I’ve been on a Fear Agent rampage lately, telling literally everyone who would listen to me that this book is the bee’s knees. Writer Rick Remender and artists Tony Moore, Jerome Opena, Kieron Dwyer, Mike Hawthorne and others managed to make the story of Heath Huston one for the ages.
MC EIC Matt Meylikhov and I are huge fans of this book, and for this week’s Multiversity Casting Couch, we decided to theorize what bringing Fear Agent to life would be like, with help as always from Jessica Graham. Click through the jump to find out our picks, and let us know in the comments if you agree.
The Format – Trilogy of Movies
It’s a pretty easy breakdown. First off, the set up of the narrative – with the clear and excellent resolution of the story – should have a defined finish point, making it make more sense as a movie rather than a TV show (which could meander within the story, allowing for the back-up stories and everything else, but let’s stick to this). Second off, it allows us to split up each pair of trades into one movie each. Perfect!
The Director – Ridley Scott
We had a number of great options to look at here. I mean, this is a sci-fi epic with some Western twinges and a lot of humor. It fits into the styles of a lot of directors. However, we decided to go for the gold here, as who handles handles aliens, war on an epic scale and strong interpersonal relationships better than Ridley Scott does? Granted, he isn’t exactly known for a lot of humor being involved with his work, but I have a feeling Scott could make it work. JJ Abrams would be a good fit as well, but we’re all over Scott here.
Heath Huston – Jon Hamm
You can’t get a much better fit than Jon Hamm as Heath Huston in our minds. As soon as the name was suggested, I was sold. Hamm feels like a guy who could somehow be an everyman, a fierce soldier, a drunk, a hero and absolutely hilarious. With Hamm in line, the rest of the movie series would be cake, and Heath Huston would quickly be a breakout movie character of whatever year this movie came out during. Note it!
Charlotte (and the voice of Annie) – Jessica Chastain
This role is a double one, as whoever played Charlotte (Heath’s ex-wife) would have to play the voice of Heath’s ship. For this role, I felt like we needed someone who could pull off the southern belle stylings well but also come across as a strong, stand-up person in her own right. In 2011, there was perhaps no bigger breakout star than Jessica Chastain (unless we’re talking Michael Fassbender, but that’s a whole other story), as she made everyone take notice in The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter, and a few other films. She’s an incredible actress, and someone who is very versatile, and in my mind she’d perfectly bring both Charlotte and Annie to life.
Chuck Huston – Kurt Russell
Interestingly enough, this came between two different Tombstone actors: the obvious (but fitting) Sam Elliott and Wyatt Earp himself…Kurt Russell. We eventually decided on Russell, as we imagined Russell and Hamm’s rapport as father and son as one ripe with potential for magic. It’s a small role, but one that deserves somebody to fully realize. Kurt Russell is that man.
Mara – Rose Byrne
Fact: I love Rose Byrne. I think she’s a great actress, and she definitely has a look that works for Mara. The only question I had as to whether or not she can handle the role is whether or not she can throw down the tough girl vibe the character brings to the table. We decided she can, and we’d love to see her try. Make this happen, Hollywood.
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Jentu – Patton Oswalt
We had to cast a villain, and who better than the Tetaldian emperor who was directly involved with Heath’s need to be cloned? Jentu is his name, and he has a small but important role in the first two trades. This would be a voice-only role, and one of my favorite voice actors in recent memory is Patton Oswalt (Remy all the way). Granted, voicing a rat that is a chef is different than voicing a massive robot with a creature’s brain inside of it, but we’re convinced Oswalt could pull off the menace of the character in memorable fashion. Plus, bonus points to Oswalt because he’s a fan of comics…maybe even this one.
