Fan-Cast: Main Cast for “The Old Man”

“[M]ost sixty-year-old widowers don’t have multiple driver’s licenses, savings stockpiled in banks across the country, and a bugout kit with two Beretta Nanos stashed in the spare bedroom closet. Most have not spent decades on the run.” — from the goodreads summary of The Old Man novel

A couple weeks ago, I posted my review of “The Old Man” TV series (which was just renewed for a 2nd season), comparing it to the novel of the same name that it was based on. It was a bit more negative review than I usually give. Part of the problem I have with the show has to do with casting, as I wanted to see a more faithful translation from page to screen. Since I can’t actually “put my money where my mouth is,” I thought the least I could do was publish my own fan-casting ideas for the main characters from the novel.

Of course, if you have read the novel or my review, you know that there are fewer central characters in the novel than in the TV show. (The show adds some and upgrades others.) In fact, the only three that rate being called “main cast” are the “old man” himself, ‘Dan Chase’, the woman he develops a relationship with while on the run, ‘Zoe McDonald’, and the primary field operative hunting for them on behalf of the U.S. government, ‘Julian Carson’.

This particular fan-casting will be a little shorter than normal, especially when it comes to the background character history and description. Most of that — or such as I felt necessary — was given or summarized in the “The Problem with the Old Man” post. Also, since this is a rare, multi-character casting, I usually have to be a bit brief, anyway.

The title character uses several names throughout the book, but the one he uses in the first few chapters is ‘Dan Chase’. That’s how I think of him, so that’s how I’ll refer to him. Chase is a white male and, when the story begins, 60 years old. I don’t remember his height being given, but he doesn’t stand out in a crowd, so I’m guessing around 6′, give or take a couple inches. He is fairly active whenever possible — e.g., regular walks, skiing, or martial arts practice. The only physical description I noted upon my recent re-read was that he is “in the same physical condition since he’d joined the army but not muscle-bound or threatening.”

Obviously, I looked for someone who fit the book’s general description, though I was a little lenient on age, assuming I thought the actor could pass for early 60s. I came up with several contenders, including Stephen Lang (5’10.5″,b.1952), J.K. Simmons (5’9.5″,b.1955), Bryan Cranston (5’10.5″,b.1956). Mel Gibson (5’9.75″,b.1956), Iain Glen (6’1″,b.1961), George Clooney (5’11”,b.1961), Elias Koteas (5’10”,b.1961), Ralph Fiennes (5’11”,b.1962). But, for various reasons (age, height, etc.) I ruled each of them out. Despite Bruce Willis (5’11.5″,b.1955) heading into his late-60s, if not for his aphasia diagnosis, I would have seriously considered him.

Ray Stevenson

In the end, I decided that my favorite choice is Ray Stevenson (6’3″,b.1964). Notable selections from Stevenson’s career include Punisher: War Zone, “Dexter”, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, a couple of Thor movies, “Black Sails”, “Reef Break”, “Vikings”, et al. He’s a bit taller than necessary, but that adds to his physical presence, and of course he is quite believable as a soldier/operative. He looks good with or without facial hair (which Chase occasionally sports). Plus, he is the youngest of my candidates, just turning 60 next year. He would be great in the lead role.

Zoe McDonald is described as a white, quite attractive, 45-year-old woman. She is slender and fairly fit with chestnut brown hair. I think she is of average height, but I’m a little flexible on that. I found several candidates, and they all happened to be born in 1977. They include Sarah Wayne Callies (5’8.5″,b.1977), Lynn Collins (5’8″,b.1977), Ashley Scott (5’9″,b.1977), Elizabeth Bogush (5’6″,b.1977). If Annie Wersching (5’7″,b.1977) hadn’t passed away tragically from cancer a couple months ago, I would have leaned toward her.

Anna Madeley

I was favoring Bogush, whom I have seen in multiple episodes of “NCIS: Los Angeles”. But, she is now my second choice. Instead, I decided to go with Anna Madeley (5’7″,b.1977) for the ‘Zoe’ role. I’m not actually familiar with Madeley, but IMDB indicates that she is a highly-acclaimed stage and screen actress whose work is mostly in UK productions — e.g., “Utopia”, The Child in Time (with Benedict Cumberbatch), “The Crown”, “All Creatures Great and Small”. In any case, she has the general sort of look I was going for while also being quite different from the rest of the pack, so to speak. I think she’d make a lovely and quite believable ‘Zoe McDonald’.

Julian Carson (aka “James Harriman”), of course, is the Army Ranger-turned-“special ops contractor” who is hired by the U.S. government to track Dan Chase and assist with his capture or assassination. Carson is described in the novel as a black, fit, 26-year-old male, who can pass for late teens when necessary. He is also shorter than average (no actual height given that I can remember), but is that “average” American male, “average” Army Ranger, or…? While I tried to come up with a pool of young contenders around 5’7″ or so, most everyone was too tall or too old or just a bad fit (or some combo, like Kevin Hart (5’2″)).

John Boyega

So, for the youthful look, I think my best candidate was Alfred Enoch (6’4″,b.1988), mostly known for the Harry Potter movies. But, he’s way too tall and a bit too old. Clinton Liberty (6’1″,b.1997) is a fresh face and the perfect age, but again too tall. Caleb Castille (5’11”,b.1991) from “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “In the Vault” was an interesting option. His primary advantage here is his physicality, but he is also too tall. However, the first person I thought of became my final choice: John Boyega (5’9″,b.1992) from Attack the Block and various Star Wars things. Besides coming closest to the height requirement, I think he still looks fairly young. I can definitely picture him as our conflicted young “special ops contractor”.

As a bonus, I have a couple quick ideas for who could play Zoe’s daughter, ‘Emily’. The character is a white, pretty, blonde college student in her early- to mid-20s. She is quite smart, sharp, and naturally suspicious of the man who showed up out of nowhere in her mother’s life. It occurred to me that Anya Taylor-Joy (b.1996) of “The Queen’s Gambit”, Morgan, Glass, et al., would be a great choice. Another possibility is Kathryn Newton (b.1997) of “Big Little Lies”, “The Society”, and most recently Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Either one would be great in scenes with Dan and/or Zoe.

That about does it. If you are a fan of the TV show or more especially of the novel, let me know what you think!

Fan-Casting ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ for Today

Allow me to say right off that I am not wishing for a ST:TNG reboot. But, I figure it’s only a matter of time before the powers-that-be start thinking (if they haven’t already) that it is time to reboot TNG, just like they did TOS. I mean, who knows if the Kelvin-universe’s Kirk & company will ever return to the big screen. So, they may decide to jump forward with a new TNG cast. (I would be equal parts excited and dreading how they might mess it up, though.) So, I figured I’d throw some names out there….

As usual, I tried to satisfy certain physical characteristics — e.g., approximate age, relative height, general appearance — using the original TNG cast/crew as standards. However, as happens on occasion, I had to ease a little here & there. I think it worked out and resulted in a darn good cast/crew.

As the leader of both cast and crew, I decided it was quite important to find a Brit with a commanding presence for Capt. Jean-Luc Picard. Of course, it would help if he was bald — or would look good that way, even if it isn’t his norm — and had a strong, baritone voice. Now, I only found one I liked for most of the other roles, but for Picard I present two candidates to you.

Colin Salmon

Linus Roache

Colin Salmon (6’4″,b.1962) you may know from “Krypton”, “Limitless”, London Has Fallen, “24: Live Another Day”, “Arrow”, “Strike Back”, or maybe even “Keen Eddie”. I made an exception to my usual rule of not changing a character’s ethnicity, just because I like him a lot and — despite being a little older than I’d prefer — I think he’d be great as a starship captain. In fact, he was the first person I thought of for the role a few years ago. However, if he doesn’t suit your fancy, how about Linus Roache (5’10”,b.1964)? He’s another talented Brit, whom you may have seen in “Homeland”, “Vikings”, “Law & Order”, “Kidnapped”, Batman Begins, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Hart’s War. Plus, he’s the same height and general build as Patrick Stewart.

Melanie Papalia

Armie Hammer

For Cmdr. Will Riker, my requirements began with “tall & (boyishly?) handsome”. The character is mostly by-the-book, but with a playful, roguish streak. And, he should be in his mid-30s. Three other actors I considered are in their 40s, but Armie Hammer (6’5″,b.1986) is a much better fit. You may recall him from The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lone Ranger, J. Edgar, “Reaper”, etc. For Counselor Deanna Troi, I was thinking “pretty, Mediterranean/East-European/Middle-Eastern look & sound”, and she should be in her early- to mid-30s. I first noted Melanie Papalia (5’4″,b.1984) in the show “Endgame” years ago, but she has also been in “Travelers”, “Suits”, Extraterrestrial, “Painkiller Jane”, “Intelligence”. She is Canadian, but I’m pretty sure she is of Mediterranean extraction. I considered a few others, but most of them are too old. I think Miss Papalia would do a great job as Troi, as long as she has good chemistry with Hammer.

Robert Emms

Alex Diehl

Next up is Cmdr. Data, who should be kinda nerdy-looking, on the slender side but not small, and in his 30s. I came up with a few names, but he was one of the more difficult characters to find a good fit for. In the end, I actually settled on the two relatively-unknowns above. Robert Emms (5’10”,b.1986) has appeared in War Horse, Kick-Ass 2, “Atlantis”, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Chernobyl”, and “His Dark Materials”. Alex Diehl (6’1″,b.1993) is a bit younger but has appeared in “Antidote 15”, “Blame the Hero”, “Strange Angel”, and most recently as the android ‘F8’ in “Star Trek: Picard”. That last credit should work in his favor, as I thought he did a great job with a small-but-pivotal part.

John Boyega

Kelly Frye

You may recall that I fan-cast Kelly Frye (5’7.5″,b.1984) for something else not long ago, but I thought she could be a good choice for Dr. Beverly Crusher, too. She has roughly the same build as Gates McFadden, though she is a couple years younger than McFadden was when starting TNG. You might have seen Frye in “Criminal Minds”, or from appearances in “NCIS”, “The Flash”, “Body of Proof”, “The Mentalist”, et al. My choice for Lt. Geordi LaForge — black guy of average height/build, maybe slightly shorter; early-30s? — is John Boyega (5’9″,b.1992), known to Star Wars fans worldwide as ‘Finn’. Of course, he has also had roles in “Becoming Human”, Attack the Block, “24: Live Another Day”, Pacific Rim: Uprising, as well as done voice work for “Watership Down” and “Major Lazer”.

Winston Duke

Matt Ryan

I looked at a few for the role of Lt. Worf — beefy black guy, preferably with deep voice; over 6′; mid-30s –, but the one that fit the requirements best is Winston Duke (6’5″,b.1986). MCU fans will recognize him as ‘M’Baku’ in Black Panther and the last two Avengers movies. He has also appeared in “Person of Interest”, “The Messengers”, Nine Days, and Spenser Confidential. He definitely has the desired physical characteristics and is the right age. I think he’d make a *great* Klingon! For Miles O’Brien, I wanted someone — preferably Irish — in his mid-30s with an average-to-slightly- stocky build. Well, I didn’t find as many candidates as I’d hoped. But, by allowing for someone on the slender side and approaching forty, I decided on ‘Constantine’ himself, Matt Ryan (5’11”,b.1981). Ryan was also in “Collision”, “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”, Armistice, etc.

Greg Bryk

Maxwell Jenkins

Finally, I recommend Maxwell Jenkins (4’11”,b.2005) play the genius young Wesley Crusher. Genre fans can see Jenkins these days in the “Lost in Space” remake. Before that he had a regular role in “Sense8” and appeared in “Chicago Fire” and “NCIS: New Orleans”. I think he would *nail* the Wesley Crusher role. And, to round things out, how about a new ‘Q’? Though they can look like anyone/thing, I’d like to see someone who is physically similar to John deLancie, who originated the role. This means a tallish (white?) male in his late-30s to mid-40s. Sure, it would be great to get someone like Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes (too old), Neil Patrick Harris, or David Anders, for the role. But, the first two are too “big”, and I’m not sure if Harris would do another TV show. Anders could be great, but I opted instead for the versatile Greg Bryk (6’1″,b.1972). I first came across him in “ReGenesis”, but he has been in a number of other genre things — e.g., “The Dresden Files”, “XIII”, “Aaron Stone”, Immortals, a couple Saw films, “The Expanse”, “Bitten”, “Jett”, Ad Astra, and many more. Plus, I think he even looks a little like deLancie!

That about does it for our primary Enterprise crewmembers, plus their first filmed adversary. Reactions?

Thoughts on *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*

I wasn’t gonna do this.

I wasn’t gonna write/post a review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens until after I’d watched it a second time, which probably wouldn’t be until January sometime. But, I saw it today (12/19), then read a few comments by others, and I couldn’t help myself. So, instead of working on my other blog like I should have, I wrote this. (Well, most of it.)

As usual, I present for your consideration some of my observations, reflections, and critiques, though a little more substantive than the simple bullets that I sometimes do. I won’t disclose any MAJOR revelations, but I do refer either explicitly or implicitly to a few things that happen, so here is your official…

SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT!

Wonderful!

Spectacular!

Awesomeness!

(And that’s just the opening trailers/previews!)

I really like the new characters. All of them. Finn and Rey are interesting and enjoyable as individuals but also work well together and have a nice chemistry — with or without any potential romance. I’m glad the producers decided to go with relative unknowns, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, to portray them, much as Lucas did for his young protagonists in the originals. I like the way the characters are developing, as they are from very different backgrounds yet both orphaned and both “outsiders”, never imagining themselves involved in something like the Resistance, yet recognizing the importance of the cause. Rey and Finn’s personal journeys are just beginning (sort of), and I’m happy to be along for the ride.

I have to say, though, that their respective lightsaber duels with Kylo Ren were both a bit far-fetched — i.e., that they lasted so long –, I thought, given that neither had any sort of training, whereas Ren clearly did. I suppose we are to attribute some of it to Ren’s having been injured in his side just minutes before. Also, Rey may have had some instinctive Force-driven moves, though that wasn’t exactly clear. Finn, on the other hand, just got lucky (until he didn’t).

Kylo Ren is not as big or menacing a villain as Darth Vader was. But, is he “not as scary as he <should> be”? I don’t think so. Ren may be nearly as powerful as Vader was when we saw him — i.e., very, but still a level or three below that of his master. But, Ren is more emotionally volatile and not yet a “Sith Lord”. In fact, I think he is a lot like Vader probably was in between episodes III and IV, and I suspect we will see him grow even more powerful as the trilogy progresses. It wasn’t clear to me the extent of Ren’s injuries, but I wouldn’t be surprised if (like Vader and Luke) he ends up getting some bionic/mechanical replacements or enhancements. As an aside, I will say that I kind of like the simple voice-effect used for when Ren wears his mask.

Poe Dameron is a very likable (semi-)rogue, and I truly hope we get to see and discover more about him in the rest of the trilogy and/or the anthology films. Same goes for the rest of his squadron. (Great to see Greg Grunberg in the mix!) Some parts of the fighter battles were reminiscent of those from the original trilogy — intentionally so, I’d wager — but different enough to not feel like rip-offs. More generally, there were indeed parallels and homages to the previous films, from character backgrounds to dialogue to plot-points. Too many? Maybe. But, I have to admit, I didn’t mind them. As my friend J.W. said in his own review:

“It is like Disney was giving us one big Wookie hug, reassuring viewers that yes, this is Star Wars, and it is back.”

Other fantastic new characters, like Captain Phasma, Maz Kanata, Lor San Tekka, and (of course) Supreme Leader Snoke, are all begging for more screen time. (Not so much General Hux, whom I found boring.) In case you don’t recognize Tekka’s name, that was the character at the beginning of the film played by the legendary Max von Sydow. It really is a shame that he didn’t have a longer-lasting role. (He would have made an awesome Jedi or Sith Master!) I am sure we will see more of them (except for Tekka, probably) in the upcoming films. Oh, I can’t forget the little droid, BB-8 — part R2-D2, part puppy dog. Love him/her/it!

Speaking of R2, it was great to see “him” and C-3PO, but it is a shame they weren’t in more scenes. I suppose it isn’t “their story” anymore, so it makes sense that they not be around as much. Still, I hope they show up in episodes VIII and IX. Of course, it was GREAT seeing Han, Chewie, Leia, Luke, and even the Millennium Falcon! Their presence really helps with the continuity aspect, and they play important roles, not just brief, torch-handing appearances. (Well, Luke was just barely there, but he is sure to be central to the next film or two.) Just like old times… almost. (Or, should I say “old-timers”?) Also, I didn’t expect them, but it was nice to see Nien Nunb and Admiral Ackbar, too.

As far as the acting goes, I thought the performances ranged from good to terrific. To my memory, nothing and no one stands out as a dud. (Except maybe Stormtrooper FN-6713 — his marching was a tad off. :p )

I honestly don’t remember any of the soundtrack beyond the Main Theme. On the one hand, this could be a good thing, in that it complemented the action and drama so well that it didn’t distract. On the other hand, I love(d) the soundtrack from the original trilogy, and it really helped define the mood and tone of the films. Was my failure to notice it in this one because it was simply forgettable? Or, maybe it was too similar to the original stuff to make its own mark (in my mind, at least)? OR, was I just too engrossed in the film — trying to follow the plot, the dialogue, the jokes, notice all the cool stuff, appreciate the acting, make sense of all the action and other developments — that the soundtrack simply escaped notice? There is a LOT to absorb, after all.

Hmmm. I guess I’ll have to track some of it down online….

Unlike with the infamous prequels, I didn’t feel like every environment was green-screened. I’m sure a lot of it was, but there were “real” places (e.g., Iceland, Ireland, U.A.E.), too. Beyond that, I thought the Visual & Special F/X were on the money. (From what I understand, Abrams decided to go “old school” in some areas, even including stop-motion animation for the chess pieces on the Falcon.) A subsequent viewing may reveal some shots that could be improved, but for now, I’m gonna say they did a great job all around.

Same goes for the plot. Sure, there are at least a couple plot holes and plenty of opportunities for speculation and questioning of the writers’/director’s choices. But, there is no such thing as a perfectly executed film. I chose to focus on the overall entertainment value and nostalgia quotient. To that end, while I am no longer a kid watching Star Wars for the first (or second or fifth or umpteenth) time and getting carried away with the space fantasy epic, from the initial screen scroll I genuinely felt like I was back in the world(s) of that first trilogy that so enchanted and transported me in my youth. So, I have to conclude that…

The magic is back!

On balance, I found Star Wars: The Force Awakens to be a greatly entertaining film and a worthy & satisfying continuation of the Star Wars saga. Disney, Abrams, et al., ya done good! Now, keep it up!