Dreamcasting # 16 - Further Entries in the Batman Begins Franchise

[marvelman]

YOU MAY VOTE FOR THIS CAST, AND YOU MAY ADORE IT IN ALL ITS GLORY!!!

Talia Al Ghul - Rachel Weisz
Obviously this is the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, as portrayed by Liam Neeson... She's an aristocrat, sent from soon after her birth to boarding school after boarding school, mostly focusing on politics. She shares her father's twisted beliefs, and comes into the picture as a British advisor to the mayor of Gotham. She is really there to meet the man who defeated her father, and she is apparently running the League of Shadows. She always talks about besting Ra's, but never killing. You later find out that she resents Bruce for being the son Ra's never had, the son whom she tried to be all those years. In the end, her and the League of Shadows wouldn't be defeated, she would abandon the attack on her Beloved, telling him that soon he'll see that she and her father are right. And that when he's ready to admit that, he should find her. I'm not so sure about Weisz, but moreso than anyone else on here, I had a general idea of what I'd want to do with the character.

Selina Kyle, Catwoman - Winona Ryder
Winona has magical hypnotic eyes, and she has this dark edge to her beauty... And I've always wanted to see her in some Femme Fatale role... She'd be the perfect love interest (i think she'd have great chemistry with Bale), and she'd be perfect once she got in the simple black Catwoman outfit... And hey, who better to play a thief?

Edward Nygma, The Riddler – Sam Rockwell
I'm thinking of the Jeph Loeb Riddler (see Catwoman: When in Rome) here... He's less the mastermind and more the annoying pest of the villain community, but he's still the guy who you go to to get the inside information. He has dreams of becoming something much more, especially once he sets on solving the riddle of who exactly is Batman. Everyone thinks he's a ****up, even Batman, who basically ignores him except for when he needs him... Which is where this need to be the first to solve this great riddle comes from. And who better to play ****ed up, unloved puppy dogs, with a mean side that'd shoot you and your family to get the right information, than Sam Rockwell. I think he starts out more sane, and deteriorates to the point where at the end of a film he's tossed into Arkham... but when Bats pays him a visit, he says, "Hello Bruce"... Putting him in a position to blackmail Batman... I love the idea of a Riddler who figures out his big riddle, and uses it to gain power in Gotham City.

Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin - Jon Polito
You might recognize Polito from virtually every Coen Brothers movie, ever... He's great at playing sleazeballs who like to think they have power... Shave off his signature moustache and give him a monocle and a tuxedo and lots of weapons he wants to sell at absolutely rediculous prices. But he'll have his men kill you in a second if you back out of a deal. Polito is absolutely perfect for the Penguin I'm thinking of... the sort of character who's never a primary villain, but always somebody Bats needs to think of to shake information out of.

Dr. Leslie Thompkins – Angela Lansbury
Nothing is more motherly than the voice of Angela Lansbury, and the fact that she's old only adds more to the character... I'm not looking for the Thompkins who sets up a hospital camp in No Man's Land... This Thompkins would have been a child psychologist who did her best to try to help Bruce when he was first trying to deal with it all. She feels that she failed him, but Bruce somehow proves to her that what he's doing isn't some adolescent revenge fantasy, but something more noble. I imagine that after spending some years back in her native London, she returns to Gotham to see Bruce, and wondering what made him disapear for all those years.

Harvey Bullock – Michael Madsen
Okay. Take a moment to imagine Gordon on the rooftop with Batman and Madsen who is smoking a cigarette. Then he goes off at batman for being some lunatic in a cape who's no better than the guys he's rounding off. He's cynical as hell, and will never trust Batman, but he's still one of the good guys.

Renee Montoya – Michelle Rodriguez
Tough Lesbo Action Cop. Plus she drinks too much when her partner's die. I responded to Proj's cast with this: I think that the writers of Lost didn't exactly know what to do with her... Because some of the time she was great as Ana Lucia, but some of the times she was the worst part of the episode. I do think she can act, and I can't think of ANYONE better for the role.

Crispus Allen – Romany Malco
Weeds has shown that Malco can do both serious and joking, so I think a serious role would fit damn well on him. He's a serious cop, and a good cop, one of the best on Gordon's team. I think he'd have a great relationship if he was always snapping back at Bullock's smart remarks. I sort of imagine him as Morgan Freeman's character in Seven, many many years earlier...

GUYS CHECK OUT MY TOTALLY AWESOME ORIGINAL CAST!!!!11

i think i have this one in the bag.

 

[thee great one]

I'm voting for the newb.

 

[SSJmole]

marvelman gets my vote! :lol:

 

[ourchair]

GUYS CHECK OUT MY TOTALLY AWESOME ORIGINAL CAST!!!!11

i think i have this one in the bag.

+750 Ourchair Points.

Because this post is just that ****ing vile. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[marvelman]

also, feel free to NOT steal my cast.

you thieves.

 

[bluebeast]

Woooof.

I really ****ing love this game, and not just because I'm good at it... Heh.

I posted my cast because I didn't know when the next time i'd be able to put it together... I -was- planning on waiting longer, but this next week may be busy.

And in terms of the ones I thought up beforehand... I had Madsen the second I came up with this round idea... Romany Malco, and Ana Lucia-chick next... Then I thought of Winona Ryder... Then after I set the cast list, I thought up Angela Lansbury. The rest I just thought up last night.

Yup...

I -do- think we should try to do a JLA casting (based on the preliminary plot synopsis that are bopping around the internets,

Spoiler

it sounds like an adaptation of the OMAC Project, if it were a JLA-centric story

). Also: I still want to do Teen Titans.

AND I have the best idea ever for Sandman. The idea is really, absolutely undefeatable.

I'm really wanting the JLA cast just so I can go all Morrison style on it.

 

[Victor Von Doom]

Admittedly---I know only a little about the characters in the Batman universe. So while I've tailored my cast to fit the somewhat realistic tone of the current Batman films…a lot of their reasoning and selection come based off Timm's contemporary take on the classic characters.



Talia – Jaime Murray – Daughter of the criminal mastermind Ras Al Ghul, Talia needs to be seductive and yet cunning herself. For her character to work---she needs to have that air of mystery. While Murray might not be well known stateside…she plays the captivating conwoman in BBC's "Hustle". I like this lesser-known choice a lot more than the often thought/suggested Kate Beckinsale. There's more than one beautiful brunette actress with a British accent.

Selina Kyle – Rachel Weiz – She's been selected before by others in this round…but mostly as Talia. I want the playful side of Weisz. Kyle needs to be all-too-aware that although it's a game she's playing…it's a dangerous game. The person playing her needs to be able to switch from lighthearted villain banter with Batman…to sweet shy Selina with Bruce…to serious catburglary. Weisz can balance all that.

Edward Nigma – Adrien Brody – I want Nygma to be suave…but at the same time I want there to be a little OCD madness to him. He comes up with plan…it consumes him…it's all he knows…but when question---he can't lie, so instead he chuckles a little and then presents it all in riddles. Then he just sits back and giggles in personal glee as he watches his plan unfold just like he thought it would. For this introverted madness, I opted for Brody. Without spoiling anything for those who haven't seen it---think his role in "The Village"……..only not retarded.

Oswald Cobblepot – Jason Flemyng – Who says that the cultured British thug gentleman needs to be rotund? Why can't he just be a brilliant up and coming British thug looking to make it big across the pond. London is small chips. Gotham is where the real action is…and that's what Cobblepot knows. I want Flemyng to give some of that duality he brought to Jekyll and Hyde from LXG. Majority of the time he's the kept together Brit of impeccable taste…but should his plan not go accordingly---he can snap and show his true vicious nature and beat a man to death with his signature umbrella. And once that's done…regain his composure and wipe the blood from his face with the pocket square/handkerchief from his suit.

Dr. Leslie Thompkins – Anne Bancroft – Just because…

Det. Harvey Bullock – John Goodman – I want Bullock to be this jaded detective whose despite his hard work and smash-mouth ways, has been passed over for Detective First Class too many times. And with him getting older, its only natural that he shows some animosity to some costume vigilante who seems to be getting all the glory recently, when he's been doing his job and bringing down the bad guys for years now. Aside from looking like Timm's Bullock, Goodman has recently sprung up on my radar once again thanks to recent viewing of "Death Sentence". He's a big guy who can **** you up if you get on his bad side. Goodman, would also be a great contrast as the seasoned vet to the new gung ho detective Montoya.

Detective Renee Montoya – Rosario Dawson – If for no other reason….she's not Michelle Rodriguez. But Dawson has range---I'd really love to see what she can do with this role. Espcially since she's got her own occult detective comic out. Put your money where your mouth is Dawson…

Black Mask – Adrian Pasdar – We caught a small glimpse of his scheming evil side in last season of Heroes. I'd like to see him explore that some more as the criminal kingpin. Plus he looks good in a suit.






And after 2 really good Dreamcasting rounds....I'm spent.

 

[Gideon Stargrave]

I like most of your choices, but your Leslie Thomkins kind of stands out as being worse than the rest of your cast...

 

[SSJmole]

I -do- think we should try to do a JLA casting (based on the preliminary plot synopsis that are bopping around the internets,

Spoiler

it sounds like an adaptation of the OMAC Project, if it were a JLA-centric story

). Also: I still want to do Teen Titans.

AND I have the best idea ever for Sandman. The idea is really, absolutely undefeatable.

JLA would be both the hardest and most fun at the same time. Hard due to the fact most of the charracters are iconic and fining somewho who could play them would be hard , Fun because it's JLA


Teen Titans I would do as a whack comedy-superhero film , like a live action version of cartoon :lol:

 

[bluebeast]

JLA would be both the hardest and most fun at the same time. Hard due to the fact most of the charracters are iconic and fining somewho who could play them would be hard , Fun because it's JLA


Teen Titans I would do as a whack comedy-superhero film , like a live action version of cartoon :lol:

I don't think it'll be too hard. I've got everrone down pat for my cast.

 

[SSJmole]

I don't think it'll be too hard. I've got everrone down pat for my cast.

I've not i was tempted to to start on it but I figure nah I'll wait till it's picked the only one I do have is David Boreanaz as Batman BUT that's only because I always say he should play batman


but that aside the reason I said it would be hard bluebeast is dealing with a charracter like say Superman , you may have a fantastic choice but some will think "too known" "not clark" "not superman" you know what I mean

 

[bluebeast]

I've not i was tempted to to start on it but I figure nah I'll wait till it's picked the only one I do have is David Boreanaz as Batman BUT that's only because I always say he should play batman

And you're contracturally obligated to put an angel or Buffy character in your cast?:wink:

 

[SSJmole]

And you're contracturally obligated to put an angel or Buffy character in your cast?:wink:

Hey! i did 2 with out them! ...... :lol: and yes I know I add them every time but it's just I happen to think they are right for the part i pick e.g David Boreanaz IS batman and can do Bruce.

 

[bluebeast]

Hey! i did 2 with out them! ...... :lol: and yes I know I add them every time but it's just I happen to think they are right for the part i pick e.g David Boreanaz IS batman and can do Bruce.

I admit he'd be good. But he's no match for my Batman pick.

 

[ourchair]

Oswald Cobblepot – Jason Flemyng – Who says that the cultured British thug gentleman needs to be rotund? Why can't he just be a brilliant up and coming British thug looking to make it big across the pond. London is small chips. Gotham is where the real action is…and that's what Cobblepot knows. I want Flemyng to give some of that duality he brought to Jekyll and Hyde from LXG. Majority of the time he's the kept together Brit of impeccable taste…but should his plan not go accordingly---he can snap and show his true vicious nature and beat a man to death with his signature umbrella. And once that's done…regain his composure and wipe the blood from his face with the pocket square/handkerchief from his suit.

****ING GENIUS.

This cast gets my vote based sheerly on the inspiredly inspiredness of this choice.

 

[Victor Von Doom]

Leonor Varela as Talia Al Ghul - Ra's Al Ghul believed that modern civilization was decadent and corrupt, and that cleansing the Earth through fire and terror was the only way to make it a finer place. Talia Al Ghul should be the daughter that the movie Ra's would have been proud to have: globe-trotting beauty who does not permit herself to idle decadence. Instead, she speaks several languages and is skilled in several forms of combat and never suffers a fool gladly.

Leonor Varela is probably recognized by most for her memorable performance as Cleopatra in the Hallmark Entertainment TV movie of the same name. Born of French-Chilean descent, Varela's exotic looks combine a fiery spirit and other-worldly elegance, which she also channeled to a modest extent as the regal warrior vampire Nyssa Damaskinos from Blade II.

I love the idea of using lesser knowns in a mysterious role like this.

She would totally work as Talia. I just wish I had seen her in more to really solidify my liking. I optd for a lesser known as well---but with more exposure.

Dame Judi Dench as Dr. Leslie Thompkins - The most interesting aspect of Leslie Thompkins character is that she's how she manages to keep an unyielding edge about her despite encounters with criminals and drug addicts. Like the movie Thomas Wayne, she believes in a better world in spite, though she has more reasons than to give in to cynicism.

Enter Judi Dench, who has made a career out of playing not just any garden variety maternal figures in films like Mrs. Henderson Presents and the James Bond films, but steely-edged mentors who guard themselves NOT with sarcasm or tough love, but a no-nonsense attitude that is stronger than even the most thuggish of personalities.

This is way better than my choice. But to be honest....I'm not really familiar with the character to really say who's the best old bird to fill the role. But Judi Dench is virtually awesome in everything she does.

James Gandolfini as Detective Harvey Bullock - Harvey Bullock is the honest cop who looks like an incompetent, one with grim resolve in spite of sounding completely indifferent to whether any good gets done at the end of the day.

To play him, I'd get James Gandolfini whose Emmy-award winning role as Tony Soprano in HBO's The Sopranos has earned him eternal typecast as a mobster. But a close look at Gandolfini's body of work shows that he's also keen on playing distrustful paranoiacs who keep everyone at a distance, whether it's as a sleazy pornographer (8MM) or a blue-collar family men (A Civil Action).

A great choice.....but too many people already used it. Same with Weisz.

Paula Garces as Officer Renee Montoya - The young Renee Montoya is all about mistakes and troubled relationships. She takes to unorthodox means --- if not blatantly rookie nonprocedural ones --- to getting justice, draws the attention of disfigured schizophrenics and falls into alcoholism, only to discover her true path under the mentorship of a conspiracy theorist/urban shaman.

Clockstoppers' Paula Garces could easily be written off as just another pretty Latina, but she's the first person I had in mind to play this wet-nosed version of Montoya. Her recurring role on FX's The Shield as career-driven social-climbing rookie Officer Tina Hanlon might be off-putting, but put a positive spin on that and you have Montoya --- a promising cop still trying to find her way.

One of my fav picks. And extra points for casting anyone from The Shield!

Michael C. Hall as Edward Nygma - The aspect of Edward Nygma that is most interesting is his obsessive compulsive urge to deny he is capable of deception --- to tell the truth, so to speak --- and so he does this in the form of riddles. He's an interesting mix of self-superiority and self-hatred.

Who better to play him then, than Michael C. Hall? As the titular character of Showtime's Dexter, he's shown an ability to play restrained self-superiority yet dovetail it with a desperate search for identity. Most people probably remember him as David Fisher from the HBO series Six Feet Under though, but that just shows that he's mastered a portrayal of internalized self-loathing. Both roles are fertile material to feed into The Riddler character.

I hate you. As stated before....this is more brilliant than my choice.

Bob Hoskins as Oswald Cobblepot - Oswald Cobblepot is basically a very refined thug. At best, he's an aristocratic gentleman, who masks the baser desires that drive any criminal. At worst, he's a well-bred thug who has mastered the manners of high society.

Anyone who has seen Hoskins in Hollywoodland will know this is THE perfect choice. Although, Hoskins has a reputation for playing rough and tough guys with Cockney accents, he's pretty darn good with an American accent. As Eddie Mannix, Hoskins mastered the characterization of an 'innocent pictures guy' with a barely concealed reputation for blood. In that role, the idea that thuggery is deeply welcomed among the upper crust was made completely credible.

This was actually my first choice. But once I saw that you had it as well as a couple others....I knew I wanted to change it. I then thought about Colm Meaney or maybe even George Harris based on their roles in Layer Cake.

But then there was a scene with Flemyng that made it both those choices moot.

Shannyn Sossamon as Selina Kyle - The original bad girl, Selina Kyle was raised in an orphanage, spent time as a 'lady of the night' and is now a mysterious bounty hunter and international thief. She also might just be the daughter of Carmine Falcone.

Between a drug-addled party girl in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and a voluntary virgin in The Rules of Attraction, Shannyn Sossamon is a great choice to play Kyle. Sossamon went from D.J.ing to acting by mere happenstance... not unlike Kyle herself, a street girl turned glamor lady.

Had this been cast 2-3 years ago....I'd have passed and put her off as just another ethnic pretty face. But recently she's been playing some roles that have made me take note of her. Most particularly in FX's Dirt and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

And you're reasoning of coinicidences is also great.

 

[ourchair]

She would totally work as Talia. I just wish I had seen her in more to really solidify my liking. I optd for a lesser known as well---but with more exposure.

The Hallmark TV movie of Cleopatra was a much bigger deal here than in the Philippines, than I imagine they were in the U.S. but that's because for a very brief time Hallmark fantasy TV movies were TV events here.

This is way better than my choice. But to be honest....I'm not really familiar with the character to really say who's the best old bird to fill the role. But Judi Dench is virtually awesome in everything she does.

I actually wanted to go younger, so that she'd actually be alive by the time Bruce is in his tenth year as Batman (let's assume that she passes away by the time he turns 50)... and the best person I could figure for that was Imelda Staunton, but I don't cast people unless I have SUPER clear memories of two of their performances.

A great choice.....but too many people already used it. Same with Weisz.

Someone used Gandolfini as Bullock? I didn't notice. Damn.

Honestly, I think Gandolfini would probably not want to do ANYTHING Soprano-ish for a while. I mean he's now in Romance & Cigarettes, and the last film I saw him in was Christmas with the Kranks which had nothing to do with organized crime and extended families.

Also, Gandolfini is on record for actually having continued misgivings about playing Tony Soprano. To me, the post-Sopranos Gandolfini should emphasize his ability to play blue-collar wiseacre paranoiac fathers/detectives/plant foremen/union leaders.

One of my fav picks. And extra points for casting anyone from The Shield!

I'm still waiting for the perfect Dreamcasting role for Benito Martinez.

This was actually my first choice. But once I saw that you had it as well as a couple others....I knew I wanted to change it. I then thought about Colm Meaney or maybe even George Harris based on their roles in Layer Cake.

Bob Hoskins is THE man. Seriously, he needs to be used as a character actor in more big Hollywood projects. He could do it without compromising his independent cred. Steve Buscemi does it ALL the freaking time for Michael Bay.

Had this been cast 2-3 years ago....I'd have passed and put her off as just another ethnic pretty face. But recently she's been playing some roles that have made me take note of her. Most particularly in FX's Dirt and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

I think Shannyn as a party-girl/bounty hunter/thief pairs of well both visually and chemistry wise against Christian Bale also.

I'm looking forward to Wristcutters... for no reason related to this Dreamcasting. I just like the trailer.

Compound's totally randy for her, though.

And you're reasoning of coinicidences is also great.

Many an unused Dreamcasting candidate was also reasoned out through coincidences... (I might've used coincidences in a previous entry, but i can't recall)

 

[bluebeast]

Someone used Gandolfini as Bullock? I didn't notice. Damn.

Your welcome.

 

[Victor Von Doom]

Can we just make the round end sooner rather than later? I'm pretty sure we established a 7-10 days round rather than two weeks, and anyway it seems that everyone has assembled their casts so quickly that I doubt anyone else is going to chip in at this point.

Let's wait for VVD though, he told me he's assembled his casts already and is just putting the pics together for it.

10 Oct?

Do we really need to wait that long? Not to be unfair to future participants, but all the people who normally do the dreamcasting have already posted their casts.

Aside from maybe Bass, Compound and maybe Moony if he decides to do one....everyone else has posted.

Can't we just end this on Friday?



Edit....ignore this....I just noticed DSF's response right below Ourchair's saying that this was ending Friday. My bad.













+1

 

[ourchair]

Admittedly---I know only a little about the characters in the Batman universe. So while I've tailored my cast to fit the somewhat realistic tone of the current Batman films…a lot of their reasoning and selection come based off Timm's contemporary take on the classic characters.

Comic book fans should make T-shirts that say, "Everything I learned about Batman I learned from Batman: The Animated Series".

DC writers on the other hand, should be mandated to wear "What Would Bruce Timm Do" wristbands.

Edward Nigma – Adrien Brody – I want Nygma to be suave…but at the same time I want there to be a little OCD madness to him. He comes up with plan…it consumes him…it's all he knows…but when question---he can't lie, so instead he chuckles a little and then presents it all in riddles. Then he just sits back and giggles in personal glee as he watches his plan unfold just like he thought it would. For this introverted madness, I opted for Brody. Without spoiling anything for those who haven't seen it---think his role in "The Village"……..only not retarded.

I love Adrien Brody, and not because of his Academy Award-winning performance in The Pianist, which I've never seen, but because of his characters in largely unheralded pictures like The Jacket and Hollywoodland.

I like how he has this beaten old puppy dog look which plays to the whole "I'm a sad sack who wants to be a player" that he does in the latter, and benefits his down-trodden likability in the former. Those are the aspects that serve any Batman villain well, but particularly The Riddler... who has to be devious yet patently insecure.

Det. Harvey Bullock – John Goodman

John Goodman is a fantastic actor. If he'd work out to play Ben Grimm for thirty minutes then wear pounds of makeup over such a worked out frame, I'd cast him as The Thing. But I digress.

Anyway, Goodman plays cop roles exactly the way you describe his hypothetical Bullock. I'm thinking of the movie Fallen, in which he also played a really good menacing possessed version of his character once the devil possesses him.