the archives
dusted off in read-only
dusted off in read-only
Just my ideas - feel free to complain or add your own! Akka - Mel Gibson Esme - Monica Belluci Proyas - Rufus Sewell (born to play this part!) Cnaiur - Gerald Butler Conphas - Colin Farrell (ala 'Alexander') Sarcellus - Jonathan Rhys Meyers Kellhus - Travis Fimmel Xinemus - Oliver Reed (yes I know he's dead - but still...) view post
I actually like your idea about Mel Gibson. It never would have entered my mind to cast him, and my initial reaction was not favorable, but i think he can pull it off. I have thought about this alot. But i have not been able to really place physical faces on the characters. one of the great things about reading is you dont have to, they can morph and change as the story does. But I have always seen Akka as dark and brooding. Somthing like that giant form harry potter or the dwarf from LOTR. but somehwere in between those two sizes and fatter. I think Kellhus, Cnaur, and Esmi are the other most important characters to cast, but ill have to get back on who i think should play them i ill research your suggestions, since i havent heard of some of those actors. view post
Yeh I'm particularly thinking of Mel as he is now - as opposed to the younger, fitter Mel. Somewhat past his prime, a little edgy, a bit dangerous, a sense of experience - and yet a twinkling humour and the feeling he might do unethical as well as courageous things. [img:190vca3m]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/ElectraNemora/prince1.jpg[/img:190vca3m] view post
He's not very black tho, is he? view post
Monica Belluci right on the money!! damn thats hot i think i see her as taller, or skinnier as she becomes the real esmi view post
I can't help but cast the characters as I read, it helps me to keep on top of who is who. Here's another - I know Saubon is blonde, but I feel Colin Firth has good qualities to play the role. Displaying always a sense of personal dignity and righteousness, yet perhaps no stranger to greed and ambition - such as in his portrayal of Darcy in 'Pride and Prejudice'. [img:p7dfi08i]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/ElectraNemora/prince2.jpg[/img:p7dfi08i] And again although not a perfect physical match to Bakker's text, I can't help but imagine Gotian as Marton Csokas (Xena, LOTR, Kingdom of Heaven)... [img:p7dfi08i]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/ElectraNemora/prince3.jpg[/img:p7dfi08i] view post
Omg, I so pictured Martin Csokas as Gotian while I was reading and I like the idea of Jonathen Rhys Myers as Sarcellus a lot, but Mel Gibson will have to tan a bit to be Akka to me. I don't know. I pictured him more Southern Greek with dark-tanned skin from all the sea-fairing and dark brown thick curly hair. But I am obsessed with Greek culture... Kellhus looked to me similar to a young Princess-Bride Carrie Elwes but somewhat more rugged-looking. I tend to not cast people when I read but give general looks. Oh, and I cannot see Gerard Butler as Cnaiur, even with his macho-growling in 300. But Cnaiur was one of the few characters I didn't quite visualize. I saw pieces of him, like his eyes, his hair, sometimes his sneer, but rarely all of him like Akka, Kellhus, or even Serwe. view post
But Achamian is a "fucking pick", remember? He's not tanned from all the seafaring, he's black. view post
Okay, I believe you if that's a direct quote to Akka. Only doesn't he talk about the dark skinned slave girls and those peoples of nilnamesh throughout the books? If he was black, and not tan like most indegenious mediterranean peoples, why would he comment on their skins as though that makes them foreign to him? Not that it really matters to me what skin tone he is, in truth. I still adore him and hate Esmi for leaving him for Kellhus. My ethno-social background probably did predispose me to think of him as eurasian decent, I won't lie. I just did not recieve or process any sufficient amount of information to push that schema aside. Oh well, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. In that case what black actor do you think should play him? view post
[quote="ErebusRed":27lwq05i] Xinemus - Oliver Reed (yes I know he's dead - but still...)[/quote:27lwq05i] Since we're casting dead people in the roles of Prince of Nothing movies, then I'd suggest Orson Welles as Kellhus. If he can't be Kellhus, then he has to be someone else. Maybe Proyas or Cnauir. I just love Orsen Welles. view post
[quote="Angainawen":1fyn8h35] Oh well, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. In that case what black actor do you think should play him?[/quote:1fyn8h35] I'd say Morgan Freeman. And I always pictured Achamian as sort of Greek. view post
I was thinking of Morgan Freeman too, only isn't he a little too old at this point? view post
Well, admittedly I don't know that many black actors in Achamian's age area. view post
yeah. me neither, sadly. *pouts* view post
On the plus side, that means we could get an unknown actor and not some celebrety, thus allowing ourselves to fully emerse ourselves in the movie without the actor getting in the way. Although we would have this if Orsen Welles is cast as Kellhus, I defend this as Orson Welles is the only actor I can see who could possibly play Kellhus. Shame he's dead. view post
Hello all. Fairly new to this forum, more experienced over on the Song of Ice and Fire forum. I love this question. Gibson isn't the Akka I picture in my head. I'm having a really hard time coming up with who I think he is. I also love Bellucci as Ezmi. I had a thought that I personally love, just my opinion, but Gary Oldman is exactly how I picture Eleazaras. Kellhus is a hard one too. view post
for moenghus... Geoffery rush. no question. he's just the right age and he's the best actor around. god only knows who would have the acting ability to play kellhus without butchering the role. clive owen would be a great conphas as well i reckon, despite his king arthur performance-he's good-looking with on-screen arrogance to match lol. cnaiur...? again, who could really do it that well? he makes king leonidas look like a drag queen. view post
I imagined Akka to be more like this (minus the getup and with Akka's beard). [img:2yyxdavb]http://a77.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/76/l_caab1ce12d2fa6c28869d25b75f0efac.jpg[/img:2yyxdavb] view post
Yeah, I that looks like a good Akka. On the subject of Achamian, for some reason I thought Jeff Bridges. I don't know why exactly, the only movie I ran place him in is "The Big Lebowski" and The Dude isn't a very Achamian character. view post
I see what you mean... [img:17fip7kb]http://a856.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/116/l_55670e71ad4d11e254d0fde3ea031baf.jpg[/img:17fip7kb] view post
That is way more Akka than anyone else I've thought about. view post
I was watching an animated music video earlier. Then it came to me! Maybe this should be an animated flick. But i like the Gary Oldman reccomendation, but i think I would cast him as Iyokus. view post
Am I the only one who feels that a movie version of PoN would not be possible? The story works so well because of the way it's presented through the viewpoints of each character view post
Good point there. I think a version would be possible - but to be any good it would be very different to the book. The only example that springs to mind is fight club - good book, good movie, recognizably the same but I got very different rewards from each. Woody Allen as Akka for me, its the role he was born to play hahahaha view post
[quote:1esab2dl] Maybe this should be an animated flick. [/quote:1esab2dl] Animated PoN?????? *shudders* I just got a horrible flashback of Rankin Bass' LotR from the seventies... HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!!!! view post
I want Edward Norton for Kellhus.
As for some others:
I've always pictured Achamian as a Ray Winstone-type character. The Jeff Bridges suggestion was good too. I'm hesitant about skin color, but I definitely don't think Morgan Freeman could do it (where exactly in the books does it offer the physical description of Achamian's face?)
Esmenet- someone less strikingly beautiful than Monica Belluci; someone more subtly beautiful; Marisa Tomei, or someone like that
Moenghus- Stellan Skarsgard
Proyas- Joaquin Phoenix
Cnaiur- The Rock 
I don't know, maybe a buff Ray Stevenson
Conphas- can't think of one; somebody like James Purefoy, but he's a bit too old
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I'm confused. A lot of people seem to picture Akka as black. Where do you get this from in the descriptions from the books. If anything I have always pictured Akka as a Greek/Phoenician. I'm not opposed to the idea of a black Akka, it's just that I don't remember ever reading anything that hinted at Akka being that dark of skin. I have always had trouble picturing Cnaiur. So many things about him make me picture Euro/Asian barbarains - i.e. Gauls, Germanic tribes, even Huns etc. etc. At the same time I also feel that picturing him as a Native American would also fit. The sinewed look, the long black straight hair, the Scylvendi lifestyle itself. What ethnicity do you all imagine for Cnaiur??? I have always pictured Proyas, Saubon and the others quite young. Most of the royalty are not rulers of their respected territories yet. They are still princes. I've never imagined most of them a day older than 30. So I would say it needs to be young actors. Kellhus would be the HARDEST character to cast. He is taller than most men. He has long blonde hair (I believe it's wavy too), blue eyes and is in peak physical condition(remember he holds Cnaiur over a cliff with ONE ARM!). He has a beard and is from the north. Nordic characteristics if you ask me, he sounds like a menacing nord but yet with a body type that screams agility. That body type is hard to come by, plus he has to be beautiful. Not to mention he has to have a voice that can melt people where they stand. Esmi I have always pictured as someone far more....elegant?? than Monica Belucci. Don't get me wrong, Belucci is good looking but Esmi has always seemed to have more class to me, even when she was a whore in Sumna. view post
[quote="Athjeari":3iwrcw8f]I have always had trouble picturing Cnaiur. So many things about him make me picture Euro/Asian barbarains - i.e. Gauls, Germanic tribes, even Huns etc. etc. At the same time I also feel that picturing him as a Native American would also fit. The sinewed look, the long black straight hair, the Scylvendi lifestyle itself. What ethnicity do you all imagine for Cnaiur???[/quote:3iwrcw8f] I've always pictured him as something similar to a Hun. I've contemplated Mongol as well, but I can't picture Cnaiur with such a facial appearance. [quote="Athjeari":3iwrcw8f]Kellhus would be the HARDEST character to cast. He is taller than most men. He has long blonde hair (I believe it's wavy too), blue eyes and is in peak physical condition(remember he holds Cnaiur over a cliff with ONE ARM!). He has a beard and is from the north. Nordic characteristics if you ask me, he sounds like a menacing nord but yet with a body type that screams agility. That body type is hard to come by, plus he has to be beautiful. Not to mention he has to have a voice that can melt people where they stand.[/quote:3iwrcw8f] I picture Edward Norton as he appeared in American History X. Muscular, toned, but still very slender. view post
i think daniel craig (the new blonde james bond) would make a good kellhus, albeit he's a little old at this point. view post
I'm not sure about the rest of the "cast," but these two images kept coming to mind while I read: Kellhus: Kiefer Sutherland Moenghus: Donald Sutherland I think Donald S. would make a splendid Moenghus, but I'm not too sure about Kiefer S. view post
[quote="ErebusRed":38ruaibv]Just my ideas - feel free to complain or add your own! Akka - Mel Gibson Esme - Monica Belluci Proyas - Rufus Sewell (born to play this part!) Cnaiur - Gerald Butler Conphas - Colin Farrell (ala 'Alexander') Sarcellus - Jonathan Rhys Meyers Kellhus - Travis Fimmel Xinemus - Oliver Reed (yes I know he's dead - but still...)[/quote:38ruaibv] I totally pictured Rufas Sewell as Proyas throughout the series as well! Amazing. ~rl view post
So I saw "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" last night. This is the first time I've seen a film and seriously thought about "The Darkness that Comes Before." as a film. "Perfume" really captures the grotesque, the beautiful and the magical so well. I'm not saying it's a perfect fit, but its as good a match as I've seen. ~rl view post
Basically half the cast of Kingdom of Heaven. To wit: Edward Norton - Kellhus (the greatest actor of our generation. If anyone could pull off that complex and multifaceted a role, it's him.) Brendan Gleeson - Gothyelk (he'd just be playing Reynald de Chatillion again, so why not?) Kevin McKidd - Saubon (certainly a versatile enough actor for the tormented prince.) Jouko Ahola - Yalgrota (the huge Saxon who gets three arrows in him and continues to slaughter people until he keels over. Not [i:29tkrfvg]inhumanly[/i:29tkrfvg] big, but bulky and scary-looking enough for camera tricks to work.) Khaled Nabawy - Fanayal (all kinds of intense as the Arabic mullah, and young enough for the role.) And tossing out the idea of Ciaran Hinds (Caesar in Rome) for Akka. I've always envisioned him as swarthy but not black, and Hinds has passed for that well enough in other roles; more importantly, he's a stellar actor. view post
I've only read TDTCB, so here's how I'd cast a movie for that story only....
Cnaiür = Val Kilmer (Ever watch 'Felon'? He looks huge, esp. in comparison to Stephen Dorff. He has the deep voice, and the patient suspicious vicious stare. Plus that passive-aggressive demeanor where he's ultra calm one moment, and could snap with terror and über violence the next. Just toss long black hair on him and numerous swazonds, and you'll have a true [b:2qciulhn]mad[/b:2qciulhn] Madmartigan.)
[img:2qciulhn]http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2007/01/30/previews/Val%20Kilmer-SGG-033926.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2749469696/ch0092046
Esmenet = Monica Belluci (Excellent choice! A worthy twelve talent whore)
[img:2qciulhn]http://www.funmunch.com/celebrities/actresses/monica_bellucci/enlarge/monica_bellucci_10.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4290026752/nm0000899
Serwë = Jessica Biel (Someone who looks and would act more beautiful than everyone else around. Suppose to be more beautiful than Esmenet. Its a tough call. 
)
[img:2qciulhn]http://www.jessicabiel-pics.com/jessica-sexy/image/595/jessicabiel-sexy12.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3082001664/nm0004754
Drusus Achamian = Gary Oldman (Gary is a natural at [b:2qciulhn]truly[/b:2qciulhn] playing different roles, and Akka does so/has to. Plus, Gary is great at playing the nervous fumbling type who can hide great power.)
[img:2qciulhn]http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Gary_Oldman/AlisaMarshal_DeGuire_5174509.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1999345920/nm0000198
Ikurei Istriya = Michelle Pfeiffer (Ever watch 'Stardust'? Gorgeous old wench of a witch! She can be sad and grievous, confident and ecstatic, slutty and whorish, deceptive and cunning. All in one package. Perfect!)
[img:2qciulhn]http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2007/10/04/previews/Michelle%20Pfeiffer-SPX-013876.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3121256448/tt0486655
Ikurei Xerius III = Daniel Day-Lewis (Power hungry evil conniving looking motherfucka like Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting. A perfect fit! But getting him to play in a role is like pulling out your own teeth with toothpicks. Otherwise, Andy 'Gollum' Serkis would fit: "my precious" = The Nansurian Empire. "You will give the precious back. It belongs to me! To meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" )
[img:2qciulhn]http://b4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00213/46/89/213669864_l.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1872860672/nm0000358
Skeaös = Christopher Lee (Old enough, and has that 'boyish' look upon his face as described in TDTCB. He could also make a good Nautzera)
[img:2qciulhn]http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/MMPH/223189.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm868391680/nm0000489
...while we're on the LotR theme...
Nersei Calmemunis = Viggo Mortensen (Send the vulgar prince bastard to his death! You were never worthy of being king to begin with! 
)
[img:2qciulhn]http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2008/09/18/previews/Viggo%20Mortensen-ALO-026922.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
The next two I take straight out of the movie 'The Count of Monte Cristo'
Nersei Proyas = James Caviezel ('Princely'-like. Can project uncertainty at times, and still retain his royal-demeanor. Like his role in Monte Cristo. A good fit. Rufus Sewell is also a good choice. Either would fit well.)
[img:2qciulhn]http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2004/04/features/magstories/041129/jcaviezel.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2732103936/tt0245844
Ikurei Conphas = Guy Pearce (Excellent at portraying assertiveness, sureness, and egotism, like his role in 'Death Defying Acts' as Houdini. And deceitful and wicked enough to hint at drawing out his ceremonial dagger any second to dispose of Xerius. Such as his role in Monte Cristo. A great fit! His 'royal-like' accent alone is worthy of the role. A great alternative for Proyas also. Any princely role in PoN, imho.)
[img:2qciulhn]http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/pv/Guy%20Pearce-1.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
Mallahet = Ray Park (The perfect creep. Like his roles as Darth Maul, and The Toad in X-men.)
[img:2qciulhn]http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/pv/Ray%20Park-1.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2469960448/nm0661917
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2907412736/nm0661917
Cutias Sarcellus = Russell Crowe (Slimy bastard. I can't help but picture him doing the acts described on pg. 328 of TDTCB, where his head snaps to the side, his limbs pop rigid, then begins to experience "searing rapture". Hehehe. I don't know if he's tall enough for the role though. Or Russell could just play the Architect in crow(e) form. Either way, he's a good choice for a powerful slimy bastard role. Probably too expensive to cast anyways)
Last, but definately not least...
Anasûrimbor Kellhus = R. Scott Bakker. The man himself!!! Better start pumping iron Scott! You have to look über bad-ass in that one scene where you lift and hold that big brutish mofo Cnaiür over a cliff's edge with one arm! Let alone bash and break him in unarmed combat just before that. To top it all off like a cherry, the irresistable Serwë/Jessica Biel pressed up against you, worshiping you every second of the way.
[img:2qciulhn]http://blogs.epicindia.com/leapinthedark/Scott%20Bakker.jpg[/img:2qciulhn]
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[quote="Lies And Perfidy":luida37h]Basically half the cast of Kingdom of Heaven. To wit: Edward Norton - Kellhus (the greatest actor of our generation. If anyone could pull off that complex and multifaceted a role, it's him.)[/quote:luida37h] Win. I agree. view post
I apologize for including in-movie photos. I did some editing and replaced them. view post
Not that I in any way would support a Prince of Nothing movie adaptation, especially not by any American company - might as well just rape Mr. Bakker squarely up the pooper - but even if this dire prospect were to come true, it's pretty obvious that Kellhus ought to be played by the epic Christopher Heyerdahl. Achamian may have been done justice by an ageing, chubbier Gunnar Björnstrand, but he went and kicked the bucket so... view post
I know the PERFECT Eleazaras- Ian McKellan. Perfect age, a fantastic actor who's just the right mix of posh and evil 
Apart from that...I got nothin'. I've been wracking my brain for someone who could hold a candle to either Cnaiur or Kellhus, no dice.
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I've come to believe there may be no finer casting for Achamian than Paul Giamatti. ~rl view post
I second that Paul Giamatti view post
I had always imagined Kellhus to look like Christian Bale (with blonde hair of course). He would do well acting Kellhus's personality. [url:2zq5tjyf]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1114678/ReignofFire-photo_01.jpg[/url:2zq5tjyf] view post
Bale could indeed make an excellent Kellhus. I've Netflixed the John Adams series from HBO and I greatly look forward to geeking out over the Giamatti/Sewell interactions with this thread in mind. ~rl view post