Who should Johnny Depp play if he were casted in a Hunchback movie?

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Johnny Depp image picture

Johnny Depp

With the rumors of Tim Burton involvement on the 2013 version people started to ask “Well,What character is Johnny Depp going to play?” Since Burton more often than now casts Depp for his movies? But it is a an interesting question, Who should Johnny Depp play if he were casted in a Hunchback movie?

Johnny Depp picture image

Johnny Depp

 

Johnny Depp is a very versatile actor. He could play a few characters in a Hunchback version. He could play Gringoire, Clopin or Frollo. Though personally I think he would do the best as Clopin. The role of Clopin can be made into a bigger role pending on the writing. With Gringoire I feel a younger and more naive actor would be better and with Frollo, Depp doesn’t have an cold, austere look to him so I think he better suited to Clopin.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of the Caribbean picture image

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of the Caribbean

 

I could see Depp giving Clopin like a Jack Sparrow vibe where he can be a chaotic neutral.  But I think he could do something different for him as an actor and give Clopin a new bent and he could make his own.

Johnny Depp picture image picture

Johnny Depp

Hypothetical Casting for Frollo; Alan Rickman

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Alan Rickman picture image

Alan Rickman

A popular casting choice for Frollo is Alan Rickman. Rickman is best known for playing Professor Snape in theHarry Potter Movies . He has also played Colonel Brandon in the 1995 version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, The Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 version of Robin Hood (Prince of Thieves) and Rasputin in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.

Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape from Harry Potter picture image

Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape from Harry Potter

Rickman would make a great Frollo. He has the right level of threat and tenderness about him. He also tends to play elegant characters that may seem calm but are concealing something within and he is good at communicating that dichotomy on film. This duality is essential to Frollo’s character. Also Rickman tends to play character that have a dark streak, which a Frollo really should have.

 

Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility picture image

Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility

Many ladies find Rickman attractive but he is not unconventional attractive. The aspects that people find attentive are his voice and with over-all manner. In that way Rickman has the right look and the right level of sex appeal that Frollo seems to have with fans. I mean could you imagined Rickman reciting the monologue in the jail scene (where he confesses his “love” to Esmeralda). I bet a lot fans of both Frollo and Rickman would love that.

Alan Rickman as The Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves picture image

Alan Rickman as The Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood; Prince of Theives

I would just hope that if Rickman does play Frollo he is allowed to bring a dark tonality to the role and maybe recite some of Frollo’s dialogue from book largely intact.

Alan Rickman as Rasputin from Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny picture image

Alan Rickman as Rasputin from Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny

But what do you think? Would Alan Rickman make a good Frollo? Or do you think he would make a terrible Frollo and how dare I even suggesting it?

Hypothetical Casting for Frollo; Richard Armitage

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Richard Armitage picture image

Richard Armitage

As a possible movie (or mini-series) Frollo I would suggest Richard Armitage for the role. While Armiatge is younger and more attractive than Frollo is meant to be, he has a talent for playing brooding and complex characters.

Richard Armitage as John Thornton from the BBC of North & South picture image

Richard Armitage as John Thornton from the BBC of North & South

Armitage’s biggest roles have been playing John Thornton in the 2004 BBC version of North & South (which is one the best period pieces I ever seen), Guy of Gisborne in the BBC version of Robin Hood (which was a fun series), and he playing Thorin Oakenshield in the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne from the BBC version of Robin Hood picture image

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne from the BBC version of Robin Hood

Armitage is a very versatile actor. I think he pull off the descent into insanity very effectively. I know Armitage could give Frollo the complexity he has in the book but is lacking from other film versions.

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit picture image

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit

As for his looks, yeah Armitage would be a handsomer and younger Frollo but his looks work with the character. He is tall and lean which would enhance Frollo’s austere look. With the right costume and make-up he could be made up to look like the ideal Frollo.

Richard Armitage picture image

Richard Armitage

Tell me what do you think. Do you like Richard Armitage would make a good Frollo or do someone else is the perfect Frollo?

Bonus – Armitage was also in Captain America as Heinz Kruger and in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace as Naboo Fighter Pilot (he was uncredited)

Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger in Captain America picture image

Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger in Captain America

Richard Armitage as a Naboo Fighter Pilot with Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala Star Wars; The Phantom Menace Episode I Picture image

Richard Armitage as a Naboo Fighter Pilot Star Wars; The Phantom Menace

Hypothetical Casting for Esmeralda: Jessica Findlay-Brown

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As a  possible Esmerada I think Jessica Findlay-Brown would make a good choice.

Jessica Findlay-Brown Picture image

Jessica Findlay-Brown

She has the right look as she is has an olive skin tone, black hair  and she’s young enough to pull off the role.

Jessica Findlay-Brown picture image

Jessica Findlay-Brown

She is a fairly decent actress though she hasn’t been to many thing but her most notable role was Lady Sybil Crawley on Downton Abbey which isn’t the most difficult role in the world admittedly but neither in Esmeralda.

Jessica Findlay-Brown as Lady Sybil Crawley from Downton Abbey Season 2 picture image

Jessica Findlay-Brown as Lady Sybil Crawley from Downton Abbey Season 2

But another great attribute she has is that she is a former ballet dancer so she can bring a dancing aspect to the role.

Jessica Findlay-Brown as Lady Sybil Crawley from Downton Abbey Season 2 picture image

Jessica Findlay-Brown as Lady Sybil Crawley from Downton Abbey Season 2

Hypothetical Casting for Phoebus: Chris Hemsworth

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Chris Hemsworth as Thor picture image

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Here’s a little factoid about me that you may not know, I’m not a fan of Superhero movies.  They just have never appealed to me. However, a friend made me watch Thor  and I really liked it. I think I liked the blend of Norse mythology in a sci-fi/fantasy context but as a Hunchback fan I enjoy watching Thor’s character arch as it was like Phoebus.

Chris Hemsworth picture image

Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth is actually a relatively popular choice for a hypothecial cast of Hunchback of Notre Dame as Phoebus. And I have to agree with the popular vote here he’s really is perfect for the role. His look is good and if his performance as Thor is any indication he can play the role of Phoebus with their great smarminess or warmth (pending on the vision of the movie). Either way Chris Hemsworth would make a great Phoebus and he’s currently popular in hollywood so who know it may even happen.

Chris Hemsworth Smiling picture igame

Chris Hemsworth Smiling

 

What do you think? Do you think Chris Hemsworth would make a good Phoebus or do you think there someone better out there for the role?

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in The Avengers Picture image

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in The Avengers

Hypothetical Casting for Quasimodo: Denis Lavant

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Denis Lavant in Tuvalu as Anton picture image

Denis Lavant in Tuvalu as Anton

I Saw Tuvalu on a whim and though it was an odd movie but I enjoyed it. Who wouldn’t like a movie that is german expressionism revival about a love triangle sets in a collapsing bathhouse and that is a practically silent film. No seriously as odd as this film is it’s very enjoyable but one thing that struck me while watching it was Denis Lavant, who played the lead. Watching him in Tuvalu convinced me that he would make the perfect Quasimodo.

Denis Lavant picture image

Denis Lavant

Why would he make a perfect Quasimodo? First Lavant has made career on his unique face. A unique face is a plus for a Quasimodo. He’s not just some pretty-boy that put a heap of make-up on. Lavant’s natural roughness would add to Quasimodo’s pathos and make it feel more natural.  Second he has the ability to act without speaking which I think a person playing Quasimodo should have given that Quasimodo is a psychically demanding role.

Denis Lavant picture image

Denis Lavant

In my mind Denis Lavant was born to play Quasimodo. Watch Tuvalu or another one of Denis Lavant’s movies and see if you agree. I recommend watching Tuvalu though to really get a understanding of Lavant’s potent as Quasimodo.

Hypothetical Casting for a Movie Esmeralda

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Back in November I started a series  of for hypothetical casting for Hunchback musicals or movie.

Erika Marozsan picture image

Erika Marozsan

So for an Esmeralda in a movie, I think Hugarian actress Erika Marozsan would make a good Esmeralda. She has the right look for the role  and she is a decent actress. Though in truth I’ve only seen her in one movie, Gloomy Sunday, but she was great in it(it’s one of my favorites). They only fault that she has is that she a little old for the role, as Esmeralda should be played by someone who can pass for 16 years old, but that’s if you want to adhere closely with the book and let’s face what Hunchback adapation follows the book very closely.

Erika Marozsan in Gloomy Sunday picture image

Erika Marozsan in Gloomy Sunday

Erika Marozsan picture image

Erika Marozsan

Erika Marozsan in Gloomy Sunday picture image

Erika Marozsan in Gloomy Sunday

Hypothetical Casting for Notre Dame de Paris in English

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So I going to start periodically posting hypothetical casting choices for either movies or musicals.

So First off, since there is a new english language cast of Notre Dame de Paris  let’s start there.

The thing about the English version of Notre Dame de Paris is that there are a lot of awkward weird lines and just because someone is a good singer it doesn’t mean that these lines can be delivered naturally. There are very few people in this world that can sing song with truly weird lyrics and sound serious and/or sincere. One singer who can do this well for example is the late Dio, who sang Holy Diver . Now I say in my preface that people could living or dead however this post is not about Dio, it actually about another person who is capable of singing very weird lyrics and makes them seem natural and yet would make well cast in Notre Dame de Paris and that person is David Byrne. David Byrne was the lead singer of the Talking Heads but left to have a solo career.

David Byrne picture image

David Byrne

I only recently became of fan David Byrne when I was introduced to him for potential AMV (anime music video) ideas (Shameless plug- I worked on an amv using  a David Byrne song to Mononoke TV click here to watch, and leave a comment if you like ^_~, the amv is called Dark Interlude).

Lot of his songs are strange out of the ones I have heard I think U.B. Jesus and Speechless are the weirdest (lyrically). So given that he is a great singer who can sing some crazy lines and make them seem normal, I’d cast him as Frollo in Notre Dame de Paris, (He even looks a bit like Daniel Lavoie (the original Frollo))