So there weren't many "ground rules" for us with casting this movie. The budget for Star Wars movies from Lucasfilm and Disney is likely unlimited (LEGAL NOTE: Totally not fact checked). We decided to keep some of the original cast, but did our best to find suitable replacements for everyone. As far as the structure of the film is concerned, we are doing this under the assumption the movies stay mostly the same, with only a few additions and changes. Enjoy!
@BarstoolKenJac: What a talentless little shit Jake Lloyd was. I mean I know he was just a kid, but god damn. Tremblay was phenomenal in 'Room' and a few other projects and could definitely bring an element of like, I don't know, empathy to the character of young Anakin.
@JeffDLowe: Yeah, Lloyd just didn't have it. I mean, hell, the 'Making of Episode I Documentary' even shows George Lucas and his team basically admitting he maybe wasn't the best choice (clip below). Also, after you star in 'Jingle All the Way,' a top Christmas movie for me, your career can only go downhill. As KenJac said, Tremblay was great in 'Room' playing a pretty serious role. A theme with these castings for me is that the characters will require a bit of a tonal change - starting with Episode I Anakin not being as goofy.
@JeffDLowe: First off, I really think there needs to be a different Anakin with each of these films. So swap out Hayden Christensen for Evan Peters, who has been pretty great in numerous roles in the last five or so years. The Episode II version of Anakin could have benefited from a looser personality, as he was a rising teen-to-twenty-something Jedi. Peters can handle action and wit/humor as evidenced by his performances as Quicksilver in the newer X-Men films so this role would fit him well.
@BarstoolKenJac: Agreed. No need for continuity especially at the cost of general enjoyment. My main experience in Peters lies in his role as 'Quicksilver' and in 'Kick Ass.' Like Jeff said, he handled both the wit and humor well, which suits 'Attack of the Clones.' He could definitely add a bit of boyish charm to the seduction of Padme as opposed to the caveman grunting of Hayden Christiansen.
@BarstoolKenJac: The only thing more striking than Cavill's INSANE handsomeness is his versatility in dramatic roles. With the first glimpse of evil Anakin already shown by Peters in Episode II, Cavill would absolutely kill the final transformation into Vader. Imagining his rage a la the emotional parts of Man of Steel applied to him vs. Obi-Wan is an incredible prospect. Also seeing actual emotion and pain while fighting between the dark and the light >>>>>
@JeffDLowe: Uh, so, sorry to Hayden Christensen. To be fair, it wasn't totally his fault these movies were clunky as I firmly believe the script let him down completely. With that said... we move on to Cavill! This is tricky because he is a good 10-plus years older than Hayden was when he played Episode III Anakin. But I have always felt this Anakin needed to be slightly older anyway. Just shift that Star Wars timeline around a touch, maybe make Episode I happen earlier in the process, and BOOM - we have new Anakins! (Also, going to need you to dye your hair, Henry.)
@JeffDLowe: There really wasn't anything wrong with Natalie Portman in the prequels and you could argue that the script was clunky and brought her down as well. Vikander, an Academy Award winner mind you, is elegant and can be an action badass - which is required for the role of Padme. We have also made the executive decision to remove "Anakin, you're breaking my heart!" from the Episode III script. WOOF.
@BarstoolKenJac: Portman really was a victim of a shitty script, but an update is overdue. Vikander is a multifaceted actress who could definitely bring it in both the romantic sense and the warrior sense. My only question is to have a second Padme to counter Peters in Episode II? And yes, drop the SHIT out of that garbage line above.
@BarstoolKenJac: I gotta say, I always loved Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. He really had nothing to do with his role being bad/poorly executed. But in a recast, Fassbender would be phenomenal. We've seen him in just about every spectrum of emotional acting necessary for a Jedi, and he definitely gives off the understanding but unprepared mentor roll in the few films he has had that in.
@JeffDLowe: As I type this, I regret re-casting this role. Ewan McGregor KILLED it as Obi-Wan and is the devil's advocate to the bad-script argument because he was great even with clunky dialogue. With all of that said, I have a huge man-crush on Fassbender and would cast him for any role, hell even Padme. The dude is just incredible.
@JeffDLowe: Viggo Mortensen, like Michael Fassbender, is another actor who just dominates all of his performances. I thought Liam Neeson did a fine job with this role, but based on playing Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings films, he'd do a stellar job wielding a lightsaber.
@BarstoolKenJac: GOD do I love Viggo. The dude drops NOTHING but absolute heaters. It sounds like a broken record but Liam Neeson is another unfortunate victim of clunky screenwriting. I prefer Viggo either way. Gives off that wise vibe and we already know he can handle a sword.
@BarstoolKenJac: Fuck this character to oblivion. But if we are going to do it, at least do it right. Serkis has never underwhelmed in a MoCap role.
@JeffDLowe: Oh man, there are so, so, so many reasons to hate Jar Jar Binks. Skip to 2:22 in the Star Wars YouTube video under the Episode I Anakin section below to hear George Lucas proclaim that "Jar Jar is the key to all of this." Stomach churning comment right there. "If we can get Jar Jar working..." well, George, he didn't work. Andy Serkis could MoCap a rock and turn it into an Oscar-worthy performance, so he may as well try and save Jar Jar.
@JeffDLowe: This may be unpopular among Star Wars fans because Ray Park/Peter Serafinowicz were beloved for their dual Darth Maul role, but we need a re-cast here to give the character a more heavyweight performance. Michael Shannon has been dominating his roles in the last few years and knows how to really channel intense and, at times, disturbing emotions in his films. Darth Maul just looks dark and twisted, so it's time to beef the character up with a deeper performance and more lines! (He barely fucking talks in Episode I... he literally only says 31 words in the film)
@BarstoolKenJac: When Shannon plays evil he could be mistaken for the devil incarnate, which is perfect considering Darth Maul's design is basically the devil incarnate. I agree with Jeff that he would certainly need more dialogue. Dude's voice is absolutely haunting and would definitely add to both the individual role and the overall experience of the Sith, which doesn't have much of a voice outside of Palpatine.
@BarstoolKenJac: RIP in Peace Christopher Lee. Maybe one of the best actors at portraying both evil and regal actors, Fiennes is almost a no brainer. Think a more low-key Voldemort without the shitty nose.
@JeffDLowe: I always found Count Dooku to be a tad... dopey? No disrespect to Christopher Lee, who was great in the role, but I felt the character should've been written with a bit more of a nasty tone. Ole Voldemort himself would be great to fill the shoes of an elegant villain, as a former Jedi should be, but with a little more bite than before to the character.
@JeffDLowe: Okay, we got a little weird with this shit. General Grievous STINKS as a character. He is badass looking, but, like Darth Maul, he really just doesn't pack a punch with the personality. Unlike Maul, however, Grievous had more than a handful of lines in the movie. Walton Goggins can deliver a killer southern accent, but also has the ability to create a handful of voices. He has some great chaotic scenes in shows like 'Justified' and 'Vice Principals.' His huge personality would really add a lot to the over-the-top and cowardly Grievous, who is currently a little flat.
@BarstoolKenJac: Grievous certainly did stink, but I disagree in calling him and Maul personality equivalents. Maul was basically a robot, and Grievous, an actual robot, brought a certain level of malice to the role. But he seemed almost like a cartoon superhero villain as opposed to a true antagonist. Goggins has a solid voice range and could absolutely give our cyborg friend a little more oomph.
@BarstoolKenJac: We are BEEFING up the clone troopers folks. Momoa is a great and understated actor, not that it's necessary for the role. Having Clone Troopers look more like machines bred specifically for war as opposed to just Joe Shmo's might add a little more to the overall experience that 'The Clone Wars' was supposed to bring.
@JeffDLowe: So Momoa would actually replace Jango Fett as well. We may need to give him some old person makeup, or something, but it's Hollywood so that's easy. This would lead us to use Momoa as Boba Fett in the 'Boba Fett: A Star Wars Story' movie that KenJac and I are going to greenlight on behalf of Disney. Imagine how badass a Khal Drogo Boba Fett would be!?
@JeffDLowe: Ugh. Little boy Boba Fett might have been the biggest misstep in all of these prequels. Yes, even worse than Jar Jar Binks (maybe not, I kind of take that back). Nobody, anywhere in the world, asked for the kid version of Boba Fett. It was total fan service and such a "HEY FANBOYS, IT'S BOBA FETT" moment. I get he has to be young, so why not go with the new Flash himself, Ezra Miller? Boba Fett's age would have to be adjusted a bit, but that shouldn't be an issue because we have literally never see his face in the original trilogy. Just, please... no little kid.
Side note, try and find a shittier Star Wars toy than the young Boba Fett from the rain scene on Kamino. Here's a hint: you can't! Nope. There is not a shittier toy. Also, does Jango's helmet that comes in the package include his decapitated head? He didn't have his dad's helmet or jetpack in that rain scene... so I have so many questions.
@BarstoolKenJac: Jesus Christ that toy. Ezra would add some punch for certain to the role of young Boba. He kills it as the Flash and was low key good in 'We Need to Talk About Kevin.' Ditto with Jeff on adjusting the age though. I think adolescent Boba plays much more, seeing him try to quell his aggression/fear and trying to live up to his father. It might be easier to relate to than like a what, 10-year-old kid supposedly cognizant enough to shoot turbolasers as a Jedi?
@JeffDLowe: Do you see a theme here at this point? Bland characters with huge connections to the plot and events of these movies need to be revamped. The death of Anakin's mother is a major turning point in his journey to the Dark Side of the Force... but you really don't connect emotionally. I felt this performance was a little flat and Keri Russell would be great to insert here. She can bring the needed emotion to a role that requires you to sense the love and heartbreak between a mother and son. Her death should hit the viewer heavily and allow you to understand Anakin's anger. It also goes without saying that her role and presence would probably need to be beefed up a bit. Remove that pivotal scene where Jar Jar steals a frog from a street vendor and insert some more Shmi character development.
@JeffDLowe: Remember that key moment in Star Wars history where Chancellor Valorum was overthrown from the Senate, paving the way for the Galactic Empire? No? You don't even remember Chancellor Valorum!? I'm beating a dead horse at this point, but here's another character with a major role in the changing of the galaxy yada, yada, yada we need to change him up. Give me Anthony Hopkins any day of the week. I know Terence Stamp is a well-known actor, but it's Antony Hopkins damn it. He also needs to redeem himself for being in that recent Transformers dumpster fire.
@BarstoolKenJac: Something Jeff and I talked about a lot is how TERRIBLY they did this role. Literally, the linchpin for the entire fucking Galactic Republic and he has like 5 speaking lines??? We definitely need a more established actor and an expanded role to show the politics of how he was deposed. Without him being overthrown, there IS NO GALACTIC EMPIRE.
@JeffDLowe: Couldn't think of a more ideal actor. Outside chance he'd win an Oscar with this one.
@BarstoolKenJac: Yup.
@BarstoolKenJac: Still the GOAT. No need for change.
@JeffDLowe: Can't change this one. He was too good and was in the original trilogy.
@JeffDLowe: Come on. It's Jimmy Smits! He's also in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.'
@BarstoolKenJac: It's sort of a nondescript yet evergreen role. Really no need to change.
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Those are our picks! Agree? Disagree? Regardless, we want to hear your thoughts. Let us know here and on twitter at @LightsCameraPod.
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