Ideal Remakes #1: Back to the Future

To preface, I do not, in any way, endorse a Back to the Future remake. This movie is perfect. This is just a fun little meme, where I take films, and recast them. I just thought I’d start with my favourite movie. 

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Directed by Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau is currently the king of the quirky action genre, what with two Iron Man films and the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens under his belt, and he can always inject a lot of comedy as well. With Favreau at the helm, I reckon he could make a more action-packed thrill-ride than the original.

CAST
Marty McFly - Michael Cera

Yes, yes, I know, noooo, not Michael Cera! I used to hate his guts, but ever since Scott Pilgrim, I’ve learned to be able to appreciate him more. Michael J. Fox is, of course, the perfect Marty McFly, but I can’t recast the same person in the same role. That’d be boring! So, my choice is Michael Cera. I wouldn’t mind seeing a more awkward Marty, which Cera brings to the table in spades, but at the same time, as we saw in Scott Pilgrim, Cera could handle the more volatile, confrontational part of Marty as well.

Dr. Emmett Brown - Michael Gambon

It took me a while to warm up to Michael Gambon in the Harry Potter series, but by the sixth film, he’d completely won me over. I think he could take the energy and power he gave Dumbledore, and inject it straight into a more commanding, more frantic Doc Brown. My only worry is maybe he’d take some of the comedy out, but as far as I know, he’s never been given the chance to exercise his comedy muscles.

Lorraine McFly - Emma Stone

I’m 100% sure that Emma Stone could bring all the same cutesy/girl-next-door-gone bad attitude that Lea Thompson did in the original, with more to boot. What’s more, if this was being remade today, I reckon Marty would be travelling back to the early 80s. I’d love to see Lorraine reimagined as an 80s rock chick, giving Marty an even bigger run for his money.

George McFly - Jesse Eisenberg
 
George was a tough one to do. I ended up deciding between Jesse Eisenberg, or Michael Cera. Deciding that Cera would be better fit for Marty, here it is! As we’ve seen in the likes of Zombieland, Jesse can play both the hopeless nerd, and the reluctant hero, which is George down to a tee.

Biff Tannen - Shia LaBeouf

Another toughie. I had to think about Biff’s qualities. A raging douchebag. Physically menacing. Dumb as a bag of hammers. I think Shia could encapsulate all of these to play a more dangerous Biff. I think if BttF was remade, I’d like more of a connection between Biff and Lorraine, and having Biff as a popular, handsome guy would further that. As a bonus, it’d be nice to seeing him play the villain, for once.

Ideal Remakes #2: The Godfather

Submitted by DollhouseCouture with the following rule:

• Must be cast as if it were being made in present day

My second in this remakes series! You really picked a difficult one, as the cast in this is brilliant. I’ll probably only cast the main Corleone family, as I’ll be here forever otherwise. Side note: guys, please send me movies or TV shows to recast! This is a lot of fun. Even if you don’t follow me, and happen to catch this, just send one in anyway!

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The king of mob movies. This guy made my two favourite gangster movies of all time, Goodfellas and The Departed, and I have no doubt that he would do the granddaddy of all mob movies the justice it requires.

CAST
Don Vito Corleone - Al Pacino

I couldn’t decide whether this was cheating or not, but I was having a lot of trouble. At first, I thought James Gandolfini, but I thought he’d bring a little too much intensity to the role, whereas, although he often doesn’t, Al Pacino can tone it down when he needs to. I think he could play the tired, old mob boss, while at the same time leaving a lingering intensity, and the feeling that this is a man you should respect. I think he’d have to bulk up a little bit for the role, but other than, I’m confident he’d do great.

Michael Corleone - Leonardo DiCaprio

You can’t make a Scorsese movie these days without including Leo. I kid. Leonardo DiCaprio is currently one of the finest actors in the world, and I think he’d excel as the Corleone brother thrust into power and violence, and slowly making his way down a dark path with no return. Leo works best when he’s given a conflicted character, and I have no doubt he’d shine as Michael.

Sonny Corleone - Mark Ruffalo

Sonny was difficult. I originally thought of John Travolta, but seeing as he’s almost ten years older than Gandolfini, I didn’t think it would work. So I plumped for Hollywood’s most underrated actor, Mark Ruffalo. The two biggest traits I thought Sonny needed was confidence and focus, and after seeing Zodiac, I think Mark Ruffalo brings that in spades. It helps that Ruffalo is a fantastic actor, of course.

Fredo Corleone - Giovanni Ribisi

I wanted, more than anything, to put Steve Buscemi here, but I’m trying to keep all the actors playing the Corleone brothers around the same age, so I had to veto him. What I wanted for Fredo was someone who could portray the neurotic, put-upon Fredo, but could also put a bit of darkness behind his eyes. In the end, I couldn’t think of anybody but the wonderful Giovanni Ribisi.

Tom Hagen - Michael C. Hall

It’s incredibly hard to recast Hagen, as Robert Duvall did the best job you could ever dream of in the original. In the end, I had to think about what made Tom Hagen. Confident. Collected. Calm. Mild-mannered. Soft-spoken. The actor who portrayed Hagen had to be able to look completely at home, whilst also giving the impression that this is the man who doesn’t belong. Who better than the man who’s done that for five years on Showtime?

Kay Adams-Corleone - Natalie Portman

It’s no secret that Natalie Portman is my favourite actress, but I honestly think she’d do a great job as Kay. I think she’d do great as the wife of the man who’s becoming darker and darker, as she watches on and becomes more and more worried. She can play worried, as we saw to an extreme in Black Swan, but I’m more than confident that she’d be able to rein it in and give an excellent performance.

Ideal Remakes #3: F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Submitted by DollhouseCouture 

• No actor over 31 (give or take a year)
• No actor too big for TV

So, this was the most difficult one yet. I tried to keep all the characters under the age of the oldest actor when Friends originally started, which is 31, but it got ridiculously hard, so there’s one 32 year old in there. I’m not entirely happy with it, but I still think I did pretty well. If you’ve got anything you want to see remade or recast, drop me a line!

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CAST
Rachel Greene - Beth Behrs

Currently one of the stars of 2 Broke Girls, I think Beth Behrs brings a lot of what Rachel was in the early seasons of Friends to that very role. Air-headed, new to the real world, very pretty, all of these make for a darn good Rachel. Just reach for the hair-dye, and voila! Instant Rachel.

Monica Geller - Alison Brie

With Community possibly going off the air, I’ll take any chance to keep Alison Brie on it. Brie’s character in Community is often a mini-Monica, what with the uptightness, prone to fits of screaming, and almost OCD like attention to schedule. I have no doubt that Alison could bring all of this to Monica, without bringing the complete over-the-topness that is Annie Edison.

Phoebe Buffay - Heather Morris
 
One of the ones I’m not too happy about, but considering the rules I’d set myself, I think I did okay. Morris’ character in Glee showcases a lot of the weirdness that Phoebe has, and if Heather could bring a bit more energy (read: gallons more energy), I think she’d make a pretty good Phoebe (and Ursula, of course.)

Chandler Bing - John Krasinski
 
Ah, my rule-breaker. John Krasinski is 32, but it’s only one year, so I let it slide. In the Office, Jim Halpert is dry and witty, which in my mind, is everything one needs for Chandler Bing. There is the worry that he could be a little too cool for Chandler, but I’m sure he could dial that back. 

Joey Tribbiani - Max Greenfield

Currently the best thing about New Girl, Max Greenfield’s Schmidt is everything that Joey ever was. Dumb as a bag of hammers? Check. Good with food? Check. Able to switch from blissful ignorance to shouting at the top of his lungs in a second flat? Check. 

Ross Gellar - Zachary Levi

Might be a little too handsome for Ross, but is the perfect straight-man, which is what Ross was to Friends in the early days. I’m not entirely happy with this choice, as I originally had Levi down for Chandler, and then completely struggled to find anyone for Ross. I feel Levi is currently one of the best actors on TV though, comedically at least, and could certainly bring a lot to Ross.