Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Mortal Insturments

This will be my first real casting thing going on here.
So basically, the Mortal Insturments is one of my favorite series of books. It tells the story of Clary Fray, a little redheaded girl who one day sees three people who call themselves Shadowhunters kill a monster. Suddenly, Clary can see the whole world of the Shadowhunters. Shortly after this, her mother was kidnapped by a Shadowhunter gone bad, Valentine, and she gets the help of Jace Wayland, a hot Shadowhunter who has an ego the size of a whale, her best friend Simon, the Shadowhunter brother and sister, Alec and Isabelle, and the wizard Magnus Bane, to find her mother and help them hunt down Valentine, who is on a mission to steal the three Mortal Insturments in order to overthrow the Shadowhunters and take over for himself.
These books are not only action-packed and hilarious, there's tons of romance, and not the cheesy kind, either. The kind that makes you go, "Awwwww." Jace and Clary always have a tension between them, and Simon isn't easily forgotten, either.
The first three books by Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass are already released. The next one, City of Fallen Angels is about Simon, and recently, there has been news of two more books being released as well.
So basically, here is what I am saying.

CLARY FRAY
She was amazingly short, with bright red hair and green eyes. She's kind of shy, but when Jace eggs her on, she's not one to back down. She's also brave, smart, and clever (which is like being smart, only so smart that you can undermine someone).
I think the best person for the party would be Molly C. Quinn (left).
Clary was supposed to be pretty in a discreet way where you only notice it if you spend a lot of time around her. I think Miss Quinn has the prettiness, but she's not so gorgeous that you go, "Who wouldn't fall in love with that girl?" I also like how she's not so ugly that you go, "Right... I thought she was supposed to be CUTE." And Clary is supposed to  be cute. I think Molly Quinn could pull off her sassy talk to Jace and her sarcasm and sweetness with Simon with the greatest of ease. Though she'll have to wear green contacts because we can't work with those baby blues, no matter how cute they are. Also, her hair will have to be wildly curled, like Clary's was. But overall, I love this chick for the part.


Another good possibility would be Scout Taylor-Compton from Halloween. I think she's got a certain Clary look to her as well, though she has a sort of "I'm pretty and I know it" think going on that Clary never had. However, her performance in Halloween has convinced me that she would play a good girl nearly being killed by just about everyone she comes in contact with. I also think she would be good for the more serious moments between Clary and Jace and Simon, though I can see her pulling off Clary's one-line zingers as well.




I also think Lily Collins from The Blind Side would make an exceptional Clary Fray. She's very cute, but her biggest downside would be that she is also amazingly gorgeous. However, she's tiny like Clary was, and I can see a certain charm in her expressions that I always imagined Clary having. I can see her nose-to-nose with Jace in their usual word-combat sessions, as well as joking around with her nerdy friend Simon. Can't you see her wearing nerdy screen t-shirts and faded jeans? I can. I think they could make her look a little plainer, too, but again, she's got a Clary Fray look, which is a compliment.




JACE WAYLAND
He's buff and golden like a lion. He's full of himself, hot and knows it, and doesn't hesitate to pick a fight with just about anyone. He's brave, a little crazy, and completely in love with Clary Fray. He's probably one of my favorite literary characters ever.
Alex Pettyfer is pretty much Jace in a nutshell. He's got the attitude, judging by the numerous pictures of him posing without his shirt on in a pair of crazy sunglasses, smoking a cigarette. He's hot and he knows it. Heck, if you were that hot, it would be pretty obvious just how hot you know you are. How could he resist flaunting it? I can see Alex word sparring with Clary and attacking first, asking questions later. He has got to be my favorite Jace.


Edward Speleers is another good candidate for Jace Wayland, though I don't think he has the same "I'm hot why are you speaking to me?" attitude that Alex Pettyfer has. However, I think the moment Ed gets that cruel glint of narcissism in his eye, we're in business. And I know, I know, he's not blonde in THIS picture, but believe me, is a blonde. And pretty hot. Therefore, he has my blessing. Also, he was in that mess called Eragon, but we can't blame him for that. We'll just blame the screenwriters, who apparently just skimmed the description of Eragon and then started writing while they drank unfathomable amounts of alcohol at an all-night kegger. Just saying. But I do think Mr. Speleers has what it takes to be Jace, and those are some pretty big shoes to fill.


William Moseley is also a good idea for our Mr. Wayland, though I don't think he has the same amount of "bad" in his features. Jace had a certain "I play by my own rules" thing, like a rebel, but Mr. Moseley doesn't really have that aura about him, does he? I think he could work on it, and I loved him as Peter in Narnia. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing him taking the big screen as Jace. I already know he's good with his acting and action, plus, he was in Narnia. I can't help but respect the guy. Overall, I think he would be completely decent, though next to Alex Pettyfer, I would have to say, anyone else is fighting a losing battle.



SIMON LEWIS
Simon is Clary's Jewish best friend who has been in love with her since forever. He's a total nerd, with brown, pale skin, and glasses. He's also part of a "band" that never actually plays music, but nonetheless, he is witty and can hold his own sense of humor and sarcasm against Jace himself while they both fight for Clary's love.
I have a place in my heart for Michael Cera, and I do think he would do well as Clary's sidekick/love interest/ rival for Jace. I always imagined Simon being kind of nerdy (which he totally is) and able to slap Jace's words back in his face. I like the idea of Simon being awkward, which I know is doable for Mr. Cera. Slap some glasses on him and we're in business. I think he could play Simon's incredulity with the realization of the Shadowhunter world well, as well as his green with envy feelings for Jace and his pining for Clary. I can also see him as being the object of affection for the gorgeous Isabelle. He could do Simon's one-liners as well, though I can't see him playing up Simon's blunt behavior with Jace very well. Still, this is my favorite choice for Simon.




Though he is a bit old, I think Aaron Ashmore would play a great Simon. He was a phenomenal Jimmy in Smallville, and I think Simon and Jimmy have many of the same traits - quirky, perky and always ready to help. Although Simon has a lot more serious moments, Jimmy had a lot of crest-fallen moments that he played well, like Simon has throughout the books. I think he would do well as the underdog, like he was on Smallville. Overall, I think Aaron would make a fantastic Simon.






Anton Yelchin from Star Trek would make an exceptional Simon as well. For one, the curly hair was something Simon had anyway, and it's adorable. Simon, I always imagined, was nerdy but in a cute way (see Michael Cera), but still enough competition for Jace, obviously. I would say Anton would make a great Simon, and his performance as Chekov was the highlight of my Star Trek movie experience, though I enjoyed Chris Pine as Captian Kirk as well. Anton has that Simon look that I always saw while I was reading. I would be more than happy with this choice.




ISABELLE LIGHTWOOD
Isabelle was Jace's friend and the little sister of Alec Lightwood. She was a Shadowhunter whose weapon of choice was a whip. She also was interested in Clary's best friend, Simon. Isabelle was described as looking like a princess, albeit one that could beat the crap out of any witch that tried to kidnap her.



I always saw Camilla Belle as Isabelle Lightwood while I read. She had a certain look that said, "Yeah, I'm hot, but I swear, I will beat the crap out of you if you come near me", something Isabelle often eminated in abundance. I can also see her falling for nerdy Simon, which would shock just about everyone. Overall, I think Camilla Belle would be a fantastic Isabelle. Can't you just see her dressed in black, carrying a golden whip, kicking butt and taking names? I can.




ALEC LIGHTWOOD
Alec is an angry young man who is Jace's best friend. He is also a Shadowhunter, and unlike Jace and Isabelle, he doesn't like going out and killing monsters like they do. Alec has a special hatred for Clary and is often found scowling.

Again, I always pictured Justin Chatwin as playing the angry Shadowhunter Alec, who is the comical love interest of flamboyant Magnus Bane. Justin Chatwin is from War of the Worlds, The Invisible and Dragonball Z. He likes his action movies, and playing the sour and angry character is pretty easy for him to pull off. In War of the Worlds, he played Tom Cruise's son, Robbie, who spent a lot of time being angry. In The Invisible, he was Nick, the brainy student who was, again, angry. Are we seeing a theme here?




MAGNUS BANE
Magnus Bane was the flamboyant wizard who often helps Clary. He has a crush on Alec and is often around for ironic remarks, one-liners, and hilariously ridiculous threats.


Ian Somerhalder strikes me as the perfect Magnus Bane. Magnus was supposed to be attractive, but not as much as Jace, obviously. He was eccentric, crazy, and aloof, though he was always reliable. I can see Mr. Somerhalder prancing around in Magnus's ridiculous outfits for some reason very clearly in my mind, and I can see him getting Magnus's creepy all-knowing smile.




VALENTINE MORGENSTERN
The evil villain of the movies, Valentine was a Shadowhunter gone bad who kidnapped Clary's mother, Jocelyn, and planned to overthrow the Shadowhunters and take them over himself.


Eric Bana would play a great Valentine, I think, although, yes, Valentine did have white-blonde hair, lets not get picky now. His performance in Star Trek as Nero impressed me. I never saw him as a tyrannical lunatic, except for brief moments in The Other Boleyn Girl. All things considered, I could see him trying to kill Jace and Clary, kidnapping Jocelyn, and trying to seize control of a powerful group of people.






I can clearly see Liev Schreiber playing the insideous Valentine very well. He does well with his bouts of rage, like when he played Sabertooth, and I liked his charm and sneakiness in The Painted Veil. He has all the aspects of Valentine, including the general 'I can't be trusted' look that he paints on his face so well while acting.






And that is what I think.
Collins

Hello

I've been talking about making a site like this for a looooong time, but I finally got off my butt and decided to do something about the horrible casting Hollywood does in movies. What really set me over the edge was Twilight. I don't even like those books and the casting for the alleged "movie" (if you want to call it that) was probably one of the worst I've ever seen. I liked who they casted for Alice, Rosalie, Charlie, Jacob, Emmett (though he was supposed to have curly hair, I won't get too particular since Kellan Lutz is a babe) and Esme. Edward was probably their biggest mistake. Instead of getting a Greek Statue of a guy, they got a hairy ape. I'm sorry - some people think he's attractive. Personally, I can't see it, but I just don't get an Edward feel off of the guy. The casting directors had the right idea going at the beginning when Ben Barnes was being considered for the part. I think he would have been perfect. Then you have the abismal mess of Bella, probably one of the most self-centered main characters ever. I usually don't mind those (think Jace from the Mortal Insturments, I loved him) but I'll tell you what I do mind - a weedy looking girl who sounds like a man playing the most ridiculous character in the most sadistic love story of all time. It's enough to make me give up all hope on Hollywood.
But just because they screwed up a few things doesn't mean they ruined everything. I mean, look at, say, Spider-Man. Outside Tobey Maguire (who is a sniveling little cheeseface and, though he looked the part of Peter, needed to man up for th part of Spider-Man) and Kirsten Dunst (who just annoys me for some reason), I found the casting to be spot on. James Franco and Willem Dafoe were the amazing Osborns, and J.K. Simmons was born to be J. Jonah Jameson. I did wish they stuck more to the real story lines and instead of making Mary Jane Watson be Peter's love interest, making Gwen Stacy his love interest. I have high hopes for the Spider-Man Reboot, which will star Andrew Garfield (a perfect Peter Parker, if you ask me) and, rumor has it, Dominique McElligott as Gwen Stacy, though many people have speculated about Lily Collins, Emma Roberts and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Personally, I like this Dominique lady. She looks the part, though Gwen was always kind of a brainy nerd, like Peter, but a beautiful one. I'm glad their sticking more to the real Spider-Man story... sort of. Peter was bitten at fifteen, not eighteen, but hey, I don't mind. Andrew Garfield was exactly how I pictured Spider-Man to be.
In any case, that is why I am here. To save the movie industry one cast list at a time. If there are any suggestions to movies or books I should cast/re-cast, feel free to make suggestions.
Bon voyage,
Collins