As Comic-Con begins today, the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that we finally have a confirmed Watchmen cast, and much to my surprise and delight there's not a single "big name" star in the bunch.
Instead, it appears that director Zach Snyder, in continuing his trend of trying to impress me (which in my rampant egotism I can only assume that what he's trying to do) has stocked his cast full of "actor" actors. People who you may have seen before, or who have made a living out of dramatic roles, but have never had a squabble over which $10 million dollar limo to take to their most recent movie premiere. Never chucked a cell phone at a wayward assistant. Never converted to Scientology and then tried to convince other people that they weren't gay by brainwashing and marrying a poor helpless girl.
But I digress...
Fans of the comic, which has been referred to as the "Citizen Kane" of graphic novels, have been waiting a long time to see who Snyder, who burst on the scene with the Frank Miller adaptation "300", will cast as this odd assortment of comic book heroes.
As for avoiding "A-List" actors (the "A" apparently stands for "A**hole"), I'm all for it. I wish more directors focused more on actors that can play the role, instead of actors who can fill the theater seats. Obviously, theres a budget benefit to hiring smaller stars (no $20 mil payouts here, thank you), but on top of that I'm always more interested in seeing someone new instead of an established star.
Why?
Well, I've noticed that after an actor becomes famous, most of the time (minus the truly exceptional) they tend to just rely on their name, instead of their acting ability. They bring their baggage into the film. Their reputation. You don't see Ethan Hunt up on the screen, you see Tom Cruise pretending to be a spy. The suspension of disbelief necessary for a good film gets stretched a little thin if you just watched twenty four hour footage of the star's new mansion in Cabo.
New stars mean no baggage. They're free to create a character from scratch. A character we've never seen before. If the movie becomes a success (which I'm guessing this one will), these actors will forever be remembered as these characters. This is a "make-or-break" role for them.
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS
If you haven't read the book, or aren't familiar with the story, there are some possible spoilers in the character descriptions.
Seriously, go buy the book, read it, and come back. We'll wait.
Dr. Manhattan
Billy Crudup: While quite arguably the biggest star in the cast, Crudup has made a living playing subtle dramatic roles and really immersing himself in his characters. His role as the disillusioned son in "Big Fish" is entirely different from his role as a seventies rocker in "Almost Famous". He definitely has the ability to act detached, a key characteristic of Dr. Manhattan, and barring any ridiculous makeup involved in creating a semi-nude blue man, we should be in for a great performance.
The Comedian
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: The second "bigger" star, Morgan is famous for his role on a little known show called "Grey's Anatomy" (never heard of it).
Kidding.
The role of the Comedian has been attached from actor to actor to actor lately, and it's nice to see that Morgan is tackling a much, much darker role than he's know for.
Laurie Juspecyk/Silk Spectre
Malin Akerman Best know for her role as "Super Hot Chick Improbably Married to a Total Freak" in "Harold and Kumar Go To WhiteCastle", Akerman will carry the entire romantic aspect of the movie on her beautiful, milky white shoulders. And while I haven't seen her in a dramatic role, she is obviously very secure in her sexuality and should be a good fit for the romantically frustrated Silk Spectre.
Night Owl
Patrick Wilson: I have to admit that I am totally unaware of this guys work. He was in Phantom of the Opera (which I didn't see because I'm not a high school girl), and Running with Scissors (which I didn't see because I didn't like the book). So I guess we'll have to see if he can pull off the aging, out-of-shape ex-hero.
Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt
Matthew Goode Another relatively unknown actor, Goode has my vote of confidence for exactly one reason: he's not Tom Cruise. Rumors floating about Mr. Cruisazy's supposed involvement with the film have been nauseating and it's nice to see that they decided to hire someone who's not batshit crazy.
I'm interested to see if Goode can succeed in accomplishing the true duality that a character like Ozymandias requires. One one hand, he's the famous playboy and millionaire and all around good guy.. On the other hand, he's quite possibly the best villain ever.
Rorschach
Jackie Earle Hartley: Holy Crap.
This one was a total shock to me. The last time I saw Hartley on the big screen was as Kelly, the "bad boy" stereotype in The Bad News Bears. No, not the remake. The original. This announcement has me really excited, and I have absolutely no idea why. Maybe it's because I want to see Hartley break out of his mold. Maybe it's because one look at him and you can see the intensity required to play Rorschach. Maybe it's because I have a soft spot for child actors who come back to become real actors later on in life. Who knows? Regardless, this is going to be one hell of a movie.
So there ya go. The cast of Watchmen.
Normally, this would be where I would begin my diatribe on how to make a successful comic book movie, but if "300" was any indicator, Zach Snyder needs absolutely no help whatsoever with that.
Who watches the Watchmen? Well, on opening night, you better believe it's going to be me.
