The forthcoming Nolan Batman adds Morgan Freeman to the mix as “Lucius Fox, a respected businessman and the CEO of billionaire Bruce Wayne’s mega-conglom, based in Gotham City.” (If this is some character from the comics, I’ve never heard of him.) Also, Neeson is confirmed as Ras Al Ghul, meaning the only high-profile character left is Commissioner Gordon (which Chris Cooper, sadly, already turned down.)
Tag: Casting
Qui-Gon to Ras Al?
In more good news on the Batman front, Liam Neeson is set to play a villain, most likely Ras Al Ghul to Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow. Well, so much for Viggo, but I still like this casting. I just hope Christian Bale can get back into Bruce Wayne-shape after getting creepily thin for The Machinist. Update: Has Nolan found Arkham Asylum?
The Calculus Affairs.
In a strange bit of movie news, Steven Spielberg and Roman Polanski may be heading rival Tintin projects. Moreover, the Spielberg version is looking at Rupert “Ron Weasley” Grint or Jamie Bell as the boy detective in question…Not exactly star wattage, but I could see Bell in particularly working out. (And I could also see Spielberg going to the well and putting Tom Hanks or somebody as Captain Haddock.) As for a Polanski Tintin…I’m scared to think about it.
Confessions of Two Dangerous Minds.
By way of Quiddity, the cast of Hitchhiker’s Guide gets rounded out, and I like what I’m hearing. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Mos Def will be Ford Prefect (good race-neutral casting, although I hope he’s still British), Zooey Deschanel plays Trillian (how’d her agent ever manage to stop the Knightley Behemoth? Keira’s got more momentum these days than Kerry) and Sam Rockwell is Zaphod Beeblebrox, president of the universe (That’s classic…but no word yet on how or if they’re casting his second head.) This should be fun.
Clobbering Time?
Lots of fanboy speculation on the web today…The Fantastic Four is still looking for a director after losing Peyton (“Bring It On“) Reed, and apparently the short list includes Steven Soderbergh and Sean Astin. According to this Astin Q&A, both could bring George Clooney to the table as Reed Richards, which is great casting. I like Naomi Watts as the Invisible Woman, but she’s going to be busy with PJ’s Kong, and I could see Soderbergh going for one of his regulars, like Mary McCormack. Orlando Bloom as The Human Torch also works, although it could just as easily be Paul Walker or some other pretty-boy. And The Thing…well, I’d expect he’d be CGI, but you’ll need a Ben Grimm. Vin Diesel? Gary Sinise? I always thought the space-ship sequences in Brian DePalma’s otherwise-terrible Mission to Mars would’ve made a great intro to FF, with Tim Robbins (Reed Richards), Connie Nielsen (Sue Richards), Jerry O’Connell (Johnny Storm), and Sinise (Ben Grimm). At any rate, if FF does go to Soderbergh, let’s just hope he doesn’t pull an Ang-Lee.
Harvey and the Moff.
In a bizarre conflation of sinister intergalactic bureaucrats, Wayne Pygram, a.k.a. Farscape‘s Scorpius, is cast as Grand Moff Tarkin (well, more than likely) in Episode III. There’s also some goofy rumor going around that Peter “Chewbacca” Mayhew has been signed for four SW films. Sheah. Update: On a semi-related Star Wars note, check out this tricked-up “H-Wing” Civic del Sol (More here.)…now here’s a guy who’d be into a third SW trilogy.
6×7.
The forthcoming Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy film gets its Arthur Dent, and it’s apparently this fellow: Martin Freeman, of Love Actually and The Office, neither of which I’ve seen. Well, he looks like an ordinary bloke, which is half the battle. (The other half is straight-man timing.) Apparently, Bill Nighy (also of Love Actually, but I only know him as the Big Bad in the very lame Underworld) is playing Slartibartfast, and I also think that’s pretty good casting. Now for Ford Prefect…Steve Coogan? Keira Knightley as Trillian? Andy Serkis as Zaphod Beeblebrox’s second head?
Gotham’s Finest.
While unconfirmed, an interesting scoop for the Nolan Batman (apparently titled Batman: Intimidation) has recently emerged online: Apparently, neither Viggo nor Cillian Murphy are playing the villains – they have yet to be cast. In fact, Viggo is somebody named Judson Caspian (apparently, Katie Holmes’s father…I dunno, this sounds like Ras Al Ghul/Talia to me), while Murphy is playing a young Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face, previously portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in the first Batman and hammed into the ground by Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever.) More intriguing still, the scooper says Chris Cooper is on for Commissioner Gordon. (Michael Caine is already squared away as Alfred.) Perhaps it’s all fanboy wishful thinking…but that sounds like great casting.
If he only had a brain.
28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy joins the Nolan Batman. If the rumors about Viggo as Ras Al Ghul hold up, then Murphy has to be the Scarecrow, and, y’know, as I noted awhile back, that’s pretty darn good casting.
What’s it all about, Alfred?
Michael Caine joins the Christopher Nolan Batman as Alfred. That’s an interesting choice, and what with Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Nolan’s two-for-two. But who will play the villains? Dark Horizons says Daniel Day-Lewis as Ras Al-Ghul, but I’ll believe it when I see it.