Casting the Cosmere (Or the Reckonerverse, or Rithmatist-world, or...)

[Landis963]

Assume for a moment that your favorite Sanderson work was being cast.  Film?  Sure!  TV show?  Why not?  Online mini-series?  More power to you!  Who would you cast in what, and why?  

 

For instance, the role of Hoid requires someone with a known talent for wit who can paradoxically both be in the background and steal the show, simultaneously.  So therefore, the only real choice (IMO) is Mark Sheppard, of numerous roles, all of which are guaranteed to go "Oh hey, it's THAT guy!" 

 

In addition, the voice of Endowment should be played by Oprah.  

[WayneSpren]

Assume for a moment that your favorite Sanderson work was being cast.  Film?  Sure!  TV show?  Why not?  Online mini-series?  More power to you!  Who would you cast in what, and why?  

 

For instance, the role of Hoid requires someone with a known talent for wit who can paradoxically both be in the background and steal the show, simultaneously.  So therefore, the only real choice (IMO) is Mark Sheppard, of numerous roles, all of which are guaranteed to go "Oh hey, it's THAT guy!" 

 

In addition, the voice of Endowment should be played by Oprah.  

Adam Sandler for Adolin. 

[maxal]

Adam Sandler for Adolin. 

 

   

 

I am against this idea.

[Landis963]

Adam Sandler for Adolin. 

 

NO.    Adolin clearly needs someone who looks like they could be the son of Ken Watanabe.  

 

Incidentally, Ken Watanabe for Dalinar.  

 

Actually, we'd need a whole bunch of ethnically Asian actors for a Stormlight Archive adaptation, because Szeth is notable for not having an epicanthic fold on his eyes.  Although if someone wanted to shell out for fake epicanthic folds, then Chris Pine for, idk, the guy Lift rezzes?  He doesn't nearly look enough like Ken Watanabe to be plausible as Adolin or Renarin.  

 

Also, there aren't any real jester characters (save Hoid) for Adam Sandler to slip into.  I guess if he wanted a serious role he could be Lord Roial or Sebarial or someone.  

Edited October 30, 2015 by Landis963

[maxal]

NO.    Adolin clearly needs someone who looks like they could be the son of Ken Watanabe.  

 

Incidentally, Ken Watanabe for Dalinar.  

 

Actually, we'd need a whole bunch of ethnically Asian actors for a Stormlight Archive adaptation, because Szeth is notable for not having an epicanthic fold on his eyes.  Although if someone wanted to shell out for fake epicanthic folds, then Chris Pine for, idk, the guy Lift rezzes?  He doesn't nearly look enough like Ken Watanabe to be plausible as Adolin or Renarin.  

 

Also, there aren't any real jester characters (save Hoid) for Adam Sandler to slip into.  I guess if he wanted a serious role he could be Lord Roial or Sebarial or someone.  

 

Not Chris Pine again... He is too old for Adolin or Renarin. It is not as if Hollywood didn't have hordes of twenty something male actors... 

 

I would prefer a natural blond head for Adolin, so no Asian for me, unless you can find one with a golden head that was not dyed. Surely there must be some ethnicity with the right eyes and golden hair that would make a decent Adolin.

 

Adam Sandler as Sebrarial  I could get behind that.

[Landis963]

Not Chris Pine again... He is too old for Adolin or Renarin. It is not as if Hollywood didn't have hordes of twenty something male actors... 

 

I would prefer a natural blond head for Adolin, so no Asian for me, unless you can find one with a golden head that was not dyed. Surely there must be some ethnicity with the right eyes and golden hair that would make a decent Adolin.

 

Adam Sandler as Sebrarial  I could get behind that.

 

Hair dye would work; would probably work better for getting the real metallic sheen that the Iriali and their descendants are supposed to have (Also Adolin has black highlights, so that's another point in hair dye's favor).  And the difficulty with casting Roshar natives is that they have eyes which match the "Asian" phenotype here on Earth, but their hair and skin tone is otherwise identical to the "European" phenotype.  (I'm looking at you, Shallan)  And that's not getting into casting difficulties caused by the Lighteye/darkeye system, which all but requires contacts or very questionable audition practices.  

 

Chris Pine was probably not the best of choices for Adolin, but I'm having difficulty thinking of someone who would, with no contacts, prosthetic eye-folds, or hair dye, be able to play a Roshar.  (Ken Watanabe doesn't even match it fully - his eyes are brown, which would provide distinction and gravitas to, say, the role of Kaladin's father, but would preclude him from playing any lighteyes on screen without contacts, for reasons of "his eyes aren't light")

 

Alfie Allen for Szeth, though.  The Shin don't care about eye color, he's done action sequences, he's got the acting chops to pull off the complexities of Szeth's role.  

[maxal]

Hair dye would work; would probably work better for getting the real metallic sheen that the Iriali and their descendants are supposed to have (Also Adolin has black highlights, so that's another point in hair dye's favor).  And the difficulty with casting Roshar natives is that they have eyes which match the "Asian" phenotype here on Earth, but their hair and skin tone is otherwise identical to the "European" phenotype.  (I'm looking at you, Shallan)  And that's not getting into casting difficulties caused by the Lighteye/darkeye system, which all but requires contacts or very questionable audition practices.  

 

Chris Pine was probably not the best of choices for Adolin, but I'm having difficulty thinking of someone who would, with no contacts, prosthetic eye-folds, or hair dye, be able to play a Roshar.  (Ken Watanabe doesn't even match it fully - his eyes are brown, which would provide distinction and gravitas to, say, the role of Kaladin's father, but would preclude him from playing any lighteyes on screen without contacts, for reasons of "his eyes aren't light")

 

Alfie Allen for Szeth, though.  The Shin don't care about eye color, he's done action sequences, he's got the acting chops to pull off the complexities of Szeth's role.  

 

Chris Pine also is not blond... He is too dark haired for Adolin.

 

Adolin's hair are not described as being metallic.... just golden blond which is a rather natural color here on Earth. As for the few dark hair he has mixed in it, that is exactly the sort of liberty casting could take. Casting could also decide Iriali blond is simple blond, the story would not be lesser from it, but I am strongly against hair dye unless it is used for small changes. Turning a black haired actor into a blond headed one is a huge no for me. The streaks of blond some lighteyes have can be done with dyes, but not Adolin or Shallan. 

 

What is important about Adolin's character, physically, is the fact he stands out among the Alethi. He is a half-blood and he favors his mother, so he has to look distinctive while keeping some common features such as the eyes. He is also handsome, so the actor has to be... very handsome. He's also in his young twenties, so he needs to have the right age. For me, these are the book elements that matters. He does not need to resemble Dalinar so much as it is imply in book he doesn't. For Renarin, since we are short on physical description, you have more latitude. 

 

As far as casting go, my thoughts have always been to cast it with actors having ethnicity (either complete or partial) ranging from India (or somewhere in that corner) to Eastern Europe to roughly get the exotic feel of the Alethi. Their average skin tone should be darker than average white skin, but it is not black either: so somewhere in between with fluctuation in between characters. After all, no society has a uniform skin color. White skins comes in various hues, which does include tan, and so does darker skin, which also includes tan. Ranging this large would allow to find actors with the right eye color (or close enough the addition of contacts would look natural, trying blue eyes on a black eyed person looks weird, though it is not as bad as hair dye). I would personally no restrict myself to one single ethnicity to do the casting, but I would chose individuals being able to carry on the essence of Stormlight. The Alethi cast should look exotic and not a replica of Medieval Europe, no matter which country the actors were born into, they need to have some ethnic characteristics.

 

I like Alfie Allen for Szeth though. He's the right age, he's got the right acting experience and with a bald head, he may look like a decent Szeth.

[Landis963]

It's the eyes that are the problem, though.  Auditioning for the right eye shape means people descending from Asiatic ethnicities.  Shallan is perhaps the most difficult for this, as she has the epicanthal fold (because no one tells her her eyes are creepily large, like how Szeth's are described) and she has red hair (and freckles, IIRC).  Freckles could be added with makeup, but the fiery red hair in the same person as the almond-shaped eyes does not normally appear, at least not here on Earth.  

 

Micheal Caine and Stephen Fry should voice all the seons (and Judi Dench should voice that one skaze).  No, There's got to be a better role for Judi Dench.  I'm liking the idea of "Silence Montane's abusive grandmother."  

[maxal]

It's the eyes that are the problem, though.  Auditioning for the right eye shape means people descending from Asiatic ethnicities.  Shallan is perhaps the most difficult for this, as she has the epicanthal fold (because no one tells her her eyes are creepily large, like how Szeth's are described) and she has red hair (and freckles, IIRC).  Freckles could be added with makeup, but the fiery red hair in the same person as the almond-shaped eyes does not normally appear, at least not here on Earth.  

 

Micheal Caine and Stephen Fry should voice all the seons (and Judi Dench should voice that one skaze).  No, There's got to be a better role for Judi Dench.  I'm liking the idea of "Silence Montane's abusive grandmother."  

 

How about Islandic or around these corner of the world? I once heard someone mention Renee Zellewer as an example. She does have the right eyes while being fair, so it does exist, but it is true it is hard to find. Also, we can look into half-breed people. Some of my friends are Asian and have married a white person: the result look very Alethi. Slightly different skin tone, lighter hair, almond eyes, it would work, but again it is hard. 

 

Or you make the casting decision Veden have normal eyes and you just try to find an actress who does not have enormous eyes.

 

You still have the problem with Adolin... He is, by far, the hardest one to cast. He is a half-blood... who strongly favors one side of the family. How do you cast the half-blood child of an imaginary ethnicity who would look like half-bloods in our world? Kaladin, Dalinar, Jasnah and Navani are relatively easy if you can convince me lentils can make decent eyes. For my part, I would not mind if Jasnah and Navani eyes were blue instead of purple. That's the sort of casting decision bearing little impact as their exact eye color is not relevant, what is relevant the fact it is light.

 

I haven't read Elantris yet, so I can't comment on the casting of the seon.

[Landis963]

How about Islandic or around these corner of the world? I once heard someone mention Renee Zellewer as an example. She does have the right eyes while being fair, so it does exist, but it is true it is hard to find. Also, we can look into half-breed people. Some of my friends are Asian and have married a white person: the result look very Alethi. Slightly different skin tone, lighter hair, almond eyes, it would work, but again it is hard. 

 

Or you make the casting decision Veden have normal eyes and you just try to find an actress who does not have enormous eyes.

 

You still have the problem with Adolin... He is, by far, the hardest one to cast. He is a half-blood... who strongly favors one side of the family. How do you cast the half-blood child of an imaginary ethnicity who would look like half-bloods in our world? Kaladin, Dalinar, Jasnah and Navani are relatively easy if you can convince me lentils can make decent eyes. For my part, I would not mind if Jasnah and Navani eyes were blue instead of purple. That's the sort of casting decision bearing little impact as their exact eye color is not relevant, what is relevant the fact it is light.

 

I haven't read Elantris yet, so I can't comment on the casting of the seon.

 

Actual eye color we can just toss riiiiight out the window, just as long as lighteyes have light eyes and darkeyes have, well, dark.  

 

Denth and Vasher should be played by actors who are real-life friends, my first thought being Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, respectively.  If the duo can bring in another guy to cameo as Clod, that'd be even better.  

[maxal]

Actual eye color we can just toss riiiiight out the window, just as long as lighteyes have light eyes and darkeyes have, well, dark.  

 

Denth and Vasher should be played by actors who are real-life friends, my first thought being Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, respectively.  If the duo can bring in another guy to cameo as Clod, that'd be even better.  

 

Yeah I agree actual eye color, as long as light is light and dark is dark. The hair however should all be dark, except for Adolin and Shallan 

 

Oh I like it. Ben would be Vasher and Matt Denth. They do the duo admirably. 

[Landis963]

Yeah I agree actual eye color, as long as light is light and dark is dark. The hair however should all be dark, except for Adolin and Shallan 

 

Oh I like it. Ben would be Vasher and Matt Denth. They do the duo admirably. 

 

On Roshar casting: I was assuming the Thaylenah would have normal-shaped eyes, but would be on the darker side of skin tone.  Maybe Don Cheadle as Mraize?  

 

I was thinking the other way around, actually.  Affleck would be Denth, using his comedic talents to run interference for Tonk Fah, while Damon the action hero would play Vasher.  (Yes, I know The Martian proved Damon's comedic talents, but it seems more natural, at least for me, for Damon to play the gruff action hero who's not good with people rather than the reluctant monster with the sense of humor.  Also, It'd be easier for Affleck to make Denth not creepy as rust than it would be for Damon, IMO.)

[DreamEternal]

On Roshar casting: I was assuming the Thaylenah would have normal-shaped eyes, but would be on the darker side of skin tone. Maybe Don Cheadle as Mraize?

The Thaylen are not said to have "large" shin eyes, and they live on the southernsmost nation in Roshar, so they are most likely very pale, at least as pale as Shallan if not more. Edited October 31, 2015 by CognitivePulsePattern

[Landis963]

This is the problem with casting Roshar natives - their ethnicities don't match Earth's in the slightest.  

 

Also, Colin Farrell as Straff Venture.  

[Delightful]

...........Benedict cumberbatch as Wayne?

[Curiosity]

...........Benedict cumberbatch as Wayne?

 

...   

 

Perhaps his talents would be better used while playing the Lord Ruler? 

[Landis963]

... 

 

Perhaps his talents would be better used while playing the Lord Ruler? 

 

Ah, typecasting, how we abhor and honor it!  It makes frivolous speculation on movie casting far too easy. 

 

Also, Timothy Hutton for Wax.  

[Mistrunner]

David Tennant for Dilaf from Elantris.

Think of him as Barty Crouch Jr. It'd work perfectly.

[Landis963]

David Tennant for Dilaf from Elantris.

Think of him as Barty Crouch Jr. It'd work perfectly.

Ooh, I like it! He doesn't get to play the creepy role nearly so often (although his role in the Jessica Jones miniseries might change that).

Emilia Clarke'd be good as someone. Vivenna, maybe? She's not nearly as sultry as a Blushweaver, and I don't think she's got the natural shrinking tendencies of a Vin. Not to mention, of course, that the clue-by-four she receives to the back of the head will serve as catharsis for the legion of GoT fans who are annoyed with Danaerys Targaryen.

[Citadel16]

Dalinar is Liam Neeson. (NO seriously! I cant read something said by Dalinar and not hear his voice in my head)

[Landis963]

Dalinar is Liam Neeson. (NO seriously! I cant read something said by Dalinar and not hear his voice in my head)

We had a whole discussion just up-thread on the difficulties of casting a Stormlight Archive adaptation - eye shape alone requires casting every single Asian actor currently in Hollywood, especially for crowd scenes. Extensive makeup might be simpler, especially for oddballs like Shallan, and is already necessary to make eye color conform to Roshar's peculiar brand of bigotry. I will admit that Liam Neeson would play Dalinar's character very well.

[HelloMyNameIsDrBloodborne]

I'll probably post more casting ideas for other books when I have the time (since it's something I think about with pretty much any book I read), but I'll do Alloy of Law, since I've recently read it for the first time, and it's fresh in my mind.

 

Waxillium - Hugh Dancy

 

Wayne - Dominic Monaghan

 

Marasi - Kaya Scodelario

 

Steris - Alice Eve

 

Miles - Wes Bentley

 

Ranette - Natalia Tena

 

"Mister Suit" - John Rhys-Davies

[Landis963]

I like your ideas for Miles and Ranette, but Wayne needs someone who can do a lot of accents and is known to be versatile.

Therefore, I humbly submit Enver Gjokaj for that role. (Also, he hasn't had a good-guy role since Dollhouse, IIRC)

[Stormgate]

I'm just wondering, what does everyone think about having Morgan Freeman play Ruin?

[Landis963]

I'm just wondering, what does everyone think about having Morgan Freeman play Ruin?

 

Needs to be deeper and less pleasant, less molasses and more tar.  Also there's the issue of Ati's body, but that's minor when it comes to casting.  Maybe Jackie Earle Haley at his growliest, pitched way down?  Also Andy Serkis needs to play the mist spirit/Leras.