On this week’s Multiversity Casting Couch, we have one of our favorite mini-series of 2011 (as you’ll see soon): The Strange Talent of Luther Strode. This book from Image Comics and the creative team of Justin Jordan, Tradd Moore and Felipe Sobreiro combines everything people love about slasher movies, old Charles Atlas muscle growth ads and superhumans into one delicious pastiche of blood, angst and good ol’ fashioned vigilanteism.
Check out after the jump as we pick the format, director and cast for an adaptation of this book, and believe me when I say “expect a movie of this someday.” It’s going to happen.
Format: One single, awesome movie
Director: Eli Roth
Why him?: While some may look at this pick and think derisively of it because of distaste for Roth’s Hostel films, all I can say is that The Bear Jew really does have chops. Watching his three films (the two Hostels and Cabin Fever) you can see a guy who grew up with slasher films, sort of like Luther Strode’s Justin Jordan did. He understands the genre, and he also has a wicked sense of humor and a real panache for creating a distinctive visual style. We discussed putting a more artistic, scalpel-precise director here, but we came down to the fact that a good ol’ hammer like Roth would make this film work better than anybody.
Luther Strode – Nicholas Hoult
Why him?: Matthew Vaughn’s Beast from X-Men: First Class Nicholas Hoult is an unknown outside of that film for most, but years ago he proved himself highly adept at playing a willful, put upon student in About a Boy. Now, years later, we’ve picked him as Luther Strode (even though he’s a little older than high school age) simply because we think he provides the best combination of look, size, inner goodness, and potential for ferocity on the outside. Hoult is an underrated actor, and someone who could use a role like this to make himself more well known.
We think he’d kill it as Luther Strode, both in his performance and…you know, with the murders and what not.
Pete – Michael Angarano
Why him?: Angarano was once in a comic book like movie in Sky High, and he’s a young actor who, while a capable leading man in his own right, kind of exudes dorky charm and energy. For Pete, Luther’s best friend and superhero pusher, we think Angarano would steal every scene he’s in, even if he’s a bit older than the role asks for (like Hoult). Count on that, people.
Petra – Rooney Mara
Why her?: Her price tag is about go through the roof after David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opens in theaters and starts printing money, but we love the idea of casting Mara as Luther’s kind of, sort of girlfriend Petra. She’s strong, gorgeous and oh so very sneakily fragile, and it’s the type of role we know Mara can play (even though we’ve only seen her really in 10 minutes or so of screen time plus the Dragon Tattoo trailer). Based on the word about her performance as Lisbeth Salander in Tattoo, it’s beginning to look like we were right on the money with this casting.
The Librarian – Michael Shannon
Why him?: Shannon is one of the definitive “that guy” actors of this generation, as he’s earned an Oscar nomination (for Revolutionary Road, showing up Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the process) with possibly another one coming for this year’s Take Shelter, all without anyone who isn’t a film buff really knowing who the hell he is. Of course, that will change after he chews scenery like a wild man as Zod in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, but the fact of the matter is, The Librarian has to be someone well-spoken, fearsome, intelligent and capable of great violence and rage. Basically, someone who seems like the most in control loose cannon that has ever existed.
I’m pretty sure I just described every role Shannon has ever played, although in particular his one as Agent Van Alden in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
Bonus points for casting Shannon to us as well because you know Eli Roth would be stoked beyond words to combine Shannon with some buckets of blood in any given scene.
