My Preacher Cast
I've been re-reading one of my favorites Preacher. As I mentioned before, there have been several false starts over the years about its screen adaptation. The most serious attempt seemed to be by HBO, but the network pulled the plug saying it was too dark and religiously controversial. Pussies!
It would have to be a TV show. There's no way a 2-3 hour movie can do justice to all the material. So I got thinking about the dream cast for a TV adaptation. Here's my line-up.
Rev. Jesse Custer i.e. the Preacher - I have been thinking about this casting on and off for years. And I never found anyone close enough. The guy has to have a southern accent, or more specifically, a Texan drawl. So the first name that comes to mind is Matthew Mcconnaughey. Blech. He seems too... I don't know...dumb..pretentious....uni-dimensional to play such a complex role. James McAvoy was the next name that came to mind, if one were to ignore the accent. But then I got it! Maybe it's my final season LOST obsession. But even non-LOST-ies should agree that Sawyer from LOST, Josh Holloway has the perfect personality, attitude, and the accent to play Jesse. He is blond while Jesse in the comic has dark hair, but I am sure that is not a big deal. I can visualize Holloway as a drunk Reverend in the bar in Annville insulting anyone and everyone. I can see him be helpless when his Grandma has him by the balls. And I can see him riffing with Cassidy and romancing Tulip. Yup. Put it down with a permanent marker - Josh Holloway.
Tulip O'Hare - My favorite female character from comics. Okay, 2nd favorite. Sandman's Death can not be beat. But Tulip is the perfect human female character. Hot, sassy, smart, troubled, vulnerable, and has been handling guns since she was a kid. My first choice, Brittany Murphy, died recently. Amy Smart and Gillian Jacobs look the part, but haven't demonstarted the potential for convincing bad-assery. A friend suggested Kristen Stewart, but having stayed away from Twilight movies, I can't be sure. I was almost about to go with the lazy choice Natasha Henstridge, when I looked at my Starbucks coffee cup and thought - Starbuck! OK, I lie, I wasn't drinking Starbucks. But wouldn't Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, and a current regular on (groan!) 24, Katee Sackhoff be just perfect as Tulip? Hot, blonde, wise-ass, bad-ass, and with ample experience of wielding a gun.
'Proinsias' Cassidy - This one seemed like it would be tough. A slim and rugged Irish vampire. Luckily, he acts nothing like stuck-up self-aware stereotypical vampires, so I could afford to once again give a miss to Twilight. So I decided to go through a mental checklist of all Irish actors I could think of. And I nailed it at the first one. Colin Farrell. Perfect. Any debate?
The Saint of Killers - This was the easiest of the lot. I think I remember even Garth Ennis saying who he visualized while writing the character. Clint Eastwood (needs no IMDB hyperlinking). Too old, you say? Have you seen Gran Torino? But if you must, feel free to cast Chuck Norris instead. :P
Herr Starr - So far I have stayed true to ethnic origins when making the picks, so I am going to look only at Germans for this role. Christoph Waltz who blew people away in Inglourious Basterds would seems like the obvious, if lazy choice. But I don't think he's a good fit. So...umm...what other German actors do I know? Think German movies you have seen. Goodbye Lenin. Daniel Burhl? Hahh. The Lives of Others? Yes! Ulrich Muhe. Fuck! He died too, didn't he? Why is it that every time I want to cast Preacher roles, my first choices die? The other Ulrich? From Downfall? Ulrich Matthes? Yes. Actually, YES! He even has the..well...unusual face for it. Done. Shave his head, block an eye, make him Starr.
And finally,
Arseface - I am going to be just wickedly mean and cast Shia Lebouf. I like the guy. He'd actually be my (and anyone else's) first and only choice for Yorrick if I started casting for Y: The Last Man. But there's something insanely vicarious about the idea of covering his face with arse-like make-up, making him drool, and gurgle his words.
And that is my main cast for Preacher. Haven't given too much thought to the marginal characters yet. But off the top of my head, Amy Adams as Featherstone. Chris Cooper as Hugo Root. Billy Bob Thornton as Jody. Chloris Leachman as Jesse's Grandma.
It would have to be a TV show. There's no way a 2-3 hour movie can do justice to all the material. So I got thinking about the dream cast for a TV adaptation. Here's my line-up.
Rev. Jesse Custer i.e. the Preacher - I have been thinking about this casting on and off for years. And I never found anyone close enough. The guy has to have a southern accent, or more specifically, a Texan drawl. So the first name that comes to mind is Matthew Mcconnaughey. Blech. He seems too... I don't know...dumb..pretentious....uni-dimensional to play such a complex role. James McAvoy was the next name that came to mind, if one were to ignore the accent. But then I got it! Maybe it's my final season LOST obsession. But even non-LOST-ies should agree that Sawyer from LOST, Josh Holloway has the perfect personality, attitude, and the accent to play Jesse. He is blond while Jesse in the comic has dark hair, but I am sure that is not a big deal. I can visualize Holloway as a drunk Reverend in the bar in Annville insulting anyone and everyone. I can see him be helpless when his Grandma has him by the balls. And I can see him riffing with Cassidy and romancing Tulip. Yup. Put it down with a permanent marker - Josh Holloway.
Tulip O'Hare - My favorite female character from comics. Okay, 2nd favorite. Sandman's Death can not be beat. But Tulip is the perfect human female character. Hot, sassy, smart, troubled, vulnerable, and has been handling guns since she was a kid. My first choice, Brittany Murphy, died recently. Amy Smart and Gillian Jacobs look the part, but haven't demonstarted the potential for convincing bad-assery. A friend suggested Kristen Stewart, but having stayed away from Twilight movies, I can't be sure. I was almost about to go with the lazy choice Natasha Henstridge, when I looked at my Starbucks coffee cup and thought - Starbuck! OK, I lie, I wasn't drinking Starbucks. But wouldn't Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, and a current regular on (groan!) 24, Katee Sackhoff be just perfect as Tulip? Hot, blonde, wise-ass, bad-ass, and with ample experience of wielding a gun.
'Proinsias' Cassidy - This one seemed like it would be tough. A slim and rugged Irish vampire. Luckily, he acts nothing like stuck-up self-aware stereotypical vampires, so I could afford to once again give a miss to Twilight. So I decided to go through a mental checklist of all Irish actors I could think of. And I nailed it at the first one. Colin Farrell. Perfect. Any debate?
The Saint of Killers - This was the easiest of the lot. I think I remember even Garth Ennis saying who he visualized while writing the character. Clint Eastwood (needs no IMDB hyperlinking). Too old, you say? Have you seen Gran Torino? But if you must, feel free to cast Chuck Norris instead. :P
Herr Starr - So far I have stayed true to ethnic origins when making the picks, so I am going to look only at Germans for this role. Christoph Waltz who blew people away in Inglourious Basterds would seems like the obvious, if lazy choice. But I don't think he's a good fit. So...umm...what other German actors do I know? Think German movies you have seen. Goodbye Lenin. Daniel Burhl? Hahh. The Lives of Others? Yes! Ulrich Muhe. Fuck! He died too, didn't he? Why is it that every time I want to cast Preacher roles, my first choices die? The other Ulrich? From Downfall? Ulrich Matthes? Yes. Actually, YES! He even has the..well...unusual face for it. Done. Shave his head, block an eye, make him Starr.
And finally,
Arseface - I am going to be just wickedly mean and cast Shia Lebouf. I like the guy. He'd actually be my (and anyone else's) first and only choice for Yorrick if I started casting for Y: The Last Man. But there's something insanely vicarious about the idea of covering his face with arse-like make-up, making him drool, and gurgle his words.
And that is my main cast for Preacher. Haven't given too much thought to the marginal characters yet. But off the top of my head, Amy Adams as Featherstone. Chris Cooper as Hugo Root. Billy Bob Thornton as Jody. Chloris Leachman as Jesse's Grandma.
