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Okay, so I've been re-reading "Superman: Serial to Cereal" again, and it got me thinking about who I would cast if I could pluck the Superman (and Batman) actors from all the different productions over time, and put them together for one movie/TV series. This really only works with Supes and Bats since they've had so many different media interpretations.
Superman:
Superman/Clark Kent - Christopher Reeve: No question for me. The man who embodies the role. I briefly considered give George Reeves the nod as Kent, since he played a convincing investigative reporter, but Chris works the dual identity like no other.
Lois Lane - Erica Durance: With no disrespect to the great Noel Neil and the very good Terri Hatcher, Durance is my favorite Lois. I can believe her as the modern Lois who can take care of herself (for the most part) and also a great companion for Superman without coming across as a total you-know-what, or a love-sick airhead. Plus, she's smokin' hot!!! I can see a god-like being falling for her, on a totally superficial level.
Jimmy Olsen - Jack Larson: George Reeves' pal is the best Jimmy, bar none. There's a reason DC started making a Jimmy comic in the 50s, and that is Jack Larson. Sam Huntingon is my second favorite, but Jack still owns it in my mind.
Perry White - Lane Smith: This was a tough one. I really like John Hamilton and Jackie Cooper's interpretations of "The Chief", but Smith was able to give more dimension to the role, and came across as gruff but lovable. His Elvis obsession aside, he's the perfect Perry White.
Ma and Pa Kent - Annette O'Toole and John Schneider: While Ma and Pa never got much screen time until Lois and Clark, I still have to hand it to Smallville's version. They helped to ground that show when it was off in it's wackiest places, and when they both left, something was definitely missing. Schneider in particular played his part with such conviction I believed every homespun-from-the-heart thing he said to Clark. So glad he got such a large and important role in the finale.
Lex Luthor - Michael Rosenbaum: Rosenbaum's Lex was one of the most complex characters I've ever seen explored on TV. All of the ups and downs the show creators put the character through could have come across as contrived, but Rosebaum found a way to make them work. He makes you sympathize with the devil! Sherman Howard from Superboy was also a great (and highly underrated) Lex, but I have to go with Rosenbaum.
Batman:
Batman/Bruce Wayne - Christian Bale: No one has successfully played the tortured soul of Bruce Wayne like Bale. Despite protests over his growly voice, he is convincingly frightening as Batman when he needs to be and has the physicality to back it up. I'm sure Adam West could have played a serious Batman if asked, and is pitch-perfect for the Silver Age Caped Crusader, but Bale embodies the earliest, and modern Batman to a T.
Robin/Dick Grayson - Burt Ward:There haven't been too many Robins (which is a shame) but Ward was the perfect Dick Grayson. His youthful enthusiasm and energy perfectly fit the role. Plus he looked just like him!
Alfred - Alan Napier: As much as I like Michaels Gough and Caine, Alan Napier was a great Alfred. Not as sardonic as Caine, or as dotting as Gough, Napier was a refined Gentleman's Gentleman, who often seemed the smartest chap on the show!
Commisioner Gordon - Gary Oldman: Was there any question here? Oldman was given the opportunity to play Gordon as a real character, not just an old guy who turns on a flashlight when someone jaywalks. He is one of my favorite aspects of Nolan's Batman series.
Batgirl - Yvonne Craig: Again, no contest. Alicia Silverstone? Really?!?
The Joker - Heath Ledger: Despite accurate performances by Romero and Nicholson, Ledger was allowed to play the Joker more dangerously and convincingly than they were. And man, did he come through. Frightening and disturbingly funny at the same time, as the Joker should be.
The Penguin - Burgess Meredith: Another "no contest" entry. "Buzz" took the comic portrayal and made him more formidable by actually making him the smartest villain in Gotham. Poor Danny Devito just got to eat fisheads.
Catwoman - Michelle Pfeiffer: This was TOUGH. With three Catwomen from the 60s to also choose from, I had to think on this one for a while. But Pfeiffer best embodied the good/bad conflict in Catwoman, despite her weird origin and even weirder "ending". Julie Newmar was scratching at her door, but Michelle won out.
The Riddler - Frank Gorshin: How could you not pick Gorshin? He essentially MADE the character after only 3 comic appearances, and his manic glee was the most legitimately dangerous aspect of the 60s TV series.
Two-Face/Harvey Dent- Aaron Eckhart: Poor Tommy Lee Jones. A fantastic actor who squandered a great character. Of course I'm sure there was no room for proper pathos in Schumacher's Batman Forever. But Eckhart had Nolan, and he gave a great, convincing performance as the tortured DA. Too bad they killed him off so quickly!!!
Mr. Freeze - ?: They really haven't got him right. George Sanders was probably the best of the 60s TV show versions. Eli Wallach looked like the Snow Miser, and Otto Preminger was a bit too "WILD". Ah-nuld? Please.
Plus Freeze really wasn't developed until BTAS, and Batman and Robin blew that version.
Anyway, that's my list, so whats' yours?
Chris
Superman:
Superman/Clark Kent - Christopher Reeve: No question for me. The man who embodies the role. I briefly considered give George Reeves the nod as Kent, since he played a convincing investigative reporter, but Chris works the dual identity like no other.
Lois Lane - Erica Durance: With no disrespect to the great Noel Neil and the very good Terri Hatcher, Durance is my favorite Lois. I can believe her as the modern Lois who can take care of herself (for the most part) and also a great companion for Superman without coming across as a total you-know-what, or a love-sick airhead. Plus, she's smokin' hot!!! I can see a god-like being falling for her, on a totally superficial level.
Jimmy Olsen - Jack Larson: George Reeves' pal is the best Jimmy, bar none. There's a reason DC started making a Jimmy comic in the 50s, and that is Jack Larson. Sam Huntingon is my second favorite, but Jack still owns it in my mind.
Perry White - Lane Smith: This was a tough one. I really like John Hamilton and Jackie Cooper's interpretations of "The Chief", but Smith was able to give more dimension to the role, and came across as gruff but lovable. His Elvis obsession aside, he's the perfect Perry White.
Ma and Pa Kent - Annette O'Toole and John Schneider: While Ma and Pa never got much screen time until Lois and Clark, I still have to hand it to Smallville's version. They helped to ground that show when it was off in it's wackiest places, and when they both left, something was definitely missing. Schneider in particular played his part with such conviction I believed every homespun-from-the-heart thing he said to Clark. So glad he got such a large and important role in the finale.
Lex Luthor - Michael Rosenbaum: Rosenbaum's Lex was one of the most complex characters I've ever seen explored on TV. All of the ups and downs the show creators put the character through could have come across as contrived, but Rosebaum found a way to make them work. He makes you sympathize with the devil! Sherman Howard from Superboy was also a great (and highly underrated) Lex, but I have to go with Rosenbaum.
Batman:
Batman/Bruce Wayne - Christian Bale: No one has successfully played the tortured soul of Bruce Wayne like Bale. Despite protests over his growly voice, he is convincingly frightening as Batman when he needs to be and has the physicality to back it up. I'm sure Adam West could have played a serious Batman if asked, and is pitch-perfect for the Silver Age Caped Crusader, but Bale embodies the earliest, and modern Batman to a T.
Robin/Dick Grayson - Burt Ward:There haven't been too many Robins (which is a shame) but Ward was the perfect Dick Grayson. His youthful enthusiasm and energy perfectly fit the role. Plus he looked just like him!
Alfred - Alan Napier: As much as I like Michaels Gough and Caine, Alan Napier was a great Alfred. Not as sardonic as Caine, or as dotting as Gough, Napier was a refined Gentleman's Gentleman, who often seemed the smartest chap on the show!
Commisioner Gordon - Gary Oldman: Was there any question here? Oldman was given the opportunity to play Gordon as a real character, not just an old guy who turns on a flashlight when someone jaywalks. He is one of my favorite aspects of Nolan's Batman series.
Batgirl - Yvonne Craig: Again, no contest. Alicia Silverstone? Really?!?
The Joker - Heath Ledger: Despite accurate performances by Romero and Nicholson, Ledger was allowed to play the Joker more dangerously and convincingly than they were. And man, did he come through. Frightening and disturbingly funny at the same time, as the Joker should be.
The Penguin - Burgess Meredith: Another "no contest" entry. "Buzz" took the comic portrayal and made him more formidable by actually making him the smartest villain in Gotham. Poor Danny Devito just got to eat fisheads.
Catwoman - Michelle Pfeiffer: This was TOUGH. With three Catwomen from the 60s to also choose from, I had to think on this one for a while. But Pfeiffer best embodied the good/bad conflict in Catwoman, despite her weird origin and even weirder "ending". Julie Newmar was scratching at her door, but Michelle won out.
The Riddler - Frank Gorshin: How could you not pick Gorshin? He essentially MADE the character after only 3 comic appearances, and his manic glee was the most legitimately dangerous aspect of the 60s TV series.
Two-Face/Harvey Dent- Aaron Eckhart: Poor Tommy Lee Jones. A fantastic actor who squandered a great character. Of course I'm sure there was no room for proper pathos in Schumacher's Batman Forever. But Eckhart had Nolan, and he gave a great, convincing performance as the tortured DA. Too bad they killed him off so quickly!!!
Mr. Freeze - ?: They really haven't got him right. George Sanders was probably the best of the 60s TV show versions. Eli Wallach looked like the Snow Miser, and Otto Preminger was a bit too "WILD". Ah-nuld? Please.
Plus Freeze really wasn't developed until BTAS, and Batman and Robin blew that version.
Anyway, that's my list, so whats' yours?
Chris
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