Re-cast the movies!

[Peakes]

If I were remaking the films for real, I would turn up at Ian McKellen's door with a VLCB (Very Large Cheque Book) and refuse to take "no" for an answer.

Adrien Brody certainly looks the part for Severus. Even if he is a Merkin.

However, for further consideration in the role, I submit: Mads Mikkelsen

He wouldn't make a bad Lupin either ...

Someone earlier in the thread suggested Tom Hiddleston for Lupin; however, does any agree that he'd be a damn fine You-know-who?

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by Peakes

Someone earlier in the thread suggested Tom Hiddleston for Lupin; however, does any agree that he'd be a damn fine You-know-who?

Yes, he'd be good. Tom can do dark. (Canon Voldy has about as much personality as spaghetti, so you need a charismatic actor like Fiennes - or Hiddleston - to bring him to life.)

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

Why? It's fantasy casting, not real life casting. Fantasies, at least my fantasies, are not restricted to nationality. I see no reason to arbitrarily impose JKR's request for British-only actors on my totally unreal, it-would-never-happen-in-a-million-years, pipe dream fantasy re-cast of the movies.

Yeah, but it's a British setting. So in this fantasy scenario your any-nationality fantasy cast would be able to do a decent British accent ... right?

Originally Posted by snapes_witch

OK! In that case my fantasy location for Hogwarts is the Smoky Mountains.

I've always liked the notion of Adrien Brody for Severus. He has the NOSE. And the thin, pallid look. I imagine he could do a good English accent. Preferably a Northern one.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by snapes_witch

OK! In that case my fantasy location for Hogwarts is the Smoky Mountains.

It's your fantasy remake, you can set the castle anywhere you want. That's my point.

Originally Posted by yorkiedoodle

I am inclined to agree - as a Brit I find it very hard to think of any non-Brit's in a main role in HP.(with the exception of Kingsley... of course..)

The whole point of recasting the movies to me, though, is finding the ideal actor to play the role regardless of nation of origin, whether they're Irish, Canadian, American, South African, Australian... I don't think that's anything to fuss about, personally. This is never going to happen in real life so why get so riled up about an American playing a leading role in the HP series? I didn't hear anyone complaining when Sam Worthington, an Aussie, was playing the lead role of an American soldier in Avatar. Or when Guy Pearce, also an Aussie, was playing King Edward VIII in The King's Speech. Or when Johnny Depp, an American, was playing an English pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean. And these were actors who were actually cast in actual movies. We're talking about casting actors in a completely make believe remake of the HP series. Why arbitrarily limit yourself to such a small pool of actors?

Also, from the words of the person who started the thread (Peakes):

Originally Posted by mrfutterman

The author insisted on an all British cast.

Originally Posted by Peakes

You're right, she did - and I do tend to agree that she was right.

However, if a remake of the series were ever to go ahead, I think that finding an all-British cast that hasn't been used already would be extremely difficult.

As this is a theoretical exercise, I am not applying any such restriction in this thread. I think the most interesting aspect of this discussion is what parts might be thought appropriate for overseas actors.

(my underlining)
This thread was never intended to be a British-only recast. If that's a restriction you want to impose on yourself than go ahead, whatever floats your boat, but please don't impose that restriction on everyone else.

Originally Posted by Peakes

However, for further consideration in the role, I submit: Mads Mikkelsen

He wouldn't make a bad Lupin either ...

What an interesting guy! I see him more in a Snape role and less in a Lupin role, he's got a great mysterious quality to his looks that I think would be great for Snape.

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Yeah, but it's a British setting. So in this fantasy scenario your any-nationality fantasy cast would be able to do a decent British accent ... right?

My fantasy cast is primarily based on looks (which actor I think has the right "look" to be that character) and not so much on acting ability (as I have made an argument for Steve Buscemi as Mad Eye Moody) but yes, in my fantasty recast the actors would play the role with the perfect accents, the perfect read on all the lines, the perfect physicality, the perfect make up, the perfect wardrobe, etc.

[ShadowSonic]

Well, they already sort of broke the "Only British" cast rule when they cast Evanna Lynch as Luna since she's Irish.

Have we ever seen any Scottish actors in the HP movies? May JK just meant "No one from outside the UK, but can still use Irish and Scottish actors."

[Peakes]

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

Well, they already sort of broke the "Only British" cast rule when they cast Evanna Lynch as Luna since she's Irish.

Have we ever seen any Scottish actors in the HP movies? May JK just meant "No one from outside the UK, but can still use Irish and Scottish actors."

Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) and Bill Nighy (Scrimgeour) spring to mind, there are probably some more...

[Wab]

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

Well, they already sort of broke the "Only British" cast rule when they cast Evanna Lynch as Luna since she's Irish.

Have we ever seen any Scottish actors in the HP movies? May JK just meant "No one from outside the UK, but can still use Irish and Scottish actors."

Scotland is part of the UK as is Northern Ireland. "British" also extends to the Republic of Ireland as it is part of the British Isles.

And before Evanna there was Richard Harris who was Irish.
i

[Pearl_Took]

The girl who played Cho Chang (I can't remember her name!) was Scottish.

[Divvie]

Not to forget David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr.) who's Scottish, too

[horcrux4]

Gwyneth Paltrow for Narcissa?
David Suchet for Slughorn?
Damien Lewis as Lupin?

[snapes_witch]

And Alan Rickman is Welsh-Irish so we have Wales covered also.

[Apheka]

Stephen Fry as Slughorn but as he was written in the book not as played in the movie.

Tony Robinson as Argus Filch.

Jean Marsh as Bellatrix. She made a fantastic evil witch in the film "Willow".

And doesn't everyone want Peeves written into the movies, so who would you have?

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by Apheka

And doesn't everyone want Peeves written into the movies, so who would you have?

How about the actor who was cast, but we never got to see? Rick something or other, sorry having a Senior Moment.

[Richard_G.]

If anybody watched the old school Doctor Who, they would understand where I'm coming from when I say Tom Baker as Dumbledore.

[TreacleTartlet]

Originally Posted by Richard_Gambon

If anybody watched the old school Doctor Who, they would understand where I'm coming from when I say Tom Baker as Dumbledore.

I was going to suggest Tom Baker as Dumbledore. So it isn't just me who could see that working.

Originally Posted by snapes_witch

How about the actor who was cast, but we never got to see? Rick something or other, sorry having a Senior Moment.

Rik Mayall.

[mrfutterman]

This thread was never intended to be a British-only recast. If that's a restriction you want to impose on yourself than go ahead, whatever floats your boat, but please don't impose that restriction on everyone else.

I'm not imposing any restrictions on anybody! I merely note that many posters on here are "purists" who spend a lot of time paying homage to the author's "vision" and complaining that the film-makers don't pay enough attention to the author's "vision".

My view - anybody who can visualise some of the mainstream Hollywood names mentioned on here in an adaptation of HP must have a very strange take on the author's vision.

Carry on!

[Divvie]

Originally Posted by mrfutterman

My view - anybody who can visualise some of the mainstream Hollywood names mentioned on here in an adaptation of HP must have a very strange take on the author's vision.

Carry on!

Hehe, I bave to admit that envisioning anyone in Harry Potter without a British accent (apart from the continental European chars, ofc) would sound plain wrong to me

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by Richard_Gambon

If anybody watched the old school Doctor Who, they would understand where I'm coming from when I say Tom Baker as Dumbledore.

Great suggestion.

Dumbledore has a dark side, as revealed in DH. Baker would convey that extremely well, as well as Dumbledore's outer eccentricities.

[StarryVeil]

Originally Posted by mrfutterman

My view - anybody who can visualise some of the mainstream Hollywood names mentioned on here in an adaptation of HP must have a very strange take on the author's vision.

Assuming that JKR wanted an all-Brit cast only because she wanted the accent right (not sure if this is true), I'd say we can ask actors to fake accents. I mean Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler, Brad Dourif etc managed quite well in LOTR, didn't they?

[Peakes]

Another Dumbledore for discussion... Maurice Micklewhite. I hadn't considered him before, but it turns out he does good beard:

Of course, you know him better as Michael Caine!

[ShadowSonic]

Originally Posted by StarryVeil

Assuming that JKR wanted an all-Brit cast only because she wanted the accent right (not sure if this is true), I'd say we can ask actors to fake accents. I mean Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler, Brad Dourif etc managed quite well in LOTR, didn't they?

If that's true about accents, they still got it partially wrong seeing how the each member of the Weasley family seems to speak with a different type of British accent.