Hello CBM, I've been coming to this site for a while now but i've never actually posted. I use this avatar on another website and I don't know if there's any avatar etiquette but I thought I haven't seen it anywhere else so I thought I'd stick to it. What I love most about this site is the fan fic where we get a chance to share our opinions with other lovers of the original content before it's put through the studio filter and we get the watered down version of something that had the potential to be great. Enough with the "long time listener, first time caller" stuff on to the fan cast.
My favourite comic has to be Garth Ennis' "Preacher" wonderfully written start to finish and with an ending that doesn't let down where so many have before. I recommend it to those who haven't read it and aren't easily offended. I would have to ward off anyone even slightly religious, this one definately isn't for you.
This list is casting for a Preacher movie. I myself don't think they could cover all of what the graphic novels hold in a film without skipping over some of what makes the series great. An HBO series would be ideal but beggers can't be choosers. Also it's unlikely alot of these actors would appear if it were just a HBO series.
This is my first fan cast ever so I apologise if I get any of the format wrong.
I did try to follow the "how to" editorials posted by Joslezio85 and Mr. Murdoch which were incredibly helpful so thankyou to you two and I will try to give credit where credit is due because while I have kept most of my choices original I have used others choices- what can I say, when you're right you're right. There are alot of characters in this series so I've tried to stick to the main and secondary characters, I'll also try to avoid spoilers.
One you can't really avoid, the preacher loses an eye, it's kind of hard to dodge when you pick up the first volume of the series and you see volume 9 sitting near it and he has an eye patch, but it's certainly fun finding out how he loses it. Also this story is set in the 90's. It won't effect the casting but it should be taken into consideration when making the movie.
Jump right in with the man himself
Jesse Custer- The main protagonist and titular character, a small town reverend with a dark past who one day is given a power (dubbed "the word of god") when fused with Genesis (the name given to the first ever offspring of an angel and a demon) that allows him to force people to do as he says, providing they understand what he's saying. He has a bit of a "Boba Fett" feel to him in the sense that "it's not what you say, but how cool you look not saying it" (the Saint of Killers has this too). This aside he is also a gifted fighter. I'm not a fan of the fact almost every comic character has the attribute "skilled hand to hand combat" and "peak physical condition" but at least he has a good back story as to why this reverend can fight like crazy.
Timothy Olyphant (42 years old)- A few people have come to this same conclusion, he has the hard as nails look and pulls of the "strong and silent" type well but he can still give a commanding presence with his voice when he needs to. Older than the character appears to be but he can pull off being in his 30's. Notable roles include
Die Hard 4 and
Hitman. I was by no means the first to think of this casting.
Tulip O'Hare- Jesse's girlfriend throughout the series, skilled in firearms which she was initially trained for just for hunting purposes by her dad. A strong independant woman who is more than capable of looking after herself and is not a fan of being told what to do even when it's in her best interest.
Kelly Carlson (34 years old)- My first original pick, this is based mostly on the physical aspect rather then her skills as an actress, that being said I still think she has the capacity to take this role on and is within a good age difference to Timothy Olyphant. My reason for choosing her is based soley on
Nip/Tuck.
Proinsias Cassidy - Goes by simply "Cassidy", a Vampire/Irish immigrant dating back to the late 1890'/early 1900's, ageless, nigh immortal and one of, if not THE, most complex characters of the series. Cassidy is not a stranger to subtance abuse and violence. What makes him a great character, other than his lengthy backstory, is Ennis' take on what vampires are. This isn't your grandma's dracula, he feels pain but can heal from all injuries with a small amount of time and drinking blood speeds that up. He isn't dependant upon human blood or even animal blood for that matter, crosses do nothing, garlic does nothing, he doesn't turn into a bat but sunlight will set him on fire with direct contact and with enough time kill him. He, Tulip and Jesse Travel together in a group for most of the story.
Michael Fassbender (33 years old) - I've had this choice down for a while and recently saw that
AlexDeLarge87 had posted it in the recent director rumour article, so credit where credit is due. He's Irish, he's an amazing actor and he has the look, just look at that smile above.
Inglorious Basterds,
X-men: First Class Trailer. He was at least good in the trailer.
Herr Starr- The series main antagonist a former German anti-terror operative and a member of a secret organisation called "The Grail" while his pursuit of Jesse starts as a mission it becomes somewhat of an obsession as the series progresses. Starr is military trained but far relies heavily on firearms. He seeks only world order and will stop at nothing to achieve it. The scar around his eye was received during childhood, you'll have to read it to find out more.
J.K. Simmons (56 years old)- Another original choice and one i'm quite proud of, anyone who has seen the HBO series "OZ" will recognise his ability to play a biggoted villain with a facial scar. He has the look and if he can put a slight german accent into his speech he would be a perfect choice for this role in my eyes. Notable roles include
OZ and
The Spiderman Series where he was one of the best things about the trilogy.
Saint of Killers An old school badass from the American civil war era who later finds love only to have that love taken away from him. When he arrives in hell his hatred literally freezes hell, he is then sent back to earth as the Patron Saint of Killers, essentially "death" for those who die in violence. Without giving much away, once he becomes the Saint he is given guns that never misfire, miss and run out bullets and he himself is immortal. That is a very brief description of the character and does no justice to the actual badass he is in the graphic novel.
Michael Biehn (57 years old)- An original choice but one I made to be just that, original. Clint Eastwood during the 80's/90's and even David Carradine if he were alive today would be much better choices but just because there are better actors doesn't make him the worst choice for this role. I went with Biehn because I believe he can pull of the 1000 yard stare and quite frankly deserves a role this badass. Notable roles
Aliens,
Terminator.
God- Yes THE God, in this series God has left his throne and Jesse spends a great deal of time looking for him while God spends even more time evading him from fear that Genesis will overpower him.
Gerard Butler (41 years old)- Original choice. This role, while importatant, isn't all that big. Butler looks like this incarnation of the big beardy man and can act and while he's my first choice I have no problem with any half decent, fit, bearded actor. If Butler so chose he could be one of the great new action stars, although unlike alot of the action stars of yesteryear he has the acting chops too. Notable roles
300,
Law Abiding Citizen and
Reign of Fire.
Arseface- Mostly comic relief for the series. A simpleton who trys to off himself like Kurt Cobain only to survive the ordeal, leaving you with something that looks like the above photo (the one on the right)
Evan Peters (24 years old)- He can still play a teenager, an original choice but i'm not that attached to it seeing as the character will be in heavy makeup for a majority of the time, all of the time if they don't have Arsefaces origins (It takes place before before the events of the first volume but is shown in a one-shot comic collected in volume 4). You may have seen him in
Kick-Ass.
Sheriff Hugo Root- Arseface's father- a strict military type, a bad father and a gun toting alcoholic.
R. Lee Ermey (66 years old)- He has the look and the attitude of Root, I don't think this casting needs too much defending with that photo.
Full Metal Jacket.
Hoover and Featherstone- Lacky's of Herr Starr and members of The Grail. He loves her. She loves Herr Starr.
Isaiah Washington (47 years old)- Original casting. He looked similar to the character in the comic and isn't half bad at acting. I'm not that attached to this casting.
Judy Greer (35 years old)- I chose because of her role in Arrested Development where she is obsessed with her boss and he is less than interested (although in Arrested Development a relationship actually occurs) she looks the part anyway.
Arrested Development The Custers- Jesse's parents, John, a Vietnam vet and Christina, an anti-war protester. John only appears in the story in flashbacks where as Christina appears again as an older woman. Their marriage is controlled by Christina's mother for her own selfish reasons.
Rufus Sewell (43 years old)- At a younger age he would have been perfect for Jesse and yes I understand he's the same age as Timothy Olyphant but he didn't hold up as well and I don't think he could play a believable 30 something year old. Credit due to
Frank Garret for this casting. Sewell can be seen in
Dark City and
A Knights Tale.
Famke Janssen (45 years old)- Original casting. Famke Janssen I chose because, aside from looks, I believe she has the skill to play both the innocent younger Christina and the older Christina (with makeup of course) whose a somewhat stronger character. Notable movie roles
Goldeneye and
the X-men series.
Spaceman- A man who served in the vietnam war with Jesse's father. A younger actor would be needed for the flashbacks
Danny Glover (64 years old)- He would do well for the bar scenes with Jesse, as for the flashbacks, he's too old for that shit.
Lethal Weapons Allfather D'Aronique- A morbidly obese man and leader of the secret organisation "The Grail" also a bulimic which adds to the grotesqueness of this character.
Vincent D'Onofrio (51 years old)- All credit here goes directly to
AlexDeLarge87, I have been stumped on this character since Glenn Shadix (Otho from Beetlejuice) died last year. Robbie Coltrane was also considered by me. D'Onofio I feel would bring a sense of fear to the role that the Allfather is supposed to have but falls short of in the comic. Notable roles
Full Metal Jacket and
Law and Order.
Jesus DeSade- A perverted millionaire, drug-taking sexual deviant, a minor character who throws a party that is crashed by the main three of the story.
Rhys Ifans (43 years old)- NOT an original casting. His name came up when I was looking for a photo of DeSade. I needed a pale, frail, older actor and I don't think i've seen any ounce of muscle on Ifans in a role yet. He's been known to play seedy characters but this ones a bit more drugged out. The photo sold me. Ifans is set to appear in the upcoming
Amazing Spiderman film.
Si Coltrane- An old friend of Cassidy's who offers to help the main three.
SPOILER- He turns out to be a serial killer
Bruce Campbell (52 years old)- This character has the same confidence seen by many of the characters Campbell plays and I'd like to see Campbell take on the role of a bad guy. Campbell is famous for
The Evil Dead series as well as being a regular on
Burn Notice.
Marie L'Angelle- Jesse's grandmother and in my opinion the most evil character in the series, manipulating, even torchering Jesse from a young age she has been the cause for almost all of his heart ache. She alone is the reason Jesse became a reverand. Her arc in the story is my favourite.
Wendie Malick (60 years old)- Original casting. Based primarily on looks alone, with an evil look on her face and alot less hair on her head, Malick could easily become this twisted evil old hag. Kudos to
Woodinator I LOVED your pick of Sally Field.
Just Shoot Me.
Jody- Lapdog of Marie L'Angelle, a skilled fighter and an abusive caretaker of Jesse's from a young age. It was he who taught Jesse how to fight. He had a one off story in volume 4 with T.C which takes place before the stories events and never really ties in, it portrayed Jody as more of an antihero but he is most definately a villain.
Kevin Durand (37 years old)- A choice I made myself but seems I wasn't the only one, again credit to
AlexDeLarge87 I really thought I was being original when I selected him. Also a big thumbs up to
Skerringer's two choices- Adam Baldwin and Mickey Rourke. I would be happy with any one of those three in the film. My reasons for Durand taking top spot though was mostly sheer size and his track record of being an on screen bastard. He would have to be aged for the present day (or 90's anyway) scenes but for the flashbacks he
would be perfect.
Walking Tall,
Legion,
X-men Origins: Wolverine.
T.C- The lapdog of the lapdog, a horny, homocidal redneck. He was responsible for the death of Jesse's only childhood friend (a one eyed inbred boy).
Eddie Marsan (43 years old)- Original Casting. Clint Howard is definately the better choice here but i'm just trying to keep from
copying too many choices and creating yet another article that suggests Howard. Marsan is an english actor but as seen in Hancock can play an alright American. He has the right size to play Durands underling and would give a memorable performance.
Hancock,
Sherlock Holmes The Messiah- The poo flinging descendant of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdaline through 2000 years of inbreeding to keep the line pure. A minor role but one thats part of Herr Starr's rise to power.
Joel Moore (33 years old)- Original casting. Admittedly, this is terrible casting on my part, the messiah is a boy and Joel is 33, a young Joel would have been perfect but that's not an option, an unknown child actor would do fine I just wanted to point out what I saw everytime I saw that boy on the pages. Joel would be my choice for an Inspector Gadget Remake however, but that's neither here nor there.
Dodgeball,
Avatar.
Genesis' Father- The angel who conceived Genesis with a female demon (I didn't cast the demon because it had no speaking part).
David Wenham (45 years old)- Original casting. I chose him after rewatching 300 recently, he was fit for the role and was also a decent narrator.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy,
300.
Bob Glover- One half of the sexual investigators, two depraved private investigators that take on cases based soley on sexual crimes
Ethan Suplee (34 years old)- Original casting. This choice was mostly a physical aspect and i'm unsure if Suplee can carry off a Yorkshire accent but he has some acting chops as seen in-
American History X and
My Name Is Earl.
Freddy Allen The second half of the sexual investigators who are, for the most part, comic relief.
Jason Lee (40 years old)- Original yet lazy casting on my part, I liked
Frank Garret's idea of casting duo's who have already been together so Jason Lee got caught in the gravity of Suplee's casting.
The View Askewniverse,
My Name Is Earl.
Fiore and deBlanc- Two angels who decide to re-awaken the Saint of Killers. They start to live sinful lives after God leaves his post
Gervais and Merchant (49 and 36 respectively)- Original Casting though I'm not that attached to the choice but it's kind of a nothing role and the two angels are a bit goofy. They were also a close second choice for the sexual investigators.
The Duke- An imaginary friend of Jesse's that he has used as a coping mechanism since young age. He is essentially John Wayne, but not a ghost because John Wayne was still alive the first time Jesse saw him. His face is never seen. The other characters are Ennis' creations but this is the first who is supposed to be an actual person so I say get a body double, anyone with the right shape because the face is never seen and a voice actor with a darn good John Wayne impression.
Eccarius- The only other vampire Cassidy meets in America, he conforms to the gothic style of vampire traditionally seen because he doesn't know how else to act. Cassidy smacks some sense in to him. He has followers called "Les Enfants Du Sang" who are basically a group of goths who read poetry to each other and worship him because he is a vampire. I did not cast them because they operate as a group more than individuals and the roles could go to anyone.
Tom Felton (23 years old)- Original casting. The white hair is a reason I cast him in this role but I also thought it was a chance for him to indirectly make fun of the recent vampire craze (I am aware this was written before Twilight) that rival the Harry Potter's. The fact he is a great actor is just a bonus.
Harry Potter film series.
Johnny Lee Wombat- A strange man who helps Jesse when he is stranded. He is bitter at NASA for kicking him out, though he lied his way in in the first place. Minor character.
Woody Harrelson (49 years old)- Original Casting but it's basically the same role he played in 2012 (photo above), but he played it well.
Zombieland.
Amy Grinderbinder- An old college friend of Tulips who has feelings for Jesse and some feelings for Tulip too
Selma Blair (38 years old) Original casting. She seemed the obvious choice.
Hellboy series.
Deputy Cindy Daggett- A strong, moral deputy to a corrupt town (Salvation) in one of the later arcs of Preacher, Jesse comes along and cleans it up.
Naomie Harris (34 years old)- Original casting. Though she's english I chose her above my second choice Zoe Saldana who's American just because I feel Zoe has been over cast while Naomie deserves more roles.
28 Days Later.
Odin Quincannon- A businessman of Salvation and the main antagonist during the Salvation arc. Owner of the local meat processing plant, he is the cause of the violence and corruption in Salvation. He is also responsible for the biggest "what the f***" moment of the series.
Jackie Earle Haley (49 years old)- Original and only choice i've had for this role. Short, crazy, vicious, bald man? My mind goes straight to Haley with makeup to make him look older for the role.
Watchmen,
Human Target Miss Oatlash- Odin Quincannon's neo nazi lawyer who is the only reason that Odin and his many minions aren't in prison. She later becomes obsessed with Jesse.
Liv Tyler (33 years old)- Original casting based on looks and acting ability but I am open to suggestion on this one because I'm not convinced by it.
Lord of the Rings series,
The Incredible Hulk.
Lorrie Bobbs- The ditsy sister and would be wife to Jesse's only childhood friend, one eye is hereditary in their family thanks to inbreeding another problem caused by her inbreeding is her skewed perception where she see's things that aren't, she even finds Arseface attractive.
Anna Faris (34 years old)- Original casting. Lorrie isn't taken too seriously in this series and I think a comedy actress would work well with her role as she provides some comic relief.
Scary Movie series
Conan Quincannon- The kind hearted brother of Odin, a very small role, he moves to Salvation after it has been cleaned up by Jesse.
Jeff Fahey (58 years old)- Original choice that I picked on that picture alone but it's such a nothing role that I thought, if Ennis is a fan or vice versa, get
Stan "The Man" Lee in to do it.
Machete.
Honourable Mentions Tim Roth as Cassidy- He got too old
Glenn Shaddix as Allfather D'Aronique- He passed away
John Malkovich as Herr Starr- Still my number two choice
Rebecca Romijn as Tulip O'Hare- Also a close second
Again like
Frank Garret (the man gets things right) I choose
Robert Rodriguez I don't know about his reasons but my reasons for choosing him is that he knows how to do R rated violence, not only that but I see "Preacher" as a contemporary Western film, a genre Rodriguez can certainly take on.
BONUS Theme song for a possible HBO series
I don't quite know how to post videos so if someone could post this video in comments if it doesn't show up that would be great
Pantera - Cemetary Gates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W9EOhy5J6A
Please take the time to listen or even just read the lyrics, not only do they sync up alot to the themes of the series but the song is also from
the album "Cowboys from Hell" hint hint.
I would really appreciate feed back, not just on the choices but how the article was written/presented.
I tried to reference the choices that weren't my original, my apologies if I missed you.
If you agree/disagree with any of my choices let me know why or even if you have a better choice I'd like to hear it.
If this goes well I hope to take on Mark Waids "Irredeemable" and "Incorruptible" a highly recommended read by me.
Cheers for your time