As previously said, I'm a fan of both DC and Marvel, though lean slightly more to DC given my preference for the World's Finest. Regardless, whilst I'm pretty happy with the output we're getting in terms of both companies' films, I'll admit every now and then they've cast a role that just hasn't sat well with me.
Long story short, for this cast I've decided to cast a potential director as well as (most of) the primary heroes and villains of the Daredevil mythos, and essentially, who I'd like to appear in the cinematic universe, but for the sake of originality I've gone with completely different choices than the actors/actresses that have been cast already despite however much I like/dislike them. Notably, I had ideas for this cast round about back when Netflix first made the announcement they were doing a Daredevil show, but never really got around to doing it till recently.
Anyway, enjoy and leave a comment/thumbs up below!
Rian Johnson | The Director
Notable Credits: Brick, Looper, (episodes of) Breaking Bad, Star Wars: Episode VIII (announced)
Johnson is very great director who I think would be an ideal candidate for this position. He’s proven his talents time and time again and shown he’s got a great grasp of various genres, many which Daredevil would fall under, most notable being; crime noirs, gritty drama and gritty sci-fi. Whilst he may not be the name on everyone’s lips, in my eyes he’s the best choice to bring a gritty, serious yet fantastical take on the Daredevil to the big screen, and someone I hope, at least is in contention for the part at the very least for some episodes for the Netflix series if nothing more.
The Good:
Diego Klattenhoff | Matt Murdock aka Daredevil
Notable Credits: Homeland, Pacific Rim, The Blacklist
Props go to
@ Pasto for initially coming up with this choice.
Whilst Klattenhoff hasn’t necessarily got the most notable filmography, he’s proven himself as being a very dependable and talented actor, who I think would be ideal in portraying the conflicting duality of a character like this. Not only does have the right kind of ‘clean cut’ appeal going for him, but I feel personally as if he always brings the right amount of edge to his roles; and frankly, for someone like Daredevil you need an actor who can do that- the fact that Kalttenhoff happens to share a pretty much uncanny resemblance to the character only helps sell things that much more.
Zachary Knighton | Foggy Nelson
Notable Credits: Flash Forward, Happy Endings
I’ll admit to not seeing Knighton in much, but he’s an actor who naturally comes off as very likable and works well with drama and comedy and can perfectly balance the two whilst coming off as a ‘loveable schmuck’- something that pretty much is what the character is notable for.
Meghan Markle | Linda Carter aka the Night Nurse
Notable Credits: Suits
I only know Markle from her role as Rachel Zane in
Suits, but it’s definitely proven her to be a capable actress, and shown that she can play bubbly, easy going and optimistic all very well- whilst that’s not necessarily what this character is known for, I personally always felt with characters such as this and Foggy, they’d need to be ‘lighter’ to counter the darkness in Matt’s life.
Jason Bateman | Ben Urich
Notable Credits: Arrested Development,
Paul,
Horrible Bosses,
Disconnect,
Bad Words
This is one casting decision that’s sure to leave a few eyebrows raised, but frankly I feel Bateman is one of the most underrated actors around. He’s capable with both drama and comedy and with the latter is great at both laugh out loud humour and deadpan too. In a role like this, I think he’d be able to bring some great subtle humour and also a certain kind of world weary optimism, which personally just feels highly appropriate for the character.
Kris Kristofferson | Stick
Notable Credits: The Blade Series,
Deadfall
I’ve not seen Kristofferson in much, but he’s previously played an extremely badass and charismatic old tough guy for Marvel before, and granted he won’t get the chance to reprise that role any time soon, I think it’s more than appropriate casting him here. He’s frankly, one of the few older actors around who you’d genuinely think could kick your ass well, and that with his gruff and tough attitude just makes me think he’d shine in this role.
Olivia Wilde | Jessica Jones
Notable Credits: The O.C.,
House,
Tron Legacy,
Cowboys and Aliens,
Deadfall
Wilde’s a talented and hot actress and a fanboy favourite for a lot of roles, but when it really comes down to it, none have really worked for me other than Jessica Jones. Not only does she look the part, but she’s proven her talents well with drama and comedy well, and has previously emotionally vulnerable characters well too; personally, that more than qualifies her for the gig.
Ryan Kwanten | Danny Rand aka Iron Fist
Notable Credits: True Blood
I’ve not seen Kwanten in much admittedly, but he’s proven himself to be a pretty versatile and entertaining actor, and is evidently very fitting for a role like this, physically at least, and even resembles the character a fair bit too. Whilst he’s not necessarily the name on everyone’s lips, I think he could be very badass and just fun in the role and really shine as one of the more underrated characters there is.
Demtrius Grosse | Luke Cage aka Power Man
Notable Credits: Justified,
Banshee
Like with Kwanten, I’ll admit to not seeing Grosse in much, but he’s solid actor, imposing as hell and has the right kind of presence and grit needed for a role like this. Personally, I’d love to have seen him in this role, and think if paired with someone like Kwanten as Iron Fist, he would’ve worked brilliantly and helped bring one of the Marvel universe’s best bromances to life perfectly.
Sofia Boutella | Maya Lopez aka Echo
Notable Credits: Kingsman: The Secret Service
I’ve not seen Boutella in much admittedly, but her work in
Kingsman was very memorable. She’s clearly a talented actress and certain very capable physically, but that added with her almost uncanny resemblance to this character just makes me want to see her take on the role, and frankly, from what I’ve seen, she’d do nothing but benefit a comic book movie.
The Bad:
David Morse | Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin
Notable Credits: 12 Monkeys, The Green Mile, 16 Blocks, Disturbia
Whilst a little skinnier than I’d have liked, Morse is undoubtedly a criminally underrated character actor. He’s not necessarily a deadringer for a character like this but throughout his roles I’ve seen shades of what he could do as the Kingpin and frankly, it had him in my mind for this role for a long time, though the fact that he’s physically a very imposing and intense individual obviously helps matters. Anyway, if ever he were to get the part like this, given his commitment to prior roles, I can imagine him bulking up or doing whatever is needed, but if not, knowing Marvel we could always get a beefier looking Kingpin ala Ray Winston as Volstagg.
Iddo Goldberg | Lester Pointdexter aka Bullseye
Notable Credits: Mob City,
Peaky Blinders,
Salem
Goldberg is a relatively unknown actor, but he’s most certainly someone to watch. He’s capable with drama and black comedy and proven a real talent for playing uniquely disturbed and dangerous characters as seen in particularly through his notable turn in
Mob City, but personally I also think he has just has the right kind of Joker-esque look needed for a character like this. So, I would definitely love to see him take this role on one day.
Jamie Chung | Maki Matsumoto aka Lady Bullseye
Notable Credits: Sucker Punch,
The Man With the Iron Fists,
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Chung is a pretty solid actress and very easy on the eyes, and the fact that she’s proven a certain penchant at playing badass and deadly women well only emphasises how well suited she is for this role. Whilst understandably, this is somewhat of a ‘safe choice’, it works, so at the very least I’d be interested in seeing her take on this character.
Alexa Davalos | Elektra Natchios
Notable Credits: The Chronicles of Riddick,
Clash of the Titans,
Mob City
Davalos is one of the few actresses who not only fits this role visually but also in terms of character too. She’s proven herself to be a talented actress and also proven her capabilities of playing femme fatales very well too, as most recently in the short lived
Mob City, but further to that, she’s even played a ‘victim’ to Iddo Goldberg before too, so personally, I’d love to see what she could do.
Eddie Marsan | Leland Owlsley aka the Owl
Notable Credits: Hancock,
The Disappearance of Alice Creed,
Ray Donovan
Marsan is a criminally underrated character actor. He’s really great when given the chance and has proven himself as high capable of being tough, calculating, creepy and generally very frightening very well. The fact that he shares somewhat of a resemblance to the character only furthers my conviction in casting him here and just makes me think he’d be able to elevate the character very well.
Christopher Meloni | Joseph Antonia aka Hammerhead
Notable Credits: Oz, Law and Order: SVU, True Blood, Man of Steel
This casting decision unfortunately isn’t as unique as I’d have liked it to have been but Meloni is an ideal fit for a role like this. He’s a very badass actor, and very versatile and imposing; he can handle dark material and has definitely got the right kind of authoritative presence needed, so would most certainly be able to deliver here.
Eamonn Walker | Lonnie Lincoln aka Tombstone
Notable Credits: Oz, Blood and Bone, A Lonely Place to Die, Chicago Fire
Once again, another badass actor I’ve cast. Walker is also pretty damn talented and versatile, and also very charismatic (though that’s not really needed for a role like this). Anyway, he can also bring the right kind of presence and physicality needed for a role like this, as hell, he’s pretty much already played the role as seen in
Blood and Bone.
Mark Dacascos | Martin Li aka Mr Negative
Notable Credits: Only the Strong,
Cradle 2 the Grave, Hawaii Five-0
Dacascos is a pretty damn talented martial artist and solid actor. He can play villains and bad guys with easy, and definitely brings class to his roles, as seen primarily through his work in
Hawaii Five-0. Like with a few other actors I’ve cast here, admittedly Dacascos isn’t too original a choice for this role, but frankly he’d definitely serve as a great villain for Daredevil to face.
Rick Yune | Ikari
Notable Credits: The Fast and the Furious,
Die Another Day, Ninja Assassin, The Man With the Iron Fists, Olympus Has Fallen
Yune is another talented martial artist and skilled actor. He’s proven from his past filmography that he has a knack for playing antagonist and shady characters pretty well and definitely knows how to be engaging too. Given this character is still relatively new, and hasn’t been given much off a personality as of yet, casting Yune does feel like a bit of a disservice, but hell, he’s talented enough to elevate the role,
Ben Mendelsohn | Zebediah Killgrave aka the Purple Man
Notable Credits: Animal Kingdom,
Killing Them Softly,
The Dark Knight Rises,
Bloodline
Mendelsohn is a great character actor who finally seems to be getting the acclaim he deserves. He’s great at bad guys and villains and generally deceitful and deceptive manipulators with shady morals, and (fortunately/unfortunately?) has a very punchable face- he’s basically perfect for this role.
Jeffrey Donovan | 'Fancy Dan' Rubenstein – The Enforcers
Notable Credits: Burn Notice,
Changeling,
J.Edgar
Donovan is one of those actors you either love or you hate, mainly due to that smug look he always has, but that is something that works brilliantly for a role like this. He’s a very capable actor and actually knows martial arts, whilst I’ve never necessarily been blown away by his work, he’s more than proven his competence in the past, and this makes me think he’d be great in this role.
Desmond Harrington | Montana Bale – The Enforcers
Notable Credits: Dexter,
Justified
Harrington is a very overlooked actor, who for some reason has pretty much disappeared recently. Like with Donovan, he’s very competent at what he does and he’s great at playing characters that you either love/hate too. Whilst I wouldn’t expect anything revolutionary from him in a role like this, I think he’d just serve as a very cool incarnation of this character.
Damion Poitier | Bruno 'the Ox' Sanchez – The Enforcers
Notable Credits: Jarhead,
Star Trek,
Sons of Anarchy,
True Blood
Whilst Poitier is notorious amongst fanboys for being the Thanos stand in at the end of
The Avengers it’s pretty much evident he hasn’t got the chops to take on a role of that scale. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a competent actor, but he’s better off in more limited roles, especially granted his overall physicality and imposingness.
Christian Camargo | Larry Cranston aka Mr Fear
Notable Credits: Dexter
Since Camargo’s notable turn in season 1 of
Dexter, I’ve wanted to see him in more villainous roles, but he’s unfortunately somewhat disappeared. He’s a talented actor and can most certainly play creepy very well, so in a role like this, I imagine he’d do nothing but excel.
Rooney Mara | Mary Walker aka Typhoid Mary
Notable Credits: The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Side Effects
Mara has proven her talents very well in terms of playing intense and damaged characters, plus definitely puts her heart and soul in her work. In a role like this, I think she’d absolutely nail it and really shine and bring new life to a character that needs a little bit of credibility like this to work.
Joseph Gatt | Melvin Potter aka Gladiator
Notable Credits: Thor, Banshee
I’ve not seen Gatt in much, and what little I have he’s been little more than cannon fodder/silent muscle, but even then he’s proven himself to be enigmatic and talented enough. Obviously he’s a pretty imposing guy and is unique featured, which (fortunately/unfortunately?) makes him come off more intimidating, so frankly, in a role like this, I think he’d be brilliantly frightening and just very, very memorable.
Gerard Butler | Frank Castle aka the Punisher
Notable Credits: 300, Gamer, Law Abiding Citizen, Machine Gun Preacher, Olympus Has Fallen
What can I say? Butler is ridiculously badass, and one of the very few actors I believe would absolutely kill it as the unrelenting and brutal agent of punishment. He’s physically got the right look down, and is also very enigmatic and intense and fortunately is also a very capable actor too. If cast, I think he’d most certainly get the role right, and frankly just prove to be a great villain- something which, personally, I think needs to be done given the Punisher’s grittier take on crime fighting.
So, with that done, please leave a comment/thumbs up below!