6 posts tagged “patrick wilson”
Well under rather mysterious circumstances Watchmencomicmovie.com have today released photos of what most of the Watchmen cast will look like in full costume.
Apart from a rather odd looking getup from Veidt (Ozymandias) (little boy playing dressup in B&R/Spartan wear) and Nite Owl's rather strange interpretation of the cowl from the book (visual metaphor for his impotency?) everything looks rather impressive, especially Rorschach, Silk Spectre and of course, Rorschach. For some reason Snyder has run them through his favourite desaturation mode which makes it hard to make out some of the details, especially in the case of Rorschach's famous purple pinstripe trousers and cravat. But on the whole, I think fans can breath a collective sigh of relief. Check them out below, and here's the original link to the source
Nite Owl played by Patrick Wilson
The Comedian played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Veidt (Ozymandias) played by Matthew Goode
Rorschach played by Jackie Earle Haley
Ok, thought I'd do an update (regurgitation in the case of some of the casting comments) on the rumoured, and practically official casting for the Watchmen movie:
IESB.net is making the confirmations, and what with ComiCon just round the corner, I think you can take these with more than just a pinch of salt:
Adrian Veidt/Oxymandias- Matthew Goode- Great, great choice in my opinion. If they had to go star, I would have said Pitt over Law, but this is a real surprise, and as you'll see from the rest of the list, and as I've already stated, seems to cement that idea that Snyder is going with talent over glamour. Goode was great in Match Point (hated the film) and The Look Out.
Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan- Again great. Ever since Jesus' Son Crudup's been an actor of versatility, charisma and magnetism. He's got the look too.
Patrick Wilson as The Nite Owl- Another surprise. Only seen him in Little Children with Kate Winslet, and he's great in that. I know people have been clamouring for Cusack, but Wilson's got the same everyman quality, but without the Hollywood. This can't turn into just some Hollywood glamour flick. It's story, not faces.
Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach- Annnother surprise. And a fellow Little Children star. Funnily enough, also a former child star, tipped for a greatness that never really came. He was pretty mesmerising in the aforementioned film, and though he's hardly the spit, it's all about the presence onscreen, and Haley has that in spades.
Malin Ackerman as Silk Spectre- Who is she? Outside of her boobs out in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle I have no clue. She's Swedish and blonde.....Let's hope she blew Snyder away in the audition. On the back of the other castings, I'm still confident. and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach.
Say what you will about Snyder, there's real commitment in these castings (if they are actually official), and in interviews he really seems to nail the essence of the story. I just hope the look doesn't depend too much on this heavy green screen and concentrates on a more realistic mise en scene. As a huge fan of the source, I really don't see the point in the endeavour, but after flicking back over some of my favourite moments, I do get a little giddy thinking of Rorschach jumping out of the fridge, the climax and the jailbreak all depicted onscreen.
Terrible eh....
Anyway, an interview over at Coming Soon has all but confirmed that Patrick Wilson will be playing Nite Owl in Watchmen. He doesn't have the pull to be letting even that level of goss go without some confidence he's got the part, surely:
'I mean, I would blab my mouth 'cause I certainly haven't been told to keep quiet. It's just out of respect for them trying to get everybody else on board before I go ahead and blab my mouth, but it's pretty cool. It's exciting stuff.'
And then there's this which confirms he's seen the script to the film, and is either aware of the quality of the source novel, or just represents the standard acting BS,
'The material's phenomenal, let's put it that way. It's pretty unbelievable. It's unbelievable. Just as we were talking about, you know with every huge... and that's a totally different, when you talk about comic book movies that doesn't even do an ounce of justice to that script, both the movie script and the original graphic novel is pretty phenomenal writing.'
Excited. ComiCon. Get here soon.
The rumour mill spins, and reports become as insubstantial as the hot air spouted in Hollywood daily. According to AICN the news that Keanu Reeves had turned down a role as Dr Manhattan in Zack Snyder's Watchmen adaptation is not entirely true. He actually priced himself out of the movie. As Moriarty goes on to say, the new favourite for the role is not Billy Crudup, but Jason Patric, a far better choice than Reeves to my mind. Check out any film he's done, and you'll see the same balance of stillness and menacing presence, that makes him perfect for Manhattan
Now, what about Rorschach? Well, this bit of news comes via CHUD, and a report that suggests their roving
The actual confirmation apparently comes via Paddy Considine's official website, in a comment that suggests he was pursuing the role himself; news that is a little disappointing as he'd have made a very interesting Rorschach. It certainly seems more concrete than previous rumours, and as AICN reports, if everything pans out, it will make an onscreen reunion with Haley playing unlikely partner to 'Little Children' co-star, Patrick Wilson's, Nite Owl.
Although this is the meat to my delectable Hollywood pie for today, AICN caps their report with a tantalising suggestion of who could be playing The Comedian, the bigoted super patriot who takes a scraper swan dive in the film's opening scene:
The Comedian’s still up for grabs, too, but they’ve looked at everyone from Ron Pearlman to Nathan Fillion for the role. Right now, it sounds like there’s one actor who Snyder likes for the part, but I’m not at liberty to divulge his identity yet. Let’s just say it’s a “punishing” choice, and the actor brings a lot of comic book credibility to the role if he ends up playing it.
So that's Thomas Jane (or Dolph Lundgren ;) ) then.....
Whatever your thoughts on these choices, and we haven't got as far as the female characters yet, it's proof positive that Snyder and, most surprisingly, WB are not going for the easy lay. Wilson and Hayley both have performance over pomp and anyone who's seen Jane in Stander knows he can act. As for Patric, well I'm a huge fan, especially for smaller films like Geronimo and Narc. Strangely enough it's this rumour more than the others that I hope becomes truth fairly soon.
Once again, ComiCon awaits, and by then I'm sure Watchmen fans can sigh sweet relief.....
As you can tell from a previous Blog border, and some articles I've posted I'm a huge fan of Watchmen, and the film adaptation Zack Snyder is developing as I type. After some casting rumours that pinned down Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl, Keanu Reeves as Dr Manhattan and Jude Law as Ozymandias, got everyone a little excited it seems the internet is once again the bringer and bearer of bad news. Me old favourite Joblo.com reports that not only is Keanu Reeves not interested in playing the blue skinned nudie, but John Cusack is all itchy ants in the pants about answering the fanboy clamour and slipping into the Nite Owl costume.
I'll be honest and say that although it never slipped my mind to suggest Wilson for the part of bumbling Owly, I'm sold on the idea. There's a look and nervousness about him that gels with the images and words on the page. Cusack is just a little too obvious, and as cool as Cusack is, I don't want this film becoming some starfest where the narrative gets lost to the Guess Who audience game.
These kinds of reports are going to be coming thick and fast right up to the start of this year's ComiCon in San Diego where I'm sure official casting choices will be announced. Synder has already stated he's deep into the planning of the opening scene and the murder of the Comedian. Maybe some of this footage will be presented at the convention. Mark the 26-29th July in your diary.
Wow, I click away from one of my regular movie news sites for a second, and BLAM, casting news for easily my most anticipated film of next year crops up.
The seminal and iconoclastic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons has been in the hands of '300' director Zack Snyder. Fans have waited with baited breath for any news from the film and although we had a brief flash of a supposedly a test shot of Rorschach not much else has surfaced. Until now that is.
Not sure how official this is, although it's being reported at AICN, a site I generally trust, even with their recent troubles, but anyway, here's the suggested castings:
Playing Nite Owl, Dan Dreiberg, is Patrick Wilson of 'Little Children' fame. I caught this recently and was very impressed. This is great news and a sign that Snyder is casting with an eye for talent, not needless glamour.
Playing Dr Manhattan, Jonathan Osterman, is Keanu Reeves......Acchhh, not sure about this. It will sound incredibly rude, but the tone of his voice is a fit, but does he have the presence? I always heard someone like Lawrence Fishburne in the part which is rather amusing considering the Matrix ties.We'll have to see
- Rorschach's Journal: A Comedian died last night, and nodbody cares. Nobody Cares but Me.
Rorschach IS Watchmen. His is a pivotal role and Snyder needs to nail it. This will cement my confidence in him if he gets it right. My choice(s):
Doug Hutchison. As you can see with this pic there's already a lot of fan suggestion behind this man. Sure, he's not fully proven as an actor, but he's got presence and a cold emptiness. And most importantly, he isn't a big name, and doesn't give off this absurd machismo that Rorschach the mask gives off.
Funnily enough my next choice has shared a screen with Doug on a recent episode of the tv series Lost. Again he's not full of machismo, but he does have a certain chilling presence. It is, Michael Emerson who plays Benjamin Linus, the leader of the Others.
