Tuesday, February 18, 2014

2014 "Fan-Casting DC's WONDER WOMAN" by Ryan Daly



Ryan "Count Drunkula" Daly of the Black Canary blog Flowers & Fishnets has played casting director for a Warner Brothers Amazing Amazon film! Being a typical nitpicky Wonder Woman fan, I will now pick nits. After all, I've been doing my own glacially paced fancasting on this blog that is above reproach highly dubious.

Admittedly, three years on, my pick of Jessica Biel as Diana Prince would probably be swapped out for the more popular selection Olivia Wilde, who is stunningly similar box office poison who would surely take the same popcult deflation as poor Gal Gadot's bosom. I'm not ready to join Daly on the Bridget Regan wagon, another oft-mentioned option, because I find her as boring as many fans dismissively disregard Diana. Likewise, I've been struggling to deal with the Xenafication of Diana since the '90s, so mentioning Lucy Lawless in any related context sets me off. I'm relieved she aged out of the main role, but I don't welcome her as Hippolyta, either. I haven't picked a viable option of my own, so we'll stick with honorary standby Lynda Carter for now.

Anna Popplewell grew up well, but still strikes me as too much of a toothy, befreckled, girl next door type for the statuesque Donna Troy. While probably a bit too old now, I went with Minka Kelly. I've never heard of Skyler Samuels, and she'd be too hot for the old school tomboy Cassie Sandsmark of Young Justice but seems perfectly suited for the Geoff Johns maturation of the young heroine of the aughts onward.

I'm going to make you visit Daly's heroes page for his choice of Steve Trevor, who he wanted to represent masculinity before the Amazons. I pegged Justin Timberlake (an In Time reunion?), so I was obviously going for a different thing. Fifteen years ago when nobody knew who Melissa McCarthy was, she would have been a perfect Golden Age Etta Candy. Daly chose someone more appropriate for today, but not too much less visible.



On to Villainy Incorporated! Lena Headey would inarguably suit Dr. Barbara Minerva, and would ham it up as the Cheetah. I felt strongly enough about Rhona Mitra to accidentally write her up twice (and have to later consolidate the entries.) She's a might bit Deborah Domaine though, an advantage for Headey. Meanwhile, I can see where Daly was going with Ares, but when a role amounts to voice acting, don't offer a Greek God with a Texan drawl. Conversely, Giganta is about visuals over vocals, so choosing a shapely actress above all isn't a problem.

I'm as big a Twin Peaks fan as the next nerd, but Michael J. Anderson is so far off the mark that it makes me take exception. Besides being a decade long AARP card carrier, Anderson's career has been defined by an essential humanity Dr. Psycho lacks. Peter Dinklage is a great actor who I want to see get some of that sweet comic book movie money, but there's a paucity of options available. Do we really want to waste The Dink on Oberon?

I can't comment on Daly's Circe, Doctor Poison or Silver Swan, since I'm unfamiliar with their work, though it's amusing that two of them are associated with Hannibal Lecter. He's more true to the Golden Age than I was, with my second hand suggestion of Pauley Perrette for Dr. Poison. Good on Ryan for stumping me!

Count Drunkula Casting Department