Sleezy Recasts the X-Men

Ooh like that one.

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PATRICK WILSON / CYCLOPS
I've always liked the idea of Cyclops being less a Superman-like leader, and more of a regular guy struggling with the pressures of leading a team against dangerous enemies. He's got insecurities, he feels the heat, he's not always the nicest guy. But when push comes to shove, he's there. A natural leader, even if he doesn't realize it. Patrick Wilson showed some of that in Watchmen, but he's more than just a worry-wart action star. There's a real "everyman" quality about him that seems to want to rise above, and I like that.



JESSICA CHASTAIN / JEAN GREY
Redhead in the house! This is obviously not the only reason why I picked her. Similar to Cyclops, Jean Grey has always been a fair bit self-conscious and reserved, even though comic artists continue to want to turn her into a sex symbol. This role really needed an "everywoman," and Jessica Chastain has such a real, earthy quality to her that she makes perfect sense in the role. She's just lovely and easily one of the best young actresses currently working.

^^^^ Hell to the yeah on both of those! Chastain would be a perfect Jean Grey, and the hottest.

BEN KINGSLEY / PROFESSOR X
Don't get me wrong, Patrick Stewart has been exceptional in the role. But one thing that's always bothered me, made all the more plain in X-Men: First Class, is that in some iterations Professor X is a bit edgier, and not just a kindly, quiet philosopher with a blanket over his legs. The man is driven and he's got guts, and there's no question he'd be in the thick of it if he could walk. I get the sense that Ben Kingsley would bring a more wily and aggressive take on Charles Xavier, which would mesh a bit more with James McAvoy's portrayal in First Class.

STELLAN SKARSGARD / MAGNETO
I know Sir Ian McKellen has been a popular choice among X-fans, and certainly he's a fine actor. But I've never felt the hate, the malevolence, the absolute disdain for human life. He has played Magneto as a Shakespearean actor would: sophisticated, principled, absorbed by his purpose but never evil. I don't think Magneto should be evil, but there's a raging darkness in him that has only been glimpsed in the films, and only through Michael Fassbender. Stellan Skarsgard is his counterpart. He's made a career playing cold, vengeful, violent killers, and even the harshness of his face makes you feel uneasy. I can imagine him peeking from beneath that helmet and knowing that this man wants to bring humanity to heel.

I think Magneto should skip around like a little girl, that would sure make him menacing.

And last, but not least...



MICHAEL MADSEN / WOLVERINE
I've enjoyed Hugh Jackman in the role, I really have. Even though they have largely converted Wolverine into the flagship product of the X-films, and stripped away much of what makes him unique, Jackman has still been a fine choice... and he has certainly looked the part. That said, he's always felt just a little bit too pretty and refined for Wolverine. The guy is primarily a stage actor, and that shows in his acting. He works well for the handsome leading man, but Wolverine isn't that.

Enter Michael Madsen. I don't think he's the perfect choice either (he's too tall and he would certainly have to hit the weights hard), but he's the one actor I'd be most excited to see in the role. Nobody can argue that the guy isn't rough around the edges. He's done some hard living over the past few decades; you can see it in his face and hear it in his gravel-chewed voice. And the characters he's played in the past makes him feel a little bit dangerous. He represents everything the anti-hero Wolverine should be: a gruff, hard-as-nails, but spiritual loner (Bud from Kill Bill, anyone?) who likes to do it his own way and occasionally becomes an uncontrollable, enraged animal.

So there it is. Thoughts? Any of these right on the money? Who would you cast differently?

I wonder what Wolverine's spirit animal would be. Maybe a dolphin?

Love all but 2 or 3 picks. When I say love I mean you hit it spot-on.

Wolverine pick Im not in agreement with though. The person originally cast to be Wolverine was Dougray Scott. Who?! Yeah he was the villain in Mission Impossible 2. This was after a year of going thru unknowns and stars alike casting, phone calls, auditions and what not before he was finally cast.

What held up Dougray Scott was 2 weeks before the X-Men filming was to begin he had to opt out because the Mission Imposible sequel was running too long. For Dougray Scott that had to have been a brutal blow. Jackman was cast on short notice and the rest is history.

So Id pick Dougray Scott since he's an accomplished stage actor, isnt big at all, and actually looks like Wolvie.

Dougray Scott is interesting to think about, since there's really no way to know how he might have played the role. I do think he'd be a worthy pick, but like Jackman, you're talking about an uncharacteristic actor playing a role that had already been re-imagined a bit by the studio. I'm not so sure how that would have turned out. Madsen, on the other hand, at least feels "right" for the character, based on his persona and the kinds of roles he's played in the past.

Furthermore, I try not to cast based on looks alone. Frankly, it doesn't matter to me that Jackman was quite tall. Madsen is 6'2" and Dougray Scott is still 6', so you can't really win on height with any of these guys. And I actually think Madsen looks much more like Wolverine that Dougray Scott, anyway. Obviously, Wolverine has been drawn a thousand different ways by now, but Madsen just seems to have the right face.

Mickey Rourke could probably play Wolverine with his eyes closed too. Hell, he wouldnt even have to act. Rourkes 5'11"....still too tall! lol!

Youre right about there being a actor for every artists portrayal of Wolverine. Sam Kieths Wolvie wearing a wifebeater would probably be played best by Robert DeNiro or Harvey Keitel.

Jim Lee's Wolverine will always be my favorite.

Jim Lees Wolverine was so good it belongs in the Most Badass Picture You Can Find thread.

Back before any of the X-Men films were made, I could only imagine Harvey Keitel as Wolverine. He's squatty, stocky and can play a hard ass with the best of them.



Too old now, but I still think he'd have been great.

Actually, neither you nor Sleezy dropped a Frank Quitely version of Emma Frost...yours is by Ethan Van Sciver, and I don't know who drew Sleezy's...

Frank Quitely's Emma Frost:


I am a man who knows his comics.

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"You, me, everyone...we are all made of star stuff." - Neil Degrasse Tyson

https://shawnsmovienight.blogspot.com/

Yes indeed. For me, Lee defined the 1980s/1990s X-Men, even though Andy Kubert drew a slew of those books.





I think he might have meant Grant Morrison's Emma Frost, but yeah, Frank Quitely drew Emma with the improba-boobs.

I prefer Adam Kubert myself. His stuff was like a cross between Neal Adams and George Perez. Strong art with great detail.

Just stumbled across this and got to say that some of your choices are absolutely inspired.

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I like some of the choices, I love some of the choices (Mainly Guy Pierce, John Noble and Stellan Skarsgard) but then some I just shake my head and say "Noooooo". But this is who you would pick and thats ok.