dream cast: hypothetical ‘Fantasy Island’ movie
It’s Thursday, so it’s time to remake an 80s classic TV show or movie with an all-new cast. This week, in honor of Ricardo Montalban, who just passed away: Fantasy Island, the 1977-84 ABC series about dreams coming true.
(If you have a suggestion for an 80s TV show or movie we should play with, feel free to email me.)
The original cast included:
Mr. Roarke: Ricardo Montalban
Tattoo: Hervé Villechaize
Now, considering the major dearth of little-people actors, I don’t think we need to absolutely cast a small person as Tattoo. You can if you like, but I hear that Peter Dinklage isn’t available... though it would be interesting to see him put his particular brand of snark on the character.
So don’t worry about size: think about capturing the essence of the character when you’re recasting.
My dream cast -- gender switched!:
Mr. Roarke: Judi Dench
Tattoo: Kristen Chenoweth
Da plane! Da plane!
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comments
posted by PaulW (Thu Jan 15 09, 4:43PM)
Just to warn you, there was an attempt in the late 90s if I recall with a tv reboot, recasting Mr. Rourke with Malcolm McDowell and adding a few more sidekicks to make the show seem more... Tempest-esque. You know, from Shakespeare.
The problem with casting this as a movie is that the Fantasy Island concept fits better as a serial, with a set of rotating guest stars showing up to fulfill certain 'fantasies' much akin to a sci-fi/fantasy anthology of collected stories. Can't really picture this as a movie. Only as a rebooted tv show.
I'd cast it as:
Mr. Rourke: Chris "The" Walken
Tattoo: The Rock (go the other way, get a bulky but dim sidekick)
Ariel (one thing to keep from the earlier reboot is the idea of a mysterious femme): The Frieda (Pinto, from Slumdog Millionaire)
posted by PaulW (Thu Jan 15 09, 4:47PM)
You know, for some reason it'd make more sense to have Dinklage as Rourke and not Tattoo... hmmm
(If I ever got a chance to make the live-action Star Blazers, I'd hire Dinklage on Day One as the ship's saki-drinking doctor. I would have tried to get Patrick MacGoohan as Captain Avatar, but now... :weeping: )
posted by JoshDM (Thu Jan 15 09, 10:53PM)
Though Walken is an excellent suggestion, I'm going to go with the visual aspect.
Mr. Rourke: either George Hamilton or Ray Wise.
posted by swervy jervy (Thu Jan 15 09, 11:20PM)
Tattoo: Johnny Rotten
posted by Tonio Kruger (Fri Jan 16 09, 5:14PM)
The most obvious choice to play Mr. Roarke? Call me ethnocentric but I'd go with Antonio Banderas.
Sure it seems unlikely he'd do a weekly series now but then again how many people twenty years ago would have predicted Alec Baldwin someday doing a weekly sitcom?
posted by MaryAnn (Sat Jan 17 09, 6:34PM)
Yes! That's a brilliant idea!