Character casting

[AlothAssassin]

I hate the idea of even making a thread like this, being one of those folks who doesn't want people to screw around with this story, and just leave it be.  But I couldn't help noticing while watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, that this girl had a pretty striking "Rachel" quality about her, in both appearance and kind of...intensity, is probably the word.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1628079/

Too old, obviously, but she's definitely got the right look for Rachel.  Like almost exactly, which I haven't really noticed any other actors to have.  First time for everything, I guess.

She has a couple of very brief "aggressive" scenes in the show too, and seemed to be able to switch between that "normal suburban mallrat girl" and "shrieking yelling Xena" pretty admirably.

http://www.soapsonabc.com/files/2008/06/leven-rambin-nc.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QWOXmjFGlEM/SdDm9rVoLjI/AAAAAAAAMQE/3q9Pjb99v_M/s400/MV5BMTAyNzI5MDc2MDleQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDEwODQ1MzI@._V1._SX288_SY400_.jpg


Obviously I'm not suggesting they cast this girl as Rachel, just thought she fit the right archetype pretty much exactly, and it's the first time I've seen anyone who really leapt off the screen as "Rachel-ish".  Her character on the show is pretty different, but just little mannerisms and stuff totally felt right.  If they ever do make another attempt at adapting Animorphs, they should probably go for someone reasonably similar in look to her, pretty but kind of "normal" and real, with the ability to kind of pull off both intelligence/sarcastic wit and the fearless bravado on screen.

There's probably been a thread like this somewhere before over the years, was just curious to see if there were any actors you've seen that screamed "one of the Animorphs characters".  Either the main kids or supporting characters, doesn't matter.

The only other ones I've felt may work were a curiosity over whether Ron Glass, Shepherd Book from Firefly/Serenity, would make a decent Visser.  Or even Elfangor, I suppose, he has that whole strong regal quality and deep badass voice for either, though I'd think casting someone that age as 'Fangor may pose problems later on, if they ever did a Chronicles type of dealio.

[EscafilDevice]

I feel like if Animorphs is ever made into a big-budget CGI movie, they should cast 6 unknowns. You can always dye an actress' hair and give her color contacts, looks should only be a part of the equation.

I used to think that Ralph Fiennes would've made a killer Visser 3, but since he's Voldemort that's kind of a villain overkill. I think he could pull him off.

Voldemort is a lot more evil than Visser 3: toward the end of the series, Visser 3 started to become less scary and more humorously incompetent. It would have to depend on how the production company would intend to interpet his character.

[esplin]

We've had over 9000 casting threads.

[AlothAssassin]

I feel like if Animorphs is ever made into a big-budget CGI movie, they should cast 6 unknowns.

Completely agree.

Just thought I'd make a thread, since it's pretty much the first time I've seen anyone in anything who displayed qualities that seem pretty congruent with one of the kids in the series.  She's like five years too old anyway.  And Ron's mucho old-o by now.

So neither are right for the characters, but just felt they each showed some pretty suitable attributes that would fit well.

[Sub Visser]

I think it would be cool if they did it in Clone Wars style animation, that way the characters can look very true to the books, special effects would be seamless, foreign worlds and beings wouldn't look like costumes, and it would be a lot cheaper.

[AlothAssassin]

As in, the CG Clone Wars thing?

Hell no.  Traditional animation or nothing, these CG shows always end up looking so cheap and pathetic.

But, hey, better yet, let's just hope they leave it well alone.  There's no need for any adaptation.

[Sub Visser]

Yeah, the newest Clone Wars stuff.  I think it would look really cool, and way better than anything they would do with live action becuase honestly if this movie ever gets made it will be small budget.  If you have a small budget don't even waste your time on a live action Animorphs movie, it would just end up being a disappointment.  At least with animation they would have a better shot at living up to what the books describe.

[AlothAssassin]

Agreed on that front.

But with animation, in most American cases you're slapped with a G rating.  Which is going to inhibit the story and tone even more than the low budget of the crappy studio movie.

This series doesn't work outside of books.

[Sub Visser]

I think it can if you try hard enough, you just have to go through the books with a fine comb and only use the best stuff.  If it were me I would just combine the best stories into one 2 hour movie and leave it at that.  Besides, what kind of crowd was Animorphs intended for, young children, a pg rating would get the job done.

[AlothAssassin]

Except, no.  Nobody wants to see animals fighting without actually fighting.

You know what tigers and bears do?  They MAUL and SHRED people.  It'd never make it into a movie the way it is in the books.

[Yarin]

We've had over 9000 casting threads.

WOW thats a lot

[Sub Visser]

Oh there are a million ways to show brutal violence without showing brutal violence.

[JFalcon]

Except, no.  Nobody wants to see animals fighting without actually fighting.

Chronicles of Narnia friend, Chronicles of Narnia. Violence, death, a lion friggin' biting the head off some chick (you don't see it but it's so heavily implied you might as well have) and kids rushed to the theators.

Now to my knowledge the film didn't get an R rating (I think PG-13) yet it contained the sort of large scale violence that could be comparable to an Animorphs battle, you don't have to actually show Jake biting the neck off a Hork-Bajir, it's enough to show him leap on it, show him going for the neck but falling off screen before he actually bites it, hear the Hork-Bajir grunt or something then see the tiger get up and leap away.

It doesnt need to be Saving Private Ryan or anything to still be good.

On the other hand Narnia was live action and a live action Animorphs would be terrible. Still live action or animated the principal is the same, you don't need to show the death blow for people to know it landed.

Also, if the movie were just the first book it wouldn't even need to be that violent compared to some of the later stuff. Audiecnes would have no problem seeing Taxxons getting smashed, or Hork-Bajir getting flung around since in the case of the former "they're just bugs" and in the case of the latter "well maybe he's okay" and though they did it in a really dopey looking way, even the TV series allowed for Elfangor's death, their biggest hurtle would probably be the whole burning hosts alive thing that the Visser pulls at the end.

[Chad32]

I agree, JFalcon. In Narnia you have the huge battle with op[posing forces going headlong at each other, that we all know ends in bloody messes and piles of dead bodies. We don't need to actually see that, since we know it happens in real life.

And we know the lion ripped her face/throat off/out. I doubt anyone would argue that he licked her into submission.

In an animated movie, where Visser Three is burning people alive, I would likely show a lot of fire, and sillouettes in the fire, where you hear a lot of screams. That would be enough, I think. That and eating Elfangor really sets him off as a complete monster. I wish he had lasted longer like that.

[Galladerotom]

During the TV series I noticed that Jake (Shawn Ashmore) plays the evil him brilliantly. Now that he is older they should bring him back as Tom. Although the results will be extremly variable as there are some who remeber him as Jake (or more likely as Iceman).