carpenter.

[thorgrim29]

No, Joe Manganiello is Michael.

[Lvl45DM!]

No, Joe Manganiello is Michael.

I think he'd make an interesting Morgan?

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Bob? Gotta be Billy Crystal if you can afford the star power. Part Mike Wazowski, part Calcifer, part Miracle Max, he's perfect.

He may be the generic fancast du jour, but Idris Elba would totally have the gravitas to play Michael. And the disappointed face.

[Lemmy]

We need Cary Tagawa as Shiro.

Because everything is better with Cary Tagawa!

[Cheesegear]

The whole time, Marcone in my head looks like Ray Liotta, and Michael looks like Ewan McGreggor.
The Voice of Bob, is Henry Rollins.