Sleezy Recasts the X-Men

For those of you who enjoyed my first "casting" thread, I've decided to overhaul the X-Men cast. This isn't really a criticism of those who have played the roles in the X-films to date (although I do think a number of the characters were woefully miscast). I just really like the X-Men and it's fun thinking about how different actors might come together to create a wholly different film than what we've seen.

I'm particularly fond of the Chris Claremont/Jim Lee days from the 1980s/1990s. Cheesy and melodramatic though it was, there was something about the edginess of the costumes and the attempt at tension and drama that really defined X-Men for me. When I think of the X-Men, I go right to that iteration.

So my cast sorta reflects that. They're a little older, but to me they're all fantastic choices.

So let's start with a couple of villains, shall we?



JARED PADALECKI / PYRO
There's a certain intensity and "I don't give a f---" attitude that Pyro ought to have. He's tremendously powerful and he knows it. I think Jared Padalecki is the right age, has an appealing yet dangerous sort of presence, and can channel that sort of intensity perfectly.




FAMKE JANSSEN / MYSTIQUE
I know she played Jean Grey already, but I never liked her in that role and I never liked Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in the Mystique role either. Famke Janssen just didn't translate very well as a "good girl," not when she delivers "bad" so well. She's brilliant when she's playing sexy, devious, dangerous, manipulative characters like this one. Perfect fit.

KELLY HU / PSYLOCKE
Yes, Kelly Hu has already played Lady Deathstrike in X2. But I honestly can't believe no one realized that she is far better suited to play Psylocke. Though I've always considered her a marginal character, there's no denying her appeal. Kelly Hu has the right look, the right sense of beauty and grace, and more than enough fighting ability to bring Psylocke to life.

Fun thread!

Also: Famke = YUM!

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Yessir.

Nice picks so far Sleezy. Im wondering what older, hairy, short, muscular, and mean looking actor you can find to play Wolverine.

In all fairness, Hugh Jackman would be a perfect Wolverine, but he's 6'4". Brian Singer directed the scenes in X-Men 1 & 2 so he wouldnt ever look taller than anyone, but after Jackmans production company started helming the franchise that authenticity was thrown out.

A couple more for the day.



MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD / KITTY PRIDE
I thought Ellen Page was a decent enough choice for Kitty Pride, but I feel she's still a bit too spunky and girlish for the role. Mary Elizabeth Winstead has an edgier and more grown-up, "old soul" quality that fits the recent iterations of the character much better. And she seems like she'd be much more focused and resourceful in a fight.



ALEXANDER NEVSKY / COLOSSUS
Admittedly I don't know much about this actor, but he seems to be on the rise and, superficially, he's a huge muscle-bound Russian. What more can you ask for? I think there is some real soul to Colossus that the comics have managed to tap in the past, so it would be great if Alexander Nevsky had the chops to enliven that stuff. More likely he'd be a supporting character, though, and I think that's fine.

Ya, good picks. I do think the casting for these movies has been pretty solid, though. Even if Hugh Jackman is a small forward.

Here's a somewhat relevant ranking of the onscreen representations of mutants in the series so far.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayli...worst-20140521

I'll go ahead and say that I've retained only one actor from the official cast, and it isn't Wolverine.

Im guessing his name rhymes with Atrick Tewart

KEVIN DURAND / JUGGERNAUT
I really didn't want to cast the Juggernaut because there's not much you can do with him. Nevertheless, he's still such a visual staple of the X-Men that it's hard not to throw him in. I think Kevin Durand (who I love) works pretty well here. He's capable of playing a fun-loving goof one minute, and an unhinged brawler the next. Although he played the Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, his performance in that film and others have convinced me that he can play a rampaging thug.

This is all for today.



EVANGELINE LILLY / ROGUE
This one was tough, but basically you want a spunky, vivacious woman with a lot of heart and a fair bit of sex appeal. Oh, and it doesn't hurt if you believe she can throw a punch too. Put a little Southern accent on her and Eve Lilly brings all of that American charm and (as we've seen in The Desolation of Smaug) plenty of fight to go along with it.



JAMIE BELL / NIGHTCRAWLER
I've always liked how Jamie Bell comes across as a sneaky, quick-thinking, resourceful little dude. That's Nightcrawler in a nutshell. Bell's role in Jumper (the teleporting notwithstanding) really shows how in tune he would be with character: shifty and quick, with a good bit of attitude thrown in.

Evangeline Lilly should be in every film, such a cutie.

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Yes. Not seen enough of her since Lost

Nice choices so far, like the idea and presentation like your other thread although I am not the biggest superheroes fan myself, although I do quite like X-Men actually.

Gosh, Kevin Durand looks so evil!

Nice choices.

If I were to make an X-Men reboot it would be closer to the original line-up of the X-crew. I'd do Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Beast, Prof X (obv), Angel, and Storm and introduce Wolverine the way they did in the first film.

My only casting that should have been done and I'm super mad wasn't is Gina Torres as Storm.

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CHRIS EVANS / ICEMAN
Yes, I realize Chris Evans is already Captain America. But I've never felt like he was right for the role. He's too boyish to play Cap, and though he can definitely play a fighter, he's got a lot of "cool goof" in him too (see Scott Pilgrim and Fantastic 4), which would serve him well as Bobby Drake.



KELSEY GRAMMER / BEAST
Uh-oh. Didn't I say I retained only one actor from the official X-cast? This is the guy. He was absolutely perfect as an older, more established Beast. Admittedly, I wanted to see more science in his game, but Grammer was just the right fit for that character in so many ways. I can't think of anyone who could portray the brilliant blue fur ball better.

I watched X1 and X2 last night, and I think Anna Paquin was great as rogue in ALMOST every way. However, she just doesn't seem like a fighter. I grew up reading Uncanny X-men when rogue was a complete powerhouse, and was the strongest and most dangerous mutant on the team. I recall one issue in which someone punched her in the jaw hard enough that she ended up in outer space! It only served to piss her off... She should definitely be able to at least throw a punch. Not sure I like Lily in the role, though. Then again, she surprised me in the second Hobbit flick.

Regardless, cool cast so far, Sleezy!

I warmed to her a bit after X2, but my beef with her portrayal (which wasn't her fault so much as Singer's direction) was that she was quiet, unsure of herself, and more than a bit mercurial. I guess any good character needs room for growth, but it felt an awful lot like they were trying to turn Rogue into some kind of gloomy version of Jubilee.

Also, I grew up with the comics too (and the Saturday morning cartoon), in which Rogue was a quick-talking, vivacious Southern girl who could throw a punch. After seeing Anna Paquin in True Blood years after the X-films, I sorta found myself wishing Rogue was a bit more like that. Oh well.

Like I said, I struggled finding a new actress. I don't think Evangeline Lilly is a home run, but she's got that youthful spark and girl-next-door appeal that I always felt like was essential to playing Rogue. And she's quite a bit more athletic than Anna Paquin, which also fits.

MICKEY ROURKE / SABRETOOTH
I've really hated the iterations of Sabretooth that we've seen in the X-films so far. In X1, he was just a growling lackey. In Origins, he was a little closer to the right tone, but he was still too "put together." Sabretooth is supposed to be impulsive, animalistic, and unhinged. Mickey Rourke is far more than that, of course, but his work in Iron Man 2 shows that he can deliver a vicious, unpredictable, smirking killer.