Yes, Lombard always struck me as a very dark James Bond. So Dalton's Bond is definitely closest to a Lombard. Plus, they mention Lombard's wolfish grin, which Dalton has down to a tee. I can easily picture 70s-80s area Dalton grinning darkly and saying in that nifty Welsh accent of his, "A title? Yes....It's called 'Swan Song'.
So we've established our picks among those who've played the role before...What about if we had the chance to cast a remake? The budding, wannabe superstar in me would jump at the chance to cast myself as Lombard, but I'll use established actors for my list:
Philip Lombard: Cillian Murphy. Plays a good hero and a villian, which Lombard has to have. He's the "hero" of the piece, but he's no angel. I think Murphy pulls it off no question.
Vera Claythorne: Rose Byrne. Oh those sad eyes of hers. Perfect for the haunted Vera Claythorne. And I've seen her lose it in the "Insidious" films, so she'd deftly pull off the mounting terror Vera feels.
Judge Lawrence Wargrave: Sir Ben Kinglsey. Originally, I picked Geoffrey Rush for this, but reading the description of Wargrave recently, I have to go with Kinglsey. He's a brilliant actor who's been saddled with non-brilliant films of late. I think he'd be a perfect judge. He looks the part, but is mild-mannered enough as an actor to fool the audience.
William Henry Blore: Timothy Dalton. I'm a fan of Dalton, he actually is my favorite of the Bonds, and I'd earlier thought of Ray Winstone, but Dalton is a good height and build for the role, and he's played enough villains that if he had a moustache,he'd definitely fool first-time viewers into suspecting him. Blore's a bit intimidating also. Dalton could easily handle that.
Dr. Edward Armstrong: Colin Firth. I think Firth would be an excellent actor for this role. He can play Armstrong's professionalism, and also the abject terror as he becomes mildly unhinged during the film's events. Plus, what could be more intense than seeing Dalton, Kingley, and Firth acting opposite each other.
Emily Brent: Helen Mirren. Pretty much a no-brainer. She'd be perfect for obvious reasons, and she could play the role with enough callousness to make you suspect her.
General John MacArthur: Alan Rickman. The role is way too small for an actor of Rickman's talents but it's the biggest one left that he'd be fit for. He'd certainly have no problem in the role, and I can picture how good the scene would be when he confesses his crime to Vera.
Thomas Rogers: Richard E. Grant. He's played a butler effectively before (Gosford Park) He's a brilliant actor, and he's got a nice sinister look about him that again I think would throw off first-time viewers and make you suspect him.
Ethel Rogers: Emily Watson. Again, brilliant actress who would make a small role shine. She too could play the haunted quality effectively, much like Rose Byrne.
Anthony Marston: Daniel Radcliffe. He's a good actor, and because it would throw the audience for a total loop killing of Radcliffe first.
Fred Narracott: Geoffrey Rush. Not only would it be funny having Barbossa himself play the Captain of a small boat, again, I'm thinking of first-time viewers who might suspect him of being the killer until the island is searched. They certainly wouldn't be expecting Rush to drop everyone off and that's it.
With the novel ending, of course. You don't waste this list of brilliant actors with the now overdone happy ending. Setting, 30s, Island, house. Just turn on the camera and let this cast blow everyone away.
Your cast?
I love to love my Lisa.
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