Dreamcasting Five

I think we're living in a golden age of comic book movies, and I hope it's not winding down any time soon. The Golden Age of comics in the ‘30s and ‘40s spawned the popularity of superheroes, who thrived in the Silver Age with both brand new characters and new takes on legacy characters. By the time I was born, comics shifted into the Bronze Age and things got a little more “real”, with colorful characters facing death, drugs, crime, and other issues reflecting society at the time. In the Modern Age, things got even darker, and anti-heroes became incredibly popular. Lasting new creations from that period include Cable, Venom, Deadpool, Apocalypse, Gambit and Spawn, to name a few. But, for the most part, the iconic pantheon of heroes spanning multiple mediums and resonating in the pop culture consciousness can be traced back to the Golden and Silver ages. A recent Geek Friends™ Discussion tackled the subject of very few strong new characters who weren't successors carrying on a legacy being created in the last 25 years. I think the success of a character extends beyond comics. As a child, I only knew who Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man were because of various movies or television shows. Maybe the spandex-clad adventurers are on the verge of being replaced, just as they once replaced Western heroes. I don't know what might be next; I just hope it's not emo vampires. But with all the great movies coming out, especially all the solo hero movies setting the stage for The Avengers, I have hope that the comic books I loved in my high school and college years aren't quite done yet. A new Heroic Age may be just around the corner. So what better time for me to do a little Dreamcasting, and jump well ahead of the studios to the inevitable team spin-off:

The West Coast Avengers

The Avengers' roster had grown large over the years, and reached a point where they had enough heroes to support two active teams. With the main team located on the East coast in Manhattan, a new team was based on the West coast, and the “Whackos” were born. They had a good run before the series folded and the characters were either folded into new teams or the original Avengers, but if a film about the Avengers proves successful, why not try the same concept with a different cast of characters and actors?

Hawkeye: Josh Holloway.
Hawkeye was always the cocksure wiseguy of the group, but the archer proved he had what it took to lead his own team when the West coast branch was established. Holloway is physically fit and has the right swagger and charm to play someone smarmy and confident who's heroic at the core. More importantly, the dude is going to have a lot of free time once LOST ends, and his involvement might make it easier for comic geeks with wives or girlfriends to have their significant other in the seat next to them.

Mockingbird: Yvonne Strahovsky.
Hawkeye's wife was a beautiful acrobatic blonde and former secret agent. On Chuck, Strahovsky portrays sexy CIA agent Sarah Walker. She's lithe, beautiful, and does well with fight choreography. She routinely beats up bad guys every week, so why not alongside costumed heroes?

War Machine: Terrance Howard.
Howard was the original James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the first Iron Man. When the West Coast Avengers began, it was Rhodes, not Tony Stark who wore the Iron Man armor while Stark battled alcoholism. Stark become Iron Man again shortly thereafter, while Rhodes would rejoin the team some 80 or 90 issues later in his new armored guise as War Machine. Howard never got the chance to portray War Machine, as he was replaced by Don Cheadle in the Iron Man sequel, but by the time they get around to making a WCA movie I'm sure Howard will be more affordable than Cheadle. I'd love to see him get a second chance to don the armor. If nothing else, besides paralleling the switch in Iron Men in the original comics, they could make a bunch of ”Becky Conner jokes....

Tigra: Nia Long.
After her turn as a blue-skinned cat-like alien in Avatar, I could totally see Ms. Long as the furry feline female Avenger. She's got the moves, and looks good as an animal lady.

Wonder Man: Tom Welling.
At first, it might seem strange to have the long-time Smallville star step into the boots of another company's red-eyed, raven-haired hero. But, as no stranger to a red jacket, he has the right look and build for the part, and I could see him doing interesting things playing a guy who splits his time between being a superhero and being a movie star. Basically, he almost wouldn't have to act at all, and that's kind of his specialty.

Dreamcasting Come True

I'm probably going to wait for the DVD of Punisher: War Zone. I've never been a big fan of the character, more of a vigilante than a hero, and his previous big screen outings have left me gun shy. But I have to admit, from what I've read and from the trailers I've seen, this looks like the most faithful adaptation yet, getting a lot right including casting a lead actor that isn't a blonde guy that has to dye his hair for the role. Hollywood has gotten a lot better at casting films adapted from comic books, cartoons, and other geek source material, and the Heath Ledgers, Robert Downey Jrs, and Hugh Jackmans of the world definitely outshine the Thomas Janes or Halle Berrys.

I've played the Dreamcasting game in the past, throwing out the ideal names(in my eyes) to play the characters I grew up with. I haven't made an accurate prediction yet. Still, it's a fun exercise, and maybe I should focus on more obscure things that will never actually make it to Hollywood. Smurfs is coming to the big screen in 2010 though, so who am I to speculate on what cartoons will never become movies? Let’s see which show I chose for this exercise:

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Bionic Six

They were the ultimate family. Two parents and four children, all part machine with different special abilities. If this ever became a live action movie, my dream cast would be:

Greg Kinnear as Jack Bennett, a.k.a Bionic-1, patriarch of the clan.
Julianne Moore as Helen, Mother-1.
Ryan Kwanten as Eric, the athletic son Sport-1.
Brea Grant as the daughter Meg, or Rock-1.
Brandon T. Jackson as J.D., an adopted son with the codename I.Q.
Ernie Reyes, Jr. would be the dream choice for the youngest adopted son Bunji, provided we could travel back in time and get him when he was younger to portray Karate-1. I must be out of touch with younger actors, as every name I thought of was too old for the role. I'm sure CGI might solve the time travel problem as well.
Bruce Davison is my pick for Professor Amadeus Sharp, who invented the technology that saved the family and gave them their abilities.

And, since every hero needs villains:

John Rhys-Davies would play Scarab, Sharp's evil older brother and main antagonist.
Ben Foster could pull off the maniacal and traitorous Glove, Scarab's right-hand man.
Chyler Leigh is my choice for femme fatale Madame-O.
Tim Allen would be an edgier and more dramatic menace with tools as Mechanic.
Johnny Knoxville would play Chopper, because it wouldn't require a lot of action chops to whirl a chain and be insane.
Doug Jones, through a combination of practical and computer effects, would play the shambling mass Klunk.

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Agree? Disagree? Any thoughts on which show(s) I should tackle the next time I do one of these? I'm leaning toward InHumanoids or Silverhawks....

More Dream Casting

It's always fun to suggest dream casts for animated series, were they to become live action movies. In the past, I've covered Thundercats and G.I. Joe, and Rey cast Dungeons & Dragons, complete with a movie poster. After a day spent updating my archives, watching season 2 of Batman Beyond, and questing for a bazooka-wielding turkey in DragonFable, my brain isn't sharp enough to write anything of real substance, so enjoy these hypothetical casting calls:

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Batman Beyond:

Terry McGinnis: Will Friedle
Bruce Wayne: Kevin Conroy

Conroy's been the definitive voice of the Dark Knight since the first episode of Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992. I couldn't imagine anyone else voicing the gruff mentor to the new, young Batman, and with the right makeup they could easily age him. Friedle meanwhile is young enough to play McGinnis in real life, and hasn't had many on-camera roles in the last few years. I'd round out the rest of the cast as follows:

Commissioner Barbara Gordon: Yvonne Craig
Dana Tan: Lucy Liu
Max Gibson: Regina Hall
Shriek: Adrien Brody
Inque: Bahar Soomekh
Mad Stan: Henry Rollins
(OK, 3 voice actors would reprise their roles in front of the camera)

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Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Keith: Zach Braff
Lance: Jensen Ackles
Pidge: Elijah Wood
Sven: Dean Cain
Hunk: James DeBello
Allura: Maggie Grace
Coran: Alan Rickman
King Zarkon: Christopher Judge
Prince Lotor: James Callis
Haggar: Alice Krige

Look for a real cast for this one in 2008.

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So, what shows should I tackle in the future?

M.C.F.A.T. XIII: Answers

Do you know what day it is? It's the day I reveal my answers to the Mysterious Cloaked Figure's Astonishing Test Volume XIII. But first, let's hear what you had to say:

Neolithic

Wendy

*NAME HIDDEN*

Darrell

Lorna

Rey

Sean

Kev Bayer

Rubi Bayer

And now, my turn:

1) What were some of your scariest vehicular experiences, either behind the wheel or as a passenger?

When I wrote this question, I was anticipating a three hour road trip with a notorious fast driver. As it turned out, I had little to fear. He drives fast, but has complete control, even while taking both hands off the wheel to answer his cell phone and attach his hands-free headset. Sure, there were a few times I gripped the door handle in fear as we weaved in and out of traffic, and my eyes were always on the airbag panel in front of me, but a three hour trip under those circumstances isn't so bad, especially when it takes only two hours.

I guess my first scary driving experience would be my driver's test. The gruff battleaxe of a woman giving the test did little to ease my nervousness, especially when I turned out of the parking lot at a cautious 20MPH and she barked, “Ya can go faster ya know!” Then there was parallel parking, still a challenge to this day, which I performed perfectly, only to turn around and screw up a three point turn, something I had mastered in practice. In a moment of doubt, thinking I hadn't backed up far enough, I inexplicably slammed on the gas and sent us backwards on to a curb. When it was over and I pulled to a stop in the parking lot, she began jotting things down and without looking up informed me, “I'm going to have to fail you.” “You are?” I asked with genuine incredulity borne of the ether. Her only response was a stare and a raised eyebrow. Three months later I'd pass my second road test, and on my first drive to college take a curve too fast in the rain. I turned my wheel to the right with the curve, but the car kept going straight for the fence separating the parkway from the side road. I recovered and ever since then, the older I get, the more cautious I get. My days of speeding are well behind me, especially after getting my first and only speeding ticket about two or three years ago.

Finally, two Summers ago my dad pulled out at an intersection after stopping at a stop sign. I glanced to the right and saw a minivan in the distance. Suddenly it was even closer, and I noticed there wasn't a stop sign for his portion of the intersection. Despite it being a residential area, he was going fast and showing no signs of slowing down. “They're not stopping!!” I screamed and in a split second my dad made a decision that saved my life if not both of ours. I would have hesitated in that situation, even hit the brakes. He floored it, and a radiator grill inches from the passenger side door was replaced by open sky, even as we suddenly spun as the van clipped the back half of our car. The world outside turned to a blur while everything inside slowed down, and I looked at my dad holding the wheel, looking more aggravated than afraid. When we stopped, we were facing the intersection, having spun a full 180 degrees. Long time readers will remember photos of the day we finally said goodbye to that car.


2) Are you going anywhere fun this Summer, and does Summer even mean the same to you as it did when you were younger?

Yes, I went to NASCAR. Other destinations this Summer will include Brooklyn and Hoboken, although those trips will be for work, if playing music and entertaining people while getting exercise and fresh air can be considered work. As for the second half of my question, I'd have to say the entire year is now a blur. I miss having the Summer off during my years as a student. Seasons change in the outside world but inside, at work, every week is the same as the one before it and the one after it, with no break in the routine, no demarkation beyond the work week. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but I've gone from having something to look forward to every year to looking forward to retirement in 30 years, at which point I'll probably be as bored as my dad was when he retired and no longer had anything to do. June is half over and I swear it was just March a week ago. In September I expect I'll be wondering about July. At least I got a road trip in this year though, and got a taste of what Summer means, or should mean, to younger people. Youth is wasted on the young. Enjoy what you have while you have it.


3) What was your favorite childhood toy, and how did it influence you over the course of your life?

The answer can be summed up in a classic post, but the Transformers were supreme among the various robot toys emerging in the ‘80s. I loved those toys and was always impressed by how they worked. “Watch, dad, WATCH! Are you watching? Look, it's a steamroller--are you watching?? And look, now it's a ROBOT!!” I must have annoyed the hell out of my parents. I used to “operate” on them too, taking them apart by removing all the screws then reassembling them. Sadly, some were never the same. On the positive side, in competing with friends in third grade to draw these characters, it sparked an interest in art that would lead to my present career. On the negative side, it was yet another haven for a shy kid, and a gateway to eight years of reading and collecting comics. While neither toys nor comics were bad hobbies, the way I buried myself in them didn't advance my social skills. I had a female friend in 4th and 5th grade that went to a different school from 6th onward. We used to talk on the phone all the time. One day she called me, after I hadn't heard from her in months, and I could barely pay attention because the cartoon was on. When she asked why I wasn't talking, I started telling her about the episode I was watching. She was disinterested, the conversation ended, and I never heard from her again. My hobbies can and have lead to strong friendships with those that share such interests, but if I'm not careful, they can be also used as tools for my at times baffling bouts of self isolation.


4) Speaking of childhoods, since I cast a Thundercats movie, Rey cast a Dungeons & Dragons movie, and Wendy made a comment about casting Atlas Shrugged, now it's your turn. Choose a cartoon, novel or other favorite work of fiction that's never been made into a movie, and tell us who you'd like to see star in it. If you're among those who've done this exercise before, of course you can do it again with something different.

What was I thinking? I'm not going to go as in-depth with my explanations as I did the last time. The series I'll choose for this exercise will be G.I. Joe, and my movie will star Kiefer Sutherland as Duke, Michael Clarke Duncan as Roadblock, Josh Lucas as Flint, Eliza Dushku as Lady Jaye, Jamie Foxx as Stalker, Jennifer Garner as Scarlett, Christian Bale as Snake-Eyes, Mark Hamill as Cobra Commander, Carrie-Anne Moss as Baroness, Michael Dorn as Destro and Jason Statham as Zartan. If I thought anyone wanted to see her in leather, I'd have cast Shohreh Aghdashloo as Baroness instead of Moss, because her voice is perfect for the role.


5) Your Current Age/2 = A
A + (A/2) = B
Your Current Age = C

What was your favorite pizza topping at A, B, and C respectively?(Providing the numeric values of A, B, and C is of course optional).

A=15.5=Plain

B=23.25=Sicilian or Pepperoni

C=31=Pepperoni, Buffalo Chicken, or Ziti slices.


SPECIAL BONUS QUESTION: If you could know one thing about MCF that you didn't, what would it be?

What do I really look like, and why am I my own worst enemy?

Thundercast

With live-action movies based on ‘80s cartoons on the horizon such as Transformers and He-man, I thought it would be fun to speculate the cast of another series I've been revisiting on DVD lately: Thundercats. It's always interesting when a film is finally made and the ideal actor portrays our favorite characters. I believe Wizard posited Patrick Stewart for the role of Professor X years before the first X-men movie was made. Earlier today I was discussing possible stars for a live action version of another cartoon with my friend Rey, but I won't mention which show on the off chance he's planning to write about it on his own blog. I am stealing that concept today though, in honor of Darrell's brilliant Copyright Violation Week. I had considered stealing CVW itself and following every post Darrell stole with the same topic here, but then I watched a marathon of Thundercats episodes tonight and so, here we are:

Lion-O: Ryan Reynolds
While a few years ago he might have been an odd choice, I think Blade: Trinity proved he could balance an action role like this with just the right amount of humor for the part.

Cheetara: Rachel Nichols
With The Inside canceled and Alias concluded, this attractive and athletic blonde needs a new vehicle for her talents, and the staff-wielding speedy feline leading lady role would be perfect for her.

Panthro: Carl Lumbly
Another Alias alumni, he's no stranger to playing a hero, having portrayed M.A.N.T.I.S. and provided the voice for Martian Manhunter on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He has the ideal voice for Panthro.

Tygra: Ioan Gruffudd
His quiet, studious gray-templed lead role in the first Fantastic Four film definitely approaches that of this stealthy, wise Thundercat.

Jaga: Sir Ian McKellen
I can't envision anyone else as the spirit of the oldest Thundercat offering sage advice to Lion-O, save for perhaps the late Alec Guinness.

Snarf: Andy Serkis
His expressive features and vocal talents merged with state-of-the-art computer animation to bring King Kong and Gollum to life, and they could do the same for Lion-O's most trusted ally and comic relief.

Wilykat and Wilykit: Relative unknowns.
Every child actor I considered for the young twins turned out to be older than I remembered, and too old for the part. I think this would have to be the first movie for whichever boy and girl were cast, and a possible starting point for their careers.

Mumm-Ra: Keith David
Can you imagine our heroes entering a dark pyramid and hearing his voice whispering through the catacombs, then booming as he emerges from his sarcophagus and transforms into his more powerful form? I certainly can and if he's unavailable, Tony Todd would be next on my list.

S-S-Slithe: Andy Serkis
He's versatile enough to play two roles when the character is computer generated, and if he could do Gollum's voice he could definitely handle the lizard leader of the mutants.

Jackalman: Mark Hamill
He's made an entire career providing voices for sinister characters like Joker, and I know he'd work his magic on Jackalman's sniveling, devious tones.

Monkian: Ron Perlman
‘nuff said.

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I didn't include Vultureman(who would probably be Serkis as well), the three new Thundercats introduced in the show's second season, or any of the other enemies and allies they encountered on Third-Earth in their 130 episodes. The film would have enough to cover with the initial cast, and might even cut some of these characters as well, saving them for sequels. If there really is a movie in a few years and any of my predictions are fulfilled, remember you read them here first.