A new remake


Since this remake of On The Beach was only a made for TV movie, and it's been 11 years, Hollywood may try again. Not that I want them to, because the 1959 version didn't need it, but I'm wondering who people think the cast would be. If they absolutely have to do it, here's my preferences:

Commander Dwight Towers: Ron Livingston

Lt. Peter Holmes: Eric Bana

Dr. John Osborne (It was John in the book): Guy Pearce

Moira Davidson: Rose Byrne

Mary Holmes: Natalie Portman

"I'm a leadfarmer mother@#$%er"

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I thought the 2000 version was pretty good so there's really no need whatsoever for another remake, but if they did want to, I'd go with;

Commander/Captain Dwight Towers: George Clooney. (Bruce Greenwood or Greg Kinnear would work too.)

Lt. Peter Holmes: James Franco

Dr. Julian Osborne: Jude Law

Moira Davidson: Marisa Tomei

Mary Holmes: Ellen Page

Admirial Bridie: Brendan Gleeson

Lt. Hosgood: Kiera Knightley

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Ellen Page???

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

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Well, Donna Anderson was only 19/20 when the original was shot in 1959, and didn't look much older than that -- Page is 23 now and would look about the right age.

Mary Holmes is supposed to be a very innocent, somewhat naive young girl, who can't cope emotionally with what is going on. Page still has that very baby-faced look so she would look right for the part.

Portman would be OK too but even though she's still kind of baby-faced, she can't really pass for 19-20 anymore.

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These actors also need to be able to convey a convincing Australian accent.

"I'm a leadfarmer mother@#$%er"

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Commander/Captain Dwight Towers: Viggo Mortensen

Lt. Peter Holmes: Joel Edgerton

Dr. Julian Osborne: Hugo Weaving

Moira Davidson: Cate Blanchett

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I don't think Blanchett could pull off the puffy, dowdy, semi-alcoholic look Moira is supposed to have early in the movie.

It has to be a 40-ish actress who is not normally really thin. Maybe Kate Winslet??




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4) You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

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A remake with a decent budget would be nice, no need for Docklands to fill in for QLD, (if you do, remove the Bolte Bridge from the background) and use a real apartment building not the Degraves Subway under Flinders Street station.

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The two existing versions have some fine moments, but are tempered by some serious miscasting. Hopefully they'll get an age-appropriate Moira this time. And no pleasing "the cheap seats" in the back by making Dwight and Moira lovers. The movie producers totally missed the point of the novel by making Dwight and Moira hook up.

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Well, I think since the original film, which featured Dwight and Moira as lovers, has been out 50+ years and the remake also did it, in the minds of most fans it has pretty much become 'canon' anyway.


In the Peck/Gardner version, I thought the romance angle was handled very non-sensationally. There weren't exensive make-out scenes, and Gardner appeared in a bikini for only a few minutes. So they didn't revamp the whole storyline to turn it into a steamy sexy soap opera.

The contrast of how the strait-laced, highly moral and disciplined Dwight and the middle-aged, boozy, kind of washed-out Moira faced the issue of impending doom was actually a very good subplot.

In the end, Moira realizes why Dwight wanted to be faithful to his wife and dead family, and understood that was one of the biggest reasons she had fallen in love with him.

And Dwight understood that whatever he did with Moira in the final days and weeks would not undo what he had with his wife.






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4) You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

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If there's ever a third movie I'd recommend the main roles be cast with actors younger than 35, like in the book; drop the love triangle that was in this movie from 2000; show up he submarine captain refusing to launch his missiles at the start; not have any happy music except when the sub gets the cryptic message from Alaska; and edit it so that it's a brisk 100 minutes instead of over 2 hours long.

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