This week’s edition of Multiversity Casting Couch finds us leaping into one of my all-time favorite books and a frequent subject of adaptation chatter: Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y the Last Man.
This series has went through a lot of brief trysts with Hollywood types, as Vaughan himself wrote a well-received script for a film, Disturbia director DJ Caruso frequently is attached to it in some way, shape or form (Shia not necessarily included) and the book itself has made cameos in anything from Chuck to Lost and beyond.
The reason why? This book would absolutely rock in movie form – preferably a few movies – if done right. How could they do it right? Well, they could start by listening to us. For picks from myself, Matthew Meylikhov and guest writer Jessica Graham, check after the jump.
The Director – Alfonso Cuaron
Why him?: When I was discussing this casting couch with MC EIC Matt Meylikhov, I said I figured the director needed to be someone who excelled at the interpersonal elements of film first and foremost, but has a gift for sci-fi if need be. I threw out some suggestions that were okay, but then Matt came back with a doozy – how about Alfonso Cuaron?
How about him is right! He’s the perfect man for the job, building a career around telling beautifully touching stories about the human condition that are wrapped up in sci-fi trappings. I mean, look at Children of Men to see a film that is adapted well to screen, and come on, he’s a visual master. I cannot think of anyone who could possibly handle this better.
Yorick Brown – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Why him?: There’s only ever been one answer in my mind for who should be Yorick. While he may not be perfect in terms of look, you throw some brown hair dye on him and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50, Inception, 500 Days of Summer) would bring Yorick to life for all to know and love. Yorick is in every way he can be the center of the Y the Last Man universe, and you need someone with significant acting ability to make him fully realized. JGL is the man for that job, and I know he’d kill it.
Ampersand – Crystal the Monkey
Why him?: Alright, I know what you’re thinking…we’re casting a female in a male’s role. It’s a terrible thing to do, but we know Crystal is the best there is. I mean, Ken Jeong said that Crystal was possibly the best actor he’s ever worked with. That’s a pretty big deal. Really, we could have cast any Capuchin as Ampersand and probably been fine, but we didn’t cast just any Capuchin. We cast this one. As it should be.
Agent 355 – Tracie Thoms
Why her?: A hard role to cast, but I’m very happy with who we came up with. Agent 355 is Yorick’s true soulmate, and someone who can be hard as nails, clever and funny, and sexy as hell at any given moment. Tracie Thoms proved in Wonderfalls that she can be a good-natured life companion for someone in a tough situation, in Death Proof she showed us she can be a badass, and in life she’s proven herself as someone who is attractive. We’re all onboard with Tracie Thoms in this role.
Dr. Allison Mann – Rinko Kikuchi
Why her?: This is arguably the hardest role we’ve had to cast yet, and we have some caveats here. Casting Rinko Kikuchi in any role is an easy thing to do because she’s a really talented actress (Boom Boom!). However, there is one small problem – I have no idea if she can speak English fluently nor am I sure that she can do an American accent (Mann may be Chinese/Japanese but she was raised in the United States), but pending that knowledge, she’s the one I support most of all here.
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Hero Brown – Michelle Monaghan
Why her?: We needed an actress who is strong, intelligent and believable as the type who could join a gang like the Amazons and then make a huge emotional 180, as well as someone who is slightly older than our lead. Enter Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), someone who in her career so far has proven herself as an extremely talented actress who is very versatile as well. Hero isn’t always around, but when she is she stands out. I truly think Monaghan could do the same thing with the character.
Alter – Stana Katic
Why her?: Alter Tse’elon ultimately is the villain of the comic in many ways, but she’s also someone who is both physically tough and as emotionally lost as the rest of the characters. Stana Katic, while not Israeli like Alter, looks fairly similar to the character and carries herself with the confidence and competence necessary for the character. A very solid fit for the role.
Rep. Jennifer Brown – Kristin Scott Thomas
Why her?: We originally considered Sigourney Weaver and Diane Lane here, but we ultimately decided the former was perhaps too old and the latter was definitely too young. However, Kristin Scott Thomas was jusssst right, as she combines a lot of the strengths of those two actresses into a very age-appropriate spot. Yorick and Hero’s mother is a duplicitous woman who, even in the dark times in the book, is still looking for an edge. She cares about her kids, but she also cares about doing what she perceives is right whatever the cost. Scott Thomas could take this small role and make it sing, and we’d love to see her do so.
Beth – Amber Heard
Why her?: The character of Beth in Y the Last Man is, in many ways, a manifestation of Yorick’s perception of female perfection. She isn’t who Yorick needs nor is she what he needs, but in his mind’s eye, in what the world expects out of him, she is everything to him. She’s enough for him to go across the world to find. She’s enough for him to do anything for. Amber Heard is an actress who is no stranger to playing that very type of person (see: Zombieland), and for this small, but important, role, we think Heard would do a fine job indeed.
Victoria – Maggie Gyllenhaal
Why her?: When we were first discussing these roles I emailed Matt and said “doesn’t Victoria kind of seem like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character from Away We Go if she was unleashed on a world where all men were dead?” The answer is absolutely yes, and for that reason and that reason alone, we want to cast Gyllenhaal as Victoria, the leader of the Amazons. Sure, she’s a big name for a small role. But hey, we’re casting this joint and we think she’d kill on it. We think you’ll agree, and if not, you need to watch more Away We Go.
