Avengers Assemble - Casting Call - And the Rest!

For those of you that don't get the reference in the title, go here, and watch that clip till the end. Now, that's a slap in the face to two cast members! They list every frickin' person in the show, and then you get an "And the Rest!"


Anyhoo, a while back, I posted my thoughts on who should be cast as Captain America. I still stand by Leo. Marvel's also announced the Mighty Thor as the next hero to get the big screen treatment, and made plans for an Ant-Man film, though whether the latter will debut before the Avengers flick is doubtful.


See, the founding members of the Avengers were Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp. Captain America joined soon after, and is considered a founder. So, we know Robert Downey Jr. will play Iron Man. I'm fairly certain the Hulk will appear, with Edward Norton putting in some sort of cameo. I've already put forth DiCaprio. So, who will play the rest?

The Mighty Thor

This might be one of the toughest roles to cast. Thor is supposed to be a frickin' god, after all. The way he's depicted in the comics is as an immensely powerful and almost ridiculously lofty character, spouting pseudo-Shakespearen dialogue and fighting frost giants, evil gods and trolls. Now imagine that dude hanging out with Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark. Hard, huh? Marvel made a brilliant move in hiring Shakespearean genius Kenneth Branagh to direct, but whoever they cast has to have enough chops to pull off the majesty and ass-kicking power without looking fucking ridiculous.

I vote for the current odds-on favourite, Kevin McKidd:

First off, the dude has the intense look Thor needs. Also he's blonde. I'm not that much of a stickler on actors having to look exactly like the character, but the guy's a Norse god, so blonde is kind of a must. Most importantly, he's got the chops. In Rome, he played Lucius and was great, successfully managing to feel modern and visceral while retaining the ancient feel of the story. He could very well be one of the few actors out there who could pull the part off, both physically and talent-wise.

The Wasp

She can shrink down to the size of her namesake, fly around and possesses a "sting" that is a blast of energy. Like many female characters created by men, she's a little lame and weak. Still, who would you get to play Janet Van Dyne, super-hero, fashion designer and socialite heiress?

Okay, I know that I posted earlier this year that Eva Longoria was in the running for the role. But I really have not enjoyed anything I've ever seen her in, so I'm not picking her. I'd go for Michelle Monaghan:

She's got some recognition, having appeared in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gone Baby Gone, Mission Impossible III and most recently, Eagle Eye. But she hasn't broken wide yet. Yet. She probably won't ask for as much as Longoria, and she's definitely got the talent to pull off all of the Wasp's personality, and make something more of the admittedly under-developed character.

Ant-Man/Giant-Man

He can shrink down to the size of an ant! He can grow super-tall! Dr. Henry Pym is a genius who created Pym Particles, which allow both he and his fiance Janet Van Dyne to change their size. He's also an insecure mess of neuroses who accidentally created the villanous robot Ultron, has had more nervous breakdowns than Montgomery Clift and once actually struck Janet, his then-wife.

Whoever you get to play him must be someone who doesn't look like your typical super-hero. He has to be a geeky lab rat who somehow stumbled into the whole hero thing. So, I'm picking a guy who looks like, well, a skinny little geek, David Tennant:

I know, I know, my Doctor Who obsession is showing. Still, he's a great actor, he can sput the technobabble, and even though he doesn't look a whole lot like Pym does in the comic, he does exude geek chic and a certain nebbishy neurotic quality. After playing the Doctor, he's also ready for a little American exposure.

So, there are my choices for the Avengers. I think that if they assemble this cast (plus Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle, of course) you could have quite a fun little flick.