Who you’d like to see as Neville & the others
It’s late on a Friday night. You and a couple of friends have just revisited a horror oldie. You’ve all dispensed with the nostalgic analysis, waxing poetic about what you liked, what you didn’t like, the trivia, history and now the conversation is bleeding into candid “what ifs.” That’s what “Re-Cast This!” is all about – capturing that dialogue amongst like-minded genre fans. Every Monday, we’re taking a horror film of arguable caliber and opening up our comment boards to a discussion concerning who you would have cast in the all of the major roles. On Friday, we’ll take some of the most frequent or best suggestions and do a recap.
In our first installment, we placed the 1971 adaptation of Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend,” The Omega Man, in your capable hands to give it a new cast. After five days of gathering your thoughts via the comment boards, here are the results.
Robert Neville (played by Charlton Heston): U.S. military colonel and scientist. Tough. Lonely. Resourceful and savvy with a machine gun. Talks to himself, loves to play chess, can quote Woodstock like nobody’s business, but he a man’s man. Let’s not forget he’s immune to the plague.
You chose: Kurt Russell, former Stuntman Mike, Jack Burton, Snake Plissken and R.J. MacReady. And he’s a good choice at that. Maturity, charisma, machismo – he’s got it. Bruce Willis followed second, which is all well and good. But we’d prefer to see Russell spending some time to himself as Neville, the possible last man on Earth. Willis has already done the “workin’ alone, I’m talkin’ to myself schtick before”…when he was younger. Some of you said Bruce Campbell. Really? Nothin’ against the man, we love him – but he can’t play everything.
Jonathan Matthias (Anthony Zerbe): Former news anchorman and leader of “The Family.” Wants Neville – who he considers a “creature of the wheel,” a vestige of the old society – dead.
You chose: Bill Nighy. That’s perfect. Regardless of what film he’s in – Underworld, Shaun of the Dead or Pirate Radio – he chews the scenery. Man, I’d love to hear “creature of the wheel” roll off his tongue with disdain. No stranger to contacts or make-up, he’d do just fine. The runner up is Hugo Weaving (The Wolfman) and a special place in our heart goes out to the dude who suggested James Woods. An albino James Woods? Incredible.
Zachary (Lincoln Kilpatrick): Matthias’ right-hand man. Sports one mean white afro.
You chose: Spot-on British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor who has starred in 2012, Children of Men and Four Brothers. He’d bring class and a sense of bitter gravity to the role. Mekhi Phifer (Dawn of the Dead ’04) came in close second and he’s a solid choice, too, but he seems to be the go-to guy for simmering rage. Whoever said Gary Busey? You’re on crack. But that submission made us laugh.
Lisa (Rosalind Cash): The first non-infected woman Neville meets. She’s chic and can protect herself. Like Neville, good with a machine gun.
You chose: Avatar and Star Trek‘s Zoe Saldana. She’s on the industry hot list, of course, and she certainly embodies the role. In Omega Man, when we first meet Lisa, she’s posing in a department store of mannequins, trying to blend in. We can see Saldana doing that as well as dishing Neville some necessary attitude. Personally, though, weâd steer towards the second choice some of you voted for: Rosario Dawson. Sexy, tough and we think she could hold her own quite nicely against Kurt Russell.
Dutch (Paul Koslo): Former med school student. Another survivor of the plague and schooled in the ways of Neville’s work. Not a fan of wearing shirts – it’s hippy handsome – but he loves his jacket and hat.
You chose: There were multiple choices across the board, but one of you mentioned Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) and we can stand behind that! He could deliver on the charm, determination and the free spirited nature needed to realize Dutch. Just forget his Cobra Commander was weak sauce. Chris Pine would be ideal, too, but a certain boyishness would be lost by casting him. Plus, we don’t want to think Dutch can beat the shit out of Neville.
Ritchie (Eric Laneuville): Lisa’s teenage brother who is afflicted with the plague and is slowly turning albino (gasp!).
You chose: Someone unknown, but someone suggested Noah Gray-Cabey. Not familiar with the kid, but he’s had a run on Heroes. And no, Gary Coleman is not in the running. Nice try, though.
Great suggestions, fiends! Stay tuned next Monday for our next edition of “Re-Cast This!”
Source: Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor
