Hypothetical Casting for Esmeralda; Oona Chaplin

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Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin

This suggestion is off a list from http://fuckyeahnotredamedeparis.tumblr.com as part of an ideal casting. Oona Chaplin is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin and  his 4th wife actress Oona O’Neill. Her mother is Geraldine Chaplin, another prolific actress and Patricio Castilla. Her family is full of actors and performers.

Oona Chaplin as Talia, Game of Thrones picture image

Oona Chaplin as Talia, Game of Thrones

Chaplin is most known for her role on HBO’s Game of Thrones as Talisa, a show only character. Talisa is a noble lady from Volantis turned wartime  medicine women turned Queen in the North who is killed at a wedding. Pre-season three, I thought she was a spy for the Lannisters as she did know a lot about Westeros and it would have merged the show with the book but no she was just  kick-ass strong women character.

 

Oona Chaplin as Zilpha Geary, Taboo picture image

Oona Chaplin as Zilpha Geary, Taboo

 Chaplin is a competent enough actress, not amazing but no means bad. She was decent as Talisa but she is better as Zilpha in Taboo. She is also going to appear in James Cameron’s Avatar universe so look forward to that.  

 

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin

However being of Spanish descent does offer an intriguing aspect to Esmeralda that Chaplin could weave into Esmeralda’s characterization. Though Esmeralda in the book wasn’t Spanish, she did travel to Spain as a small child. It would be interesting to see an Esmeralda that had her unique speech  patterns that are a amalgamation of youth traveling around Europe.  That would be a new facet to a film adaptation of Esmeralda.  

 

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin

I doubt Chaplin would be cast as a naive Esmeralda and probably would play the role closer to Hayek or the Disney characterization but it would interesting if they did make her that type of Esmeralda but kept her book backstory intact. It would be a decent merger of films and the book and would make the character still different.

 

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin

Not sure if I need to say this but Chaplin has the look of Book Esmeralda. She has the dark eyes and hair that Hugo passingly described. She also has olive skin which Esmeralda has but as the result of traveling around Europe.  She does have a more angular face that I personally wouldn’t have envision for Esmeralda but it’s not a count against her especially of they didn’t go with the the type of Esmeralda that is more confident with her sexuality.

 

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin could play a very interesting version of Esmeralda giving the direction of the movie but what do you think? Do you see Oona Chaplin playing Esmeralda?

Hypothetical Casting for Phoebus; Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau picture image

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

There is no shortage of actors in the world who could be cast as Phoebus. At his most basic Hugo-ian level, a handsome jerk, is not a hard role but Phoebus does get facets in his personality that versions can and do add in to his characterization. He is sometimes the hero, a reformed rake, a jerk-face villain or an extra. He is a swiss army knife character. That is why sometimes you need an actor who is at the ready, who is capable of playing all those types of roles, sans the extra. One such actor is one Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Game of Thrones picture image

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Game of Thrones

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is best known for playing Jaime Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones. And if that doesn’t speak to Coster-Waldau’s ability to play Phoebus, I don’t know what else to say. Well to be fair, Jaime is not the womanize Phoebus is after all Jaime has only been with one woman (his twin sister) but that is beside the point. Coster-Waldau has the acting chops to play Phoebus effectively no matter what role the movie cast for  Phoebus.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau picture image

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

On looks, Coster-Waldau has what I think is the ideal look for Phoebus. He looks like a prince charming which Phoebus needs. Phoesbus has to be a pretty boy to foil both Quasimodo and Frollo. Ideally, Phoebus should be shining like the sun, (pardon the lyric use from Notre Dame be Paris.) Honestly, I don’t think you get more of a good of a look to Phoebus than Coster-Waldau.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau picture image

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

 

But what do you think? Would Nikolaj Coster-Waldau makes a good Phoebus? A Bad Phoebus? Or A Great Phoebus?

Also the Game of Thrones book series, A Song of Ice and Fire makes for some excellent summer reading.

 

 

A Quasimodo Reference in Game of Thrones

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No real Spoilers

Lena Heady as Cersei Lannister & Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones picture image

Lena Heady as Cersei Lannister & Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones

I was reading the fourth Book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Feast for Crows,  A Song of Ice and Fire  is great series and what the HBO show Game of Thrones is adapted from.

In the fourth Cersei chapter, Cersei says that Tyrion could be hiding in the Baelor’s Sept, their big important church, swinging on the bell rope. Tyrion, who is the coolest, is Dwarf who is considered to be not too good looking and he has deformities. The implication of Tyrion “swinging from the bell rope” is clearly an homage to our pal Quasimodo.

Game of THrones and Non/Disney Trailer

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This is the audio from the season 4 trailer. The Hunchback characters get three chracter Phoebous as Jaimie Lannister, Frollo as Tywin Lannister and Quasimodo as Tyrion Lannister. Perfect casting if you ask me.   Tyrion is the MAN.

 

Bambi II; Bambi of House Baratheon

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Bambi II picture image

Bambi II

I want to review Bambi II, really I do but it’s beyond reproach as Patrick Stewart is it and anything with Patrick Stewart is clearly awesome.

Alright, I’ll try and review it!

Bambi and The Great Prince Bambi II picture image

Bambi and The Great Prince

Bambi II is a midquel. It takes place during the time after Bambi’s mother dies and he is being raised by his dad, the Great Prince of the Forest. Basically the movie is about the Great Prince coming to terms with raising Bambi and Bambi trying to win his dad’s respect.

This story actually works and is pretty ok. It suffers from the typical issues of little drama when death or near-death is used. Though at one point a doe is trouble and that could have had some drama but they diffused the tension in favor of Bambi being chased by hounds and you know he going to be fine. Otherwise it not that bad but there are some issues.

Bambi watching The Great Prince fight off Hounds Bambi II picture image

Bambi watching The Great Prince fight off Hounds

First off this movie takes some influence from The Land Before Time, which is weird. Ronno’s story scaring a man is pretty damn similar to Cera’s story about finding the T-rex. Even Ronno’s tone is the same. There is also a very similar shot of the Great Prince fighting hounds in a shadow against a rock while Bambi watches. This shot is very much identical to Littlefoot watching as his mother fights the T-rex. It may seem weird but both movie feature a young animal losing it’s mother as a core motif.

Bambi, Ronno, and Faline Bambi II picture image

Bambi, Ronno, and Faline

Speaking of Ronno, what an annoying character. Ronno is a bully who is momma-boy. It seems like he is the rival stag in the original because of his motions towards Faline but not sure. I guess he is an antagonist and a foil to Bambi but he is annoying.

Bambi II picture image

Bambi

Bambi himself has little personality but he didn’t really in the first so whatever.

The Great Prince Bambi II picture image

The Great Prince

Bambi II does a fair job at keeping the atmosphere of the original. The original had these moments of dramatic and almost abstract lighting. Like the hounds in the grass is a pretty cool shot.

Bambi and The Great Prince Bambi II picture image

Bambi and The Great Prince

Bambi II is ok it didn’t annoy as much as thought it would. Was it a story that needed to be told? No. Is this movie made better by Patrick Stewart? Yes. And not to throw in another Game of Thrones reference but the Great Prince totally got me when he said “Winter is coming….. to an end.”

This song could be called Out There

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They sure sings the phrase “Out There” a lot huh? It’s like  they are much saying “Out There” is a  Disney Princess song.

Game of Thrones and Hunchback

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Let’s talk about Game of Thrones because everyone else is. Game of Thrones is a very popular show on HBO not mention a popular book series calledA Song of Ice and Fire. So what does this have to with Hunchback? Well on a VERY superficial level some of the characters harken to the Hunchback of Notre Dame. (I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler free as I can)

First up fan-favorite Tyrion Lannister.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones picture image

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones

Tyrion is a dwarf and is often called the imp. But more than that in book he is supposed to be quite ugly. He is described as having stubby legs a jutting forehead, mismatched eyes of green and black, and lank, white-blonde hair. Later he gets an injury that removes most of his nose. So he is deformed. While he isn’t characterized as being a nice as Quasimodo he does have sympathy for outcasts and the mistreated.

Sandor Clegane a.k.a the Hound

Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane, Game of Thrones picture image

Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane, Game of Thrones

The Hound also has a deformity as result of getting very badly burned as a child. He is obsessed with Sansa Stark who is considered a great beauty. He is attracted to her after she shows him some compassion and treats him like a human. He reminds me of Frollo and Quasimodo. And Quasimodo was liken to a dog.

Petyr Baelish

Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Game of Thrones picture image

Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Game of Thrones

He sort of has Frollo level obession, first with Catelyn Stark and then that get refocuses on her daughter, Sansa Stark who looks like her.

Sansa Stark

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Game of Thrones picture image

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Game of Thrones

She is like Esmeralda in the sense that she captures men’s attentions and is a great beauty.

Arianne Martell

Arianne Martell by Matt Olson, Game of Thrones picture image

Arianne Martell by Matt Olson, Game of Thrones

She seems to resemble Esmeralda in the looks department. She is short, buxon, large dark eyes, olive skin, long black eyes. I would say whoever they get to cast her for the show could make a lovely Esmeralda except the show cut her and that was a dumb movie. I hated season five.

Edited July 27th, 2015

Hypothetical Casting for a Frollo

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As another possible Frollo choice for a movie version may I present Iain Glen.

Iain Glen picture image

Iain Glen

Iain Glen has been in many British shows and movies and has done stage work. The popular  show he has been in include but are not limited to MI-5 (season 9 as Vaughan Edwards), Doctor Who  (Season 5 as Octavian), Game of Throne (as Ser Jorah Mormont) and Downton Abbey (Season 2 as Sir Richard Carlisle).

Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont from Game of Thrones picture image

Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont from Game of Thrones

Now I have no shame in saying that I’m a fan of Downton Abbey and his role as the as the obsessive and possessive Richard Carlisle indicated to me that he would make a great Frollo. And when I watch Wives and Daughters (he plays Mr. Preston another character who is obsessively in love) it solidify the idea that he would make an awesome Frollo. Also based on his performance in Game of Thrones where he plays a Knight who is protective and secret in love with a much younger girl I really believe he would make an ideal Frollo.

Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle from Downton Abbey picture image

Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle from Downton Abbey

Plus he has the right look and his voice has a low, cold and threatening vibe. Another reason to cast him is like Frollo he has a sex appeal but it’s not because he’s conventionally attractive. He is defiantly a top pick for Frollo (in my mind).

Iain Glen as Vaughn Edwards from MI-5 picture image

Iain Glen as Vaughn Edwards from MI-5

Tell me what you think would Iain Glen make a good Frollo?