So using the characters that wound up in the film, I've gone through and made some revisions...
1) Captain America
I'll admit it...Chris Evans is Cap. But fifteen years ago, I had another guy in mind - Brendan Fraser
This was around the time when The Mummy came out, and whenever I read The Adventures of Captain America, I could see Brendan playing the part. He had the seriousness, the awkwardness and acting chops to carry the role.
2) Hawkeye
This is probably the biggest call to come from out of nowhere.
Jeremy Renner did a decent job, and granted - there wasn't as much of the character than the others, but Clint always struck me as a brash punk. To paraphrase Die Hard 2, "he's an a$$hole...but he's our kind of a$$hole." And charming as all hell, with a carny attitude that would cheat when he had to (and he has). So I always pictured Ben Browder.
Yeah, he was in Stargate-SG1, but I remember him from Farscpae. To be honest, I can see Browder in The Avengers as it stands. Again, not to take anything away from Renner's talent, but he was simply miscast. However, if Browder was interested in joining the MMU, he could play someone against Renner's Hawkeye...someone to but heads with...Hmmm...
3) Iron Man
Fifteen years ago, if you told me that RDJ would even have a chance of playing Tony Stark, I'd tell you you were out of your mind.
While Sean Connery was the second choice to play Bomd (Patrick McGoohan turned it down) there's no question - he owned that role. He defined it. And even though other actors have played Bond since (just as others will play Stark down the line, let's be honest) Connery will forever be linked to the character.
The same is true for Robert Downey Jr.
I recently heard that Marvel Studios is giving him $50 million to continue playing Stark. That may be true, it may be rumor, but RDJ deserves every penny. Not only did he define the character, he helped start the MMU.
Fifteen years ago, the only way it might have worked is if Marvel went with an unknown, the way Christopher Reeve was discovered for Superman.
But RDJ is Tony Stark. He is Iron Man. We're done here. Let's move on...
4) Hulk
Bill Bixby left us far too early, and while he would have been too old for Banner fifteen years ago, he left his imprint on the character - the way Lynda Carter did with Wonder Woman.
So who could have taken his own spin on it? Another of RDJ's group of actors...Anthony Michael Hall.
It was The Dead Zone that convinced me. Now - Dead Zone didn't come out until 2002, but I never would have thought this guy could do what he did with a character once played by Christopher Walken.
I also saw him play Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley, and while that role touched on the nerdy characters he's played in his youth, he showed a level of maturity that comes with age.
His portrayal of Bruce Banner would have been cool. Sort of a blend of Norton and Ruffalo.
5) Thor
Both Thor and Kingpin are very tricky characters to cast. You need the size necessary to convincingly play the part, but also the talent behind (or underneath) the size to successfully portray the character...
Dolph Lundgren.
Hear me out. His Frank Castle wasn't bad at all, and fifteen years ago would have been a good age for him to play Thor. He played He-Man for crying out loud...F**KING HE-MAN!!!
6) Black Widow
Women have a heck of a time getting good roles in Hollywood to begin with. Action roles even more so. Comic-book action roles are almost non-existent, especially serious ones.
In 1997, Batman & Robin came out. At the time, it was the movie to see...until people started seeing it. Uma Thurman and Alicia Silverstone had a chance to show what women can do in this genre, but Joel Schumacher went the campy route instead and we all suffered.
Kill Bill wouldn't come out for another six years, but I'd like to think that if Marvel Studios was around, Uma would have turned down Poison Ivy...and made a fantastic Black Widow.
This movie wouldn't have been be the powerhouse The Avengers is, but it sure would have been something to see...
In Marvel Studios I Trust
No comments:
Post a Comment