Watchmen: How would YOU cast it?

[PhallicWarrior]

I've been thinking about Watchmen a lot lately, and among other things I got to thinking about the movie since that's going to be huge. One of the main things in the movie that bothers me is the casting of Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach. He sounds too cheesy and adds a little too much emotion to what is supposed to be a creepy monotone voice. Honestly, I'd prefer Damian Lewis from NBC's Life. He's a little too happy-go-lucky and smiles too much, but he sounds right, looks right, and is a good enough actor to act right.

I didn't really know who to replace anyone else in the cast with, since I'm not an encyclopedic roster of current actors like some people here seem to be. (And beyond that, I'm not such a good judge of acting skill that I can really point out who else really needs replacement.)

I ask you, the Playground, who would you choose for the iconic characters of Watchmen?

[Berserk Monk]

Yeah, I'm disappointed about how Rorscach sounded too. I also don't like how Dr. Manhattan sounded too. I imagined his voice to be kind of like the voice of god, if god was a jerk (kind of deep and full of power). In the second trailer, when he's talking to Laurie, his voice is too calm and mellow. I imagined his voice to sound more like when he shouted "Leave me alone!" in the trailer. I'm also not too happy about Nite Owl. He seems too much of a geek (granted I kind of imagined like that when I read the comic) but in terms of voice and appearance, something like Clark Kent.

[Samurai Jill]

Actually, I was pretty happy with Manhattan's voice. I think it helps give him the proper air of detachment. But Rorschach... yeah, not so great.

[Green Bean]

If I was in charge of casting? Well, I'd probably make the best choices I could, quickly realize that there is no way to keep the fans happy, and then use a dartboard to pick the rest. Patrick Swayze as the toe-tapping Ozymandias? Samuel Jackson as Nite-Owl? Jamie-Lynn Spears as Rorschach? It'll be magical.

[Tirian]

Proper Watchmen fans are ticked that there is a movie at all, so you might as well discount them entirely.

I would have every role played by Keanu Reeves. That boy's got range.

[Samurai Jill]

Proper Watchmen fans are ticked that there is a movie at all, so you might as well discount them entirely.
I suppose that's true.

I would have every role played by Keanu Reeves. That boy's got range.
...you're kidding me. ...right?

[Ascension]

Patrick Swayze as the toe-tapping Ozymandias? Samuel Jackson as Nite-Owl? Jamie-Lynn Spears as Rorschach? It'll be magical.

I would totally watch this movie.

[charl]

Johnny Depp as everyone.

Think about it.

[Samurai Jill]

Johnny Depp as everyone.

Think about it.
That, I could definitely get in-to...

[Finn Solomon]

Johnny Depp as everyone.

Think about it.

Damnit, that was my idea! :smallbiggrin:

[Lord of Rapture]

Johnny Depp as everyone.

Think about it.

....no. Just no.

Ozymandias would be ruined.

[Finn Solomon]

Robert Downey Jr. as Ozymandias. Already did the super rich super genius thing in Iron Man. Just tell him to up the arrogance and reduce the likeability.

[Ravens_cry]

Heehee, I have to say it.

The Watchmen,
I haz it.

Finally.

[kpenguin]

Robert Downey Jr. as Ozymandias. Already did the super rich super genius thing in Iron Man. Just tell him to up the arrogance and reduce the likeability.

Ozy is supposed to a personable guy. He's pretty likeable in the interview with Nova Express. Tell him to up the likeability and play down the arrogance until the end.

[BRC]

Morgan Freeman as the voice of Dr Manhattan :smalltongue:

[kpenguin]

Morgan Freeman as the voice of Dr Manhattan :smalltongue:

Aw hell yeah. Imagine reading Watchmen with a freemanic parcusia (http://xkcd.com/462/) on Jon's lines.

Bad-ass.

[Hectonkhyres]

Johnny Depp as everyone.

Think about it.
Regardless of how good the man looks in a dress... FAIL.

Proper Watchmen fans are ticked that there is a movie at all, so you might as well discount them entirely.

I would have every role played by Keanu Reeves. That boy's got range.
*~headkersplodes~*
...
There is no god.

[Ravens_cry]

I think it should be animated.
Seriously. I know their is this whole animation ghetto going still, but I think since super hero movies are CGI movies with some people added, why not go all the way? In 2D animation. The beauty being since everything is fake, everything can be more real, that is, more consistent with itself. No need for ultra mega awesome CGI that will look cheesy in a few years, just good, fluid, well crafted animation. And non of this cel-shaded stuff, it may save money, but golly it looks bad. And try to limit the 3d animation injected in, it's just not consistent, and looks bad after a while. I have seen well crafted animation tell a good story. You don\t have to pull away or change for a stunt or CGI double, you can do anything, and have it be consistent. That's the beauty to me of good animation in a serious subject. No need to pull the punches or the limits of what make up can do, you can be as brutal as you can animate. You can make it true, because none of it is real.
Just me and my 10/125 of two bits.

[Samurai Jill]

Robert Downey Jr. as Ozymandias. Already did the super rich super genius thing in Iron Man. Just tell him to up the arrogance and reduce the likeability.
I'd see him more as the comedian, to be honest.

[Belphegor]

Brad Pit as Ozymandias.

Also am I the only one not irked by Rorsasch's voice? He was supposed to be a sort of real-life Batman which he does sound like (remember Dark Knight?) at least.

Dr. Manhattan on the other side doesn't sound as I imagined.

@Ravens_cry: Animation costs a lot. And cell shaded graphic while looking cool, looks a bit too 3d (which all things considered isn't necessarily a bad thing).

[Ravens_cry]

Brad Pit as Ozymandias.

Also am I the only one not irked by Rorsasch's voice? He was supposed to be a sort of real-life Batman which he does sound like (remember Dark Knight?) at least.

Dr. Manhattan on the other side doesn't sound as I imagined.

@Ravens_cry: Animation costs a lot. And cell shaded graphic while looking cool. Looks a bit too 3d (which all things considered isn't such a bad thing).
Sure, it costs a lot, but look at Snow White, or The Valley of the Winds. Both are still beautiful works of the animation art.
Then look at the Special effects spectaculars that came out at the same time.
To quote some cheetah, 'so cheesy.'
Good animation is expensive, but it has a much longer lasting appeal. Which means a longer lasting return.

I imagine Dr. Manhattan sounding something like the Martian Manhunter in Justice League Unlimited.

[Samurai Jill]

I was thinking Pitt for Ozymandias for a minute, but I'm not sure he could pull off the air of semi-aristocratic entitlement...

The thing you have to realise about Manhattan is that a deep, commanding voice wouldn't actually suit him at all. By his own admission, the Doc is, for all his earth-shattering cosmic power, an impotent puppet with no say over his own destiny. I think they got that much perfect.

Rorschach is supposed to be a Batman character in the sense of unbreakable resolve, no compromise, a stew of neuroses related to his parents and quick-thinking resourcefulness, but even Bale's voice was less annoying than this. It also doesn't really match the book's description.

[Jack_Banzai]

http://www.caricatures-ireland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/watchpeanuts.jpg

[Samurai Jill]

That's pretty good!

[Ravens_cry]

Actually, I think Batman has become Rorschach, then Rorschach is Batman.
Niteowl is more Batman, in how he was perceived at the time, from the infinite gadgets to the Adam West gut.

[Samurai Jill]

Yeah, I was gonna say that Nite Owl = Batman \ Rorschach.

[Tirian]

To be serious, Rorschach is The Question and Nite Owl is the (Ted Kord-era) Blue Beetle. Batman drifts between the extremes depending on the artist. I don't know what to make of the movie yet, but based on the costumes and trailers it looks like they've decided to make Nite Owl far kewler than he was in the graphic novel, seemingly oblivious to the point that Alan Moore was trying to make.

And I lol'ed at Schroeder/Ozymandius.

[kpenguin]

I always imagined Rorschach sounding like a slightly gruffer version of the DCAU Question.

[Samurai Jill]

I liked Nite owl's costume.

[kpenguin]

Well, as far as costumes go:

Nite Owl: Okay
Rorschach: Good
Comedian: Good
Doctor Manhattan: Very Good
Silk Spectre: Okay
Ozymandias: Baaad.

[Tirian]

I liked Nite owl's costume.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't. It's a swell costume, and the actor looks noble and majestic in it. I'm sure it will sell many toys and video games.

But is it the kind of costume that would have been designed and created by Dan Dreiberg, a geeky technophile who doesn't have an Edna Mode (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYkMUD_JOE) in his universe to handle his fashion needs? For me, not so much. I'm more familiar with Nite Owl costumes that are functional and understated, appropriate for a guy who built a prototype exoskeleton but never wears it because it broke his arm the first time he tried it.

[Samurai Jill]

I liked Ozymandias' costume.

[Samurai Jill]

I'm not saying that you shouldn't. It's a swell costume, and the actor looks noble and majestic in it. I'm sure it will sell many toys and video games.
No, I meant the comic version. For Ozymandias too. Are we talking about the same thing?
I'm confuuuused!

EDIT: Also, Edna Mode is a Goddess.

[kpenguin]

Oh? You meant comic version? In that case, I think all of the costumes looked pretty good, especially Comedian and Ozymandias.

Well, the first Nite Owl's costume looks pretty lame, but given the era I can't really hold a grudge against it.

[Samurai Jill]

Yeah, the Ozymandias-Nipples are not encouraging.

[Tirian]

No, I meant the comic version. For Ozymandias too. Are we talking about the same thing?
I'm confuuuused!

EDIT: Also, Edna Mode is a Goddess.

Ah, I thought you were talking about movie Nite-Owl, and specifically responding to my point that it was too kewl. If we all agree, then yay. Cookies for everyone!

And, yes, E is amazing. That whole movie is flat-out perfect. Frankly, no matter how well this upcoming movie does with critics and audiences, I think will always look at The Incredibles as "the Watchmen movie".

[Samurai Jill]

I like cookies.

I have considerable fondness for The Incredibles (I can't believe they're making Cars 2,) but I'm not sure I see the resemblance..?

Yeah, the Ozymandias-Nipples are not encouraging.
...Maybe it's sophisticated irony?!?

[Tirian]

I like cookies.

I have considerable fondness for The Incredibles (I can't believe they're making Cars 2,) but I'm not sure I see the resemblance..?

Really? Superheroes were outlawed by the government fifteen years ago, but one ex-hero could never be totally comfortable with his retirement gets pulled back into the game over a plot that involves a rogue hero killing other supers and pulling off a master plan that involves a fake attack on a major city in order to direct the population in a direction that he likes. Even the "no capes!" scene was a direct lift of the death of Dollar Bill.

[Samurai Jill]

Hmm. There are some points of resemblance, now that you mention it. But the emotional core is so different- The Incredibles is a form of homage, whereas Watchmen utterly demolishes the genre and leaves nothing but rubble behind.
The bad guy wins, for frackssake, not just in he sense of technical victory, but that he turns out to be right.

[Ravens_cry]

Hmm. There are some points of resemblance, now that you mention it. But the emotional core is so different- The Incredibles is a form of homage, whereas Watchmen utterly demolishes the genre and leaves nothing but rubble behind.
The bad guy wins, for frackssake, not just in he sense of technical victory, but that he turns out to be right.
Depends on your definition of a villain. Yes, he killed people, but then so had everyones favorite joker, the Comedian.He killed millions in fact, but to save billions. What Ozymandias is, is a Leader. Like Napoleon, Julia Caesar, or yes, Alexander the Great, he is a fulcrum around who the world pivots. Though the end doesn't justify the means, which is the lesser of two evils? A few million dead, or humanities extinction?

[Samurai Jill]

That's what I mean- the book comes down in favour of the idea that sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices- serious, major, bigtime sacrifices- must be made, in contrast to the old "There must be another way!" never-kill-anyone-ever mantra favoured by about 90% of superheroes.
Ozymandias is a bad guy who isn't a bad guy. He's just very, very logical in the most heartless way possible. Anyway, the point is, this doesn't really resemble the Incredibles from a thematic standpoint.

[Ridureyu]

Ozymandias = Arnold Schwarzenegger

Just for the sake of the enraged reactions.

[Ravens_cry]

Ozymandias = Arnold Schwarzenegger

Just for the sake of the enraged reactions.
The response from the fanboys:
Ridureyu = R.I.P
Seriously though, bad choice all around on Ozymandias from the makers. All this evil cold super blue colouring, yeah, let's pump up the villain, why not. Strip away any of the ethical and moral struggle over whether Ozymandias is right or not, let's just make him well. . .a comic book villain. And the choice of actor? dead wrong. This man is supposed to feel like a nobleman. He feels instead like a kid in Halloween costume. An elaborate, ornate expensive costume, but just a costume.
Sad, just sad.
It may turn out better in the actual movie, but I am getting a bad vibe here.

[Finn Solomon]

The Comedian's look in the movie isn't just good, it's fantastic. I'm really looking forward to watching him in action.

[Samurai Jill]

Yeah, the comedian looks good.

[Ridureyu]

The response from the fanboys:
Ridureyu = R.I.P
Seriously though, bad choice all around on Ozymandias from the makers. All this evil cold super blue colouring, yeah, let's pump up the villain, why not. Strip away any of the ethical and moral struggle over whether Ozymandias is right or not, let's just make him well. . .a comic book villain. And the choice of actor? dead wrong. This man is supposed to feel like a nobleman. He feels instead like a kid in Halloween costume. An elaborate, ornate expensive costume, but just a costume.
Sad, just sad.
It may turn out better in the actual movie, but I am getting a bad vibe here.



I know. I just feel like picking the worst casting decisions possible.

Doctor Manhattan = Adam Sandler



I will say this, though. Ozymandias in the movie will depend on the actor. if he does a good job, then there won't be a reason to cokplain about the costume (unless the movie is TOO good, because there needs to be something to complain about). If he sucks, then it's easier to rip away.

[Ravens_cry]

I agree, the costume isn't the issue (though the oppressive, and rather overdone, blue filter flung over every scene we see him in in the trailer, is rather headeskian)
And the actor, looks, at least from the front, like some young man who goes to a con in an well done costume, yet can't pull off the feeling of self assured grandeur.

[small pumpkin m]

Brad Pit as Ozymandias.

Also am I the only one not irked by Rorsasch's voice? He was supposed to be a sort of real-life Batman which he does sound like (remember Dark Knight?) at least.
Lots of people were annoyed by Christian Bale's batman voice, but at least it makes sense from the point of view that it's just Bruce getting angry while intentionally trying to be over the top, trying to sound insane and trying to disguise his voice. The problem is this makes no sense for Rorschach, Rorschach isn't trying to sound insane, he is insane, in a dispassionate and very, VERY repressed kind of way. Think about the scene where he's "rescued" from prison after killing several fellow prisoners, he walks out as if nothing important has happened, completely unemotional. Someone like that putting on a voice to frighten people seems inappropriate.

Bale's Batman is intentionally trying to create an image, he's steeped in Melodrama and is very angry, copying his voice (which is what they're doing) for Rorschach, a character who cares nothing for appearances, and rarely shows emotion, was probably a bad idea.

[Ravens_cry]

I believe the book has characters describes Rorschach voice as generally unemotional.

Which makes when he does get emotional sounding, like when he us taken down by the cops or in his final scene all the more startling.
I agree, Batman is abut effect, trying to fill mens hearts with fear. It's no wonder he was in the early years an Expy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Expy) for the Shadow.

[Sholos]

I agree, the costume isn't the issue (though the oppressive, and rather overdone, blue filter flung over every scene we see him in in the trailer, is rather headeskian)
And the actor, looks, at least from the front, like some young man who goes to a con in an well done costume, yet can't pull off the feeling of self assured grandeur.

My problem with the costume is that is just screams bad-guy and might very well give away the whole twist.


That's what I mean- the book comes down in favour of the idea that sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices- serious, major, bigtime sacrifices- must be made, in contrast to the old "There must be another way!" never-kill-anyone-ever mantra favoured by about 90% of superheroes.
Ozymandias is a bad guy who isn't a bad guy. He's just very, very logical in the most heartless way possible. Anyway, the point is, this doesn't really resemble the Incredibles from a thematic standpoint.

It's not even heartless. You'll remember that he tells Dr. Manhattan that he's forced himself to consider the fact that he is killing many, many people (as in fellow human beings) with his plan.

[pnewman]

Rorschach = David Carusso -Physically he's perfect for the part, an unattractive redhead in his 40's, who is not too tall or physically imposing, and is creepy and sort of a jerk. Further Carusso isn't a very good actor, so Rorschach will seem a bit _off_, just as he should.

Comedian = Dennis Farina. The guy they've got in the part is too young and too steroidy. The Comedian is a big tough guy, but more of a John Wayne big and tough than an Schwartzeneger big and tough.