Cast Musings: Captain Nemo
Who should joing David Fincher down 20,000 Leagues?
Hey Fools! By now most if not all of you have at one point or another heard about Disney's intention to rejuvenate their take on Jules Vernes' 20,000 League Under the Sea. McG was originally set to do it, but one change at the top of the Mouse House later it was deemed too dark and costly therefore scrapped. Enter David Fincher, who wants to do an epic adventure with Disney, and pitched them a new Captain Nemo origins idea. The rest, hopefully, will soon be history.
A former prince deposed from his kingdom following the the British Empires bloody actions during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Nemo is a highly educated man who took to the seas in defiance over the laws of men, carrying a maniacal hatred of any from of oppression which he associates to imperialism; he destroys any warship he runs into and does it with a grudge. In other words, a highly brainful badass.
McG's project was strongly rumored to involve Will Smith as the Captain, so clearly the Indu-ish ethnicity of the character doesn't weigh so much in the Disney balance - their classic 50s film had James Mason playing him. Granted, Prince of Persia recently eschewed quite some lamentations over whitwashing, but then again who says Nemo can't be re-invented to whatever origins Fincher damn well pleases?!? Thus we at CineFools had one of our round tables to try and see who would best lead the crew of the Nautilus.
Fleetwood's choices:
Chiwetel Ejiofor has that extremely cool and calm demeanour of a black James Bond, able to seamlessly swtich from diffident sweetness (Red Belt, American Gangster) to cold calculated aggression (Serenity, Children of Men). He brings an impressive baggage behind him including martial arts and stunts, and is absolutely prime for the big time.
Cliff Curtis is one of the most versatile actors working today, his own ethnicity being such a mystery to audiences as much as studio execs that only once was he asked to play his actual one - a Maori in Whale Rider. Otherwise he's been seen as Mexican-Americans, Colombians, Arabs, Persians, and Chechens. With great charisma onscreen and a body of work spanning 20 years, he was born to play Nemo.
Colin Farrell; who better to embody the boundless anger Nemo arbours against humanity? He has this incredible stamina and body language that make him scary just to be around, yet he commands the strong gravitas of a leader. An educated Alpha Male with a few pints' worth in his veins and a boot always ready to meet some poor sap's arse. Plus, he's a big name on his way to a big comeback - perfect for him AND the studio!
Biggeoff's Choices:
Russell Crowe - I know pricing may be the issue but imagine him bearded up. As described with Colin Farrell, Crowe is the embodiment of an Alpha Male. It would also be nice to see Crowe working with a great director aside from Ridley Scott. We all know he can have the very dark side but as shown in A Good Year (which is completely underrated) he can play a character that shows emotion on the happier side as well.
Laurence Fishburne - Morpheus: what else is there to say? Fantastic actor, amazing presence onscreen.
Mark Wahlberg - there are two reasons for this. I believe Wahlberg is a better actor than we get on screen 9 times out of 10. But under the right guidance you get something great like his performance in The Lovely Bones. I believe his asking price will be perfect and his fits the Captain build perfectly.
Presterjohn's Choices:
Daniel Craig
Viggo Mortenson
and for the crowds I would choose
Jeff Bridges
So non consensus this week, though I do admit Viggo Mortensen is a choice I hadn't considered and a pretty brilliant one.What say you Fools? Agree or disagree with that choice? Got someone else in mind you'd like to see at the helm of the Nautilus? Let us know right here below!
Posted by Fleetwood - 6/1/2010 4:45:43 PM
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