Posts Tagged ‘Hugh Jackman’

Short Take: Rock'em Sock'em Robots meets 'Rocky'

Director: Shawn Levy

Screenwriters: John Gatins, Dan Gilroy

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Hope Davis

Length: 2h 7m

Synopsis: Charlie (Jackman) is an ex-boxer who, since an evolution into robot battles, has been unfortunate enough to see the sport nearly pass him by. Down on his luck, stuck in the past, and in deep debt to all kinds of scum, Charlie is doing anything he can to just keep fighting. One random day he’s told he has full custody of an 11 year old son named Max (Goyo) he’s never met, but if he wants to he can grant custody to the boy’s wealthy aunt (Davis). Taking advantage of the situation Charlie sells his custody rights, but cannot complete the transaction until he and the boy spend some quality time together. Over the next several months the boy tags along as his father tries to regain relevancy in the ring. While initially seeming like a burden, Max discovers ways of helping Charlie exceed both his and others’ expectations. Together they work their way up the ladder of popularity by winning fights with a scrappy sparring robot named Atom, eventually earning the right to challenge the reigning champion bot named Zeus. Along the way they make up for lost time by bonding over their venture, and come to realize that they’re fighting for more than just money or pride. Side by side, the duo become a one-two punch that demonstrates some real steel.

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With Iron Man 2 opening this weekend, marking the biggest comic book movie since 2008′s The Dark Knight, we thought it would be appropriate to consider what the best castings have been since the genre began. There have been a lot of cases where the actor/actress fit the role like a glove. Some choices seemed obvious at the time, while others worked out unexpectedly well. A perfect example is Michael Keaton as the caped crusader in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, a casting which few supported before the film’s release but which many now consider the best casting of the character to date. But not even that sweet surprise made the Movie-Thoughts Top 5 Best Comic Book Castings. See which actors we thought fit their comic book characters best, and then send us your Top 5! Later we’ll tally the totals and see how close we came to the fan consensus.

And the Top 5 are…

5.  Robert Downey Jr. – Tony Stark/Iron Man

Downey Jr. wasn’t so much a casting of a super hero as a casting of a super ego, but nevertheless his quick-witted line delivery and narcissistic on-screen persona transfer perfectly to a character we’re meant to believe is bizarrely brilliant and grossly spoiled (at least before his capture). Once the narcissism was exchanged for just an inordinate amount of pride and confidence, the heroic nature of the character was able to shine through and RDJ flowed from the former to the latter flawlessly.

4. Christopher Reeve – Clark Kent/Superman

As good as Brandon Routh was as his replacement in 2006′s Superman Returns, Christopher Reeve has been immortalized in the iconic role of the Man of Steel for good reason. Not only was he able to look the part, which is harder to achieve than you might think, but he was able to expertly play both the awkwardness of Clark Kent and the self assuredness of his alter ego. Those who know Superman know that that alter ego is not a psychological rock, and when it came time to display the requisite humility and vulnerability the character sometimes shows he was able to pull it off without missing a beat. Mr. Reeve helped prove to us that even the impenetrable are not invulnerable.

3. Patrick Stewart – Professor Xavier

Not only is Mr. Stewart perhaps the best known bald actor thanks to his role as Star Trek‘s Capt. Jean-Luke Picard, which helps match the look of the character, but all else about him as an actor fit this role perfectly. The low but friendly timber of his voice, the air of wisdom and sincerity, and the hyper-disciplined demeanor all amalgamated to Stewart actually being Professor Xavier. The role called for someone who could convince us that he is the ultimate confidant who always knew what’s best, and he pulled it off with flying colors. Imagining anyone fitting this role better seems impossible.

2. TIE: Jack Nicholson/ Heath Ledger – The Joker

Admittedly, we’re cheating with this one, but we just could not decide who fit the role better based on the versions of the character that they played. Nicholson as The Joker in 1989′s Batman fits perfectly because the character as it was envisioned for the film drew inspiration from earlier Batman comics, when the character was more goofy and aloof. During this period the villain took a primarily sociopathic persona but was not nearly the intellectual foe that he later became. Ledger’s Joker, as it was written, was clearly based on the more sinister version displayed in the comic series decades after the earlier version. During this era, which still continues, the character proves to be frightfully brilliant in his scheming to battle Batman and Gotham City, manipulating various peripheral characters to exact his will. Nicholson’s devilish grin and menacing stare made him look the part to a “T”, and his maniacal laugh effectively made him The Joker. Ledger’s actual look relied more on makeup, but his healthier physique allowed him to be a more competent combatant with Batman in physical terms and not just psychological. Much of his success with the character was due to his outstanding performance, but that everything about him fell exactly in line with the version he was portraying makes this a one in a million cast.

1. Hugh Jackman – Logan/Wolverine

The character of Logan/Wolverine in the X-Men movies, we would claim, is based from the version portrayed in the comics of his own series. For unlike his portrayal in the series that involves the entire X-Men crew, there he has considerably more depth and foundation (as one would expect). Jackman’s physical stature and hair styling made him believable from a purely aesthetic standpoint, but his ability to range from all requisite mindsets (tenacious, tortured, paternal, romantic, etc.) allowed him to convey all aspects of the character as needed. The arch of the character in the films is thanks in large part to the writing, but we here find it downright unfeasible that anyone possesses the mix of physical likeness and acting skill to pull off the role of Wolverine better than Hugh Jackman.

We don’t doubt that our Top 5 list is controversial, and we’re hardly married to it, but we feel it certainly captures five of the best castings of any comic book character yet seen on the silver screen. Based on the submissions you all send in to us we’ll likely feel inclined to make a revision or two, but until then we stand by what you see. When you narrow down your own Top 5 lists, try to keep in mind that it’s not about ranking your favorite movie/comic characters but the quality of the casting of those characters and how the actor/actress fits so well in their respective roles.

Here is a list of roles that we hated to leave out but had to (in no particular order): Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Danny DeVito as The Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Willem Dafoe as The Green Goblin, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

Perhaps some of these roles will make your list. We’re interested to see, so let us know!

Director Bryan Singer

Director Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2) said Sunday that he is speaking with 20th Century Fox about doing another X-Men movie.

“I’m still looking to possibly returning to the X-Men franchise. I’ve been talking to Fox about it,” Singer said at a talk at South Korea’s Pusan International Film Festival. “I love Hugh Jackman. I love the cast,” he said, referring to the Australian actor who plays Wolverine. - Hollywood Reporter

Singer added that directing sci-fi or fantasy films was particularly interesting to him because they allow for certain commentaries about social issues and the human condition to shine through.

Singer would have directed the third X-Men film (X-Men: The Last Stand) instead of Brett Ratner but opted to direct Superman Returns for Warner Brothers.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: It will be interesting to see if 20th Century Fox wants Singer back to direct another X-Men chapter, because although the first two X-Men films were very successful Superman Returns was considered a financial flop by Warner Brothers (grossing just over $200 million but also costing $200 million). Singer’s newest release, Valkyrie (2008), was only slightly more successful, grossing just over $83 million while costing $75 million. Given this recent history 20th Century Fox might be less inclined to hand the reigns back over to Singer, even though this past summer’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine didn’t fare much better than his last two films (grossing $180 million while costing $150 million) and was less than well-received by critics.

Scheduling will no doubt be an issue as well, as Singer is currently working on pre-production for Excalibur (set to release 2012) and is also attached to Jack the Giant Killer (set to release 2011). Fox may not want to wait for Singer to be available.

What do you all think?