Question: You're given unlimited funds to produce a movie based on Ragnarok. Who do you hire to direct? Who do you cast as which gods? Where do you film? And how about a film score?
Okay, today is the day we are supposed to unveil our grand casting choices. We were planning to do this on, like, Sunday, but then we realized that casting is seriously really hard, guys.
Finding the perfect actor for your roles is hard enough, but apparently all the actors John and I are fond of are approaching too old to perform some of these roles, so that added an extra level of challenge. We're lucky that a lot of the Norse gods are mature actor roles and not young'uns, but even so, there was a lot of dithering around trying to separate our memories of what these guys looked like fifteen years ago from what they can do now. Players also offered their input, but were similarly stumped. John's ambitions of casting Christopher Walken somewhere were mostly dashed.
But here's our final list of picks, difficult though it was. Some of these are casting we love; others are good but we're still open to suggestion.
Tim Roth as Aegir
Uma Thurman as Angrboda
Alexander Skarsgard as Baldur
Christian Bale as Bragi
Charlize Theron as Freya
Leonardo DiCaprio as Freyr
Meryl Streep as Frigg
Kiera Knightley as Gerd
James Purefoy as Heimdall
Tilda Swinton as Hel
Mark Wahlberg as Hermod
Hugh Jackman as Hod
Kate Winslet as Idun
Daniel Day-Lewis as Loki
Chris Hemsworth as Magni
Chris Pine as Modi
Naomi Watts as Nanna
Tom Hiddleston as Narvi
Liam Neeson as Njord
Ciaran Hinds as Odin
Gwyneth Paltrow as Sigyn
Jessica Biel as Sinmore
Vin Diesel as Surtr
Brad Pitt as Thor
Jason Statham as Tyr
Benedict Cumberbatch as Vali (son of Loki)
Viggo Mortensen as Vali (son of Odin)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Vidar
Dame Judi Dench as The Voelva
It goes without saying that everyone will be going through rigorous physical training to make sure they're the kind of muscled trainwrecks that Norse gods (male and female) usually need to be. Also, everyone will have beards. Beards everywhere.
I know people out there will definitely have opinions on this one, so lay them on us! It's mostly a game of who likes what actors, so in the end it's all subjective, but that's what this whole exercise is about! Also, if anyone has suggestions for totally awesome voice actors for Fenrir and Jormungandr, we're all ears.
It wasn't supposed to be part of this official casting call, but our players would also like everyone to know that they voted to cast either Antonio Banderas or Dwayne Johnson as Huitzilopochtli. Just, you know, in case it ever comes up.
Tilda Swinton must be willing give up her role as Hel if a better Actress comes along. She may be a natural at pulling off the "Heartless Bitch" role in Narnia but Hel's motives may just be more complicated then she can understand. If she can get into character and convey both the beauty and danger inherent in Hel, then i wish her the best of luck. Otherwise she may need to learn when to step aside.
ReplyDeleteOh, man, why the Swinton hate-on? I've really liked her in a few things. Narnia's actually not one of them - she was better in Constantine and Burn After Reading. Narnia I think she didn't really have a lot to do, and was more cast for the look than anything else.
DeleteShe actually fits Hel for me perfectly. Seeing her in that make-up might give me horrible, endless nightmares though.
DeleteI will clarify this once and only once. I do not hate Tilda Swinton or Narnia. I loved her in the Lion the Witch + the Wardrobe and her "surprise" appearance in Prince Caspian was fantastic. But many other of her roles are gender driven & every time Narnia needed "a witch" the overwhelming attitude seemed to be "avoid context; use Swinton". I'm just saying Swinton should feel free to put her character into Hel, & Hel shouldn't be forced onto Swinton. Jadis just seemed to forced onto her after the 1st narnia movie. I'm just hoping you don't make the same mistakes the studio made with her.
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DeleteYou clarified nothing. You said you have some complaints with the writers and directors, but you've said nothing about why you dislike her acting.
DeleteGillian Anderson as Fenrir would be a great addition to the movie. I loved her role as Moro in Princess Mononoke and it would probably be funny for Tyr to find out the wolf he's supposed to be tying up is actually a girl.
Deletei don't hate her acting. i hated the movie roles she was put in. Her acting is great but you can put her in almost anything. That's the problem, the fact you can keep putting her in such a complicated piece as narnia is a testament to her acting skills, but they basically put her on a sinking ship (literally and figuratively ;)) and told her to "do your best". (She should be Hel because she wants it, not because someone is convinced that she should be Hel);please note that this is fake movie advice, don't take me to seriously.
DeleteWell, of course everyone on this list wants to be in these roles. It's our fantasy. :) (Plus, we could never get this many expensive people in one place if they didn't want to be.)
DeleteBe sure to spend plenty of money on her outfits. Swinton probably loves her wardrobe. ;) Finally got the last of the narnia puns out of the way.
DeleteIf you dont hate her acting then Im not sure your complaint makes any sense. Its still valid if you just dont like her as the part. But that doesnt seem to be it either.
Deletewhy the switch around with Hemsworth and Hiddlston. Didn't like Thor or the Avengers?
ReplyDeleteNot at all - we loved both movies and loved them in both parts (especially Hiddleston!). But while they were awesome for Marvel's Thor and Loki, we're looking for mythology's Thor and Loki - those roles need to be older and more complex than Marvel's portrayals, and Hemsworth and Hiddleston aren't the right fit for them.
DeleteBut we did love them, and they definitely deserved a place in this movie as part of the younger guard of Asgard. It's not a coincidence that they're slated as the sons of Thor and Loki, respectively.
I thought they'd be awesome. We argued about it for a while and I gave up. Anne thinks they're "good enough for marvel".
DeleteNah, I think they're awesome for Marvel. But we're not doing Marvel. So.
DeleteAlso, you're just easily dazzled by a set of shiny abs.
They're awesome for everything.
Deletebut.....pitt and DDL are amazing....so its ok.
I can understand some of the choices that were made in the casting, but I do not see some of these actors doing a good job with their roles. I will not get in specifics who, cause I can not make a better assumption for some of these parts. Like the actor you guys chose for Baldur, I am not really thrilled if he got the part. But for the life of me, I can not think of someone that would be better off the top of my head. After I wrack my brain for a while, I may come up with someone that I deem better, but for now I'll let that go.
ReplyDeleteI literally, though, went through the list, getting a picture of the actor and description of the person they could play, seeing if I liked the combination and like I said earlier, some were questionable. Though I have to say Liam Neilson as Njord seems to be an awesome choice for me, lol. And Vin Diesel as Surtr just made me laugh cause I could see how he could be him. lol. But their needs to be beards and muscles. Lot of muscles. lol.
I'm with you on Baldur, actually - he was the very last one we cast, and we kind of had to give up because we really couldn't come up with anyone better. I don't think Skarsgard would be bad, but he's not quite what I wanted, either. I keep wracking as well.
DeleteBut of course, beards and muscles are a necessity!
This is your fantasy right? So why are we limiting ourselves on people who are alive to play this. Lets say we have a time machine to 'borrow' actors and actresses from different times to play them. Cause then I will personally say that Heath Ledger would make a great Baldur and that is not a joke on anything, nor do I wish to offend anyone. But that is an example, its your fantasy. GO ALL OUT ON HOW TO MAKE IT. Even if you have to do a bs maneuver like that to get a good actor.
DeleteOr was there ground rules that everyone must be alive to do these parts that I do not know about. Cause if there is, disregard the top then. lol.
It is our fantasy, but we decided to work only with people we could actually cast. So nobody dead or too old for the part - we may have loved a lot of actors in their heyday, but we're pretending we can make this movie today, so we're casting strictly from living actors. :)
DeleteHeath Ledger's name did come up more than once in our discussions (though I think we pegged him as more of a slightly rugged Freyr type). But alas, he is beyond our reach.
Thinking more on the cast. Brad Pitt as Thor, was not one of my favorites. Yes, he looks good. But he is too soft for my liking. Yes, he was in Troy and Fight Club, but he is too pretty boy for me to have him roled as Thor. But it got me thinking, What if we take out Skarsgard and put in Pitt there. With how he looks, I think he can pull of the a good Baldur.
DeleteAlso, if you want a more rugged version of Freyr, how about Tom Hardy? I think the british actor could pull off a more scandanavian look, then maybe free up Leonardo Dicaprio for a different spot in case you want him.
Maybe we should also take out Hugh Jackman, in my opinion. Personally, I think Clive Owen (look him up with facial hair.) would be a better Hod. Though thats just me, I don't even know if he ever came up or if you decided against him.
I do love Clive Owen. He didn't really come up, but I could see him somewhere!in the cast. I could see either him or Jackman - as long as that person is a good contrast to Baldur.
DeleteI definitely wouldn't put Pitt in as Baldur. He's too old, and I personally don't think he looks like a Baldur. (T-minus ten seconds until John runs in here to yell at me about how hot Brad Pitt is.) I can understand the feeling that he might be too good-looking for Thor, but we cast him for his proven potential for mayhem. Also, he's gotten rougher-looking over the years - extrapolate that beard he's got going a little bigger and I could definitely see him being fully Norse-ified.
I'm actually going the other way on Hardy - I really like him, but I don't think he's attractive enough to be Freyr! Freyr's pretty hot, and he needs to match Freya. (Although with a different person playing Freya, maybe?)
At least we agree Clive Owen should be in the movie. lol.
DeleteI understand the age being an issue, but him getting rougher around the edges, not so much. He is too feminine for me to cast him as Thor. I am sorry, but thats how it is to me. His soft features most of the time in his roles just irk me when I try to picture Thor. Lol, I just can not picture him as Thor, but I do think he should have a part in the movie. As a more Good Looking and some physical attributes to him.
With how Tom Hardy can look and how I see your choice of Freya, I can see them working out well together. Especially since I see Freyr not having a beard(shocking). But if we want a rougher around the edges good looking guy, Tom Hardy. The more suave and sophisticated should Leonardo Dicaprio.
Replacing Charlize Theron with someone better though may be a good call. Honestly, I can go either way with her as Freya.
No deal! Beards all around!
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DeleteWell then, I see we lost Anne in beard glory, you wanna chime in John? lol, its both of your babies and I am curious as to what you see in our discussion. lol.
But either way, I see how hard it is to make a list of people that you want to see, without having random people also apply. Cause we may have some random people we have never heard of before be able to do much better jobs. We just do not know. lol.
Marvel's Thor is about the same "age" as Magni at the time of ragnarok anyway, so casting Hemsworth makes sense (now he just looks like Thor from "back in the day"). But aren't Magni and Modi supposed to be twins? You could probably cast Hemsworth's brother and enhance their resemblance.
ReplyDeleteI think Magni and Modi are technically only referred to as brothers, not twins, but you're right, most of us assume they're twins since they sort of act as a unit. Oh, well - maybe they're fraternal. :)
Deletewho would be Thrud? I vote Scarlett Johanson
ReplyDeleteWe hadn't cast Thrud because she doesn't technically have any role in Ragnarok, but I could definitely see Johansson playing her! And not having a big role doesn't mean we can't bring her to the party - after all, she may not have lines but she's probably still a great figure to see in the background kicking ass!
DeleteVin Diesel as Surtr? I would do him entirely by computer. Altough Vin Diesel is a gamer, which for lack of acting might be good to include.
ReplyDeleteMost good and great CGI now use actors for motion capture and vocal work. In fact I think its pretty unheard of to do cgi character in a movie without motion capture actor/vocalist behind it.
DeleteI don't agree with your Odin. I think Hinds looks too Roman. I don't really have an alternative but I would look for someone who can pull off a scandinavian royal look and the grey wanderer look.
ReplyDeletei would also like to throw in Hugo Weaving as the voice of Fenrir. He made an excellent Megatron and I think he can pull off the wolf pretty well.
I actually worried about that for Hinds, too - he's so incredibly Roman-looking in Rome that I wasn't sure he could pull it off. But on a whim I searched for what he looks like bearded, and man, that really softens his face down a lot! We also talked about James Purefoy and Tim Roth (finally cast as Heimdall and Aegir, respectively) as possible Odins before deciding on Hinds.
DeleteHugo Weaving is a great choice for a voice actor! Man, how did I not think of him?
Lame, link didn't work, sorry! Here's a smaller version of what I was trying to link: Beardy Hinds.
DeleteI see what you mean. He does look less like the Caesar with a beard.
ReplyDeleteI was also looking at my favorite voice actors and I think Clancy Brown and Kevin Michael Richardson could pull off some awesome monster voices as well.
Mads Mikkelsen as Uller
ReplyDeleteI totally dig it.
DeleteI think I can see Mads Mikkelsen as Tyr.
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