The TV Addict 

In an obvious attempt to completely undermine or disregard the good hard work of MONDOmagazine’s Miles Baker and myself did in attempting to cast the CAPTAIN AMERICA film, it seems Marvel has a an actor in mind to play Steve Rogers/Captain America that wasn’t even on our list.

According to Latino Review, Marvel’s current top-runner is none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. This doesn’t mean anything is official far from it. No offers have been made as of yet apparently, so all this really means is that this is who Marvel would like to have. Not who they have lined up already. That being said, it’s not a horrible choice really. Sure, maybe he’s a bit on the old side, but his face isn’t bad actually. The only hurdle I see is that I’m not really sure he’d be interested in doing this. Also, I kind of want to say this is too silly and too good for him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a snob about comic book movies, but a good, serious dramatic actor like DiCaprio is hard to imagine running around in spandex and throwing a big shield.

Of course I had to check in with Mr. Baker again, and he had the following to say: “”As much as I liked THE DEPARTED and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, part of me will not be able to wash TITANIC or ROMEO + JULIET out of my brain. But, he has proven acting chops, so I’d be willing to get excited after a good trailer. I mean, it’s a hard role to cast. I’ve yet to hear a name as perfect as “Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark”

What do you guys think? Do you have a favorite for Captain America? Do you think DiCaprio could pull it off? What about Marvel’s supposed No. 2 choice, Brad Pitt (who is also their No. 1 for THOR)?

With the announcement that a CAPTAIN AMERICA film is coming our way, and that Marvel has already a compiled a list of actors it wants to potentially play the star-spangled superhero (with Matthew McConaughey at the top of that list apparently), I decided to sit down with my friend, fellow comic book connoisseur, and co-editor of MONDOmagazine – the online magazine that gave this humble blogger his start – Miles Baker and talk about possible casting choices for the film.

NOTE: At the time this article was written Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige had not yet informed us the McConaughey rumors were false, nor confirmed that the film will be a period piece set in World War II.

REELaddict: So, Matthew McConaughey. I think though he has the physical build, I just see him as too much of a silly rogue who likes taking off his shirt and smoking weed. I don’t think he’s “serious” enough for the role. He always has that ironic glint in his eye in every movie he’s in.

Read the rest of this entry »

Having just plowed my way through the most recent entry, (“Bad Luck and Trouble”) in the always exciting, addictive and best-selling Jack Reacher thriller series by Lee Child, I found myself yet again perplexed why Hollywood – buying book rights without thought lately – hasn’t gotten around to adapting any of the novels. After all, the series is perfect fodder for an exciting film franchise, not only because all the novels are completely engrossing and have a great central character, but also because they’re all stand-alone adventures. So even if Hollywood isn’t there yet, I thought I might do some of their work for them in advance, and throw in some suggestions for people who could star as the stoic hero.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Though I think his military type role in DOOM kind of proves he can’t do this kind of part (though that may have been more the fault of the script), and he seems too interested in being a goof-ball these days, I don’t think there’s any denying physically he could play the character quite well.

Bruce Willis
The reason I suggest Willis is not only because of his physical build/appearance, or his established acting chops, but also because we know he can do this character-type (see DIE HARD, TEARS OF THE SUN). That may be the problem though. It’s a role so closely associated with Willis (or at least universally acknowledged as his brand of action) that it would probably end up giving us the sense of “been there, done that,” which might very well kill any potential franchise right there.

Dominic Purcell
Dude isn’t a great actor necessarily, and doesn’t always have the best choices in films, but just watch any scene of “Prison Break” with him in it, and you’ll see he’s a pretty dead physical ringer for Jack Reacher. Also, even though he’s thirty-eight, there’s a certain world-weariness etched into his face and eyes that would also make him ideal for the part. Just too bad he doesn’t have the emotional range that should go along with that.

Read the rest of this entry »