MovieChat Forums > My Name Is Modesty: A Modesty Blaise Adventure (2004) Discussion > The ideal Modesty Blaise

The ideal Modesty Blaise

posted 18 years ago by Batsu73
19 replies | jump to latest

No more callers please, we have a winner.

Look at these pictures of Sienna Guillory:

http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/35/14/37/18386273.jpg
http://www.def130.com/diary_photo/movie/sienna_guillory_in_resident_evil_02.jpg
http://www.horrormagazine.it/imgbank/NEWS/_siennaguillory.nb.jpg

British, slightly exotic (she has Cuban ancestry on her father's side), dark hair and blue eyes, about 5'6, athletic but feminine.

I can't think of a better candidate if a Blaise movie was to be filmed.

Hopefully Tarantino and Neil Gaiman are working on it.

[–] spokkeh 18 years ago

If a sequel was made, would they not cast Alexandra again for continuity's sake?

[–] overground 18 years ago

No too bad...I think that they should keep Alexandra though. She was very good in the role, and someone to watch. I think she could really pull off I, Lucifer or Last Day in Limbo very well!

I smell trouble Cotton...deep, dark trouble!

[–] comic_releif 17 years ago

I agree, that's how the girl is supposed to look like! Alexandra was decent though. :)

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] sgracanin 16 years ago

The only woman to play Modesty Blaise currently is Peta Wilson. And perhaps Tom Berenger as Willie (although he is getting a bit old... but he could still pull it off)

Nobody hear knows anything about Modesty Blaise... she is supposed to be in her THIRTIES for crying out loud, and perfect in martial arts and weaponry. You can't let a anorexic model play someone like that! The whole premise goes!

Jeeeeez, you people are all brainwashed. It's like the invasion of body snatchers, only Hollywood's talentless studio suits sent you! YUCK!

The whole Modesty story STARTS with the premise that she is RETIRED from her criminal past and lives in England, where she is working every now and then for the UK Government, snatching bad guys. More like a female James Bond, but with an edge.

It has nothing to do with this pulp fiction comic crap this movie is about. Modesty never employed hookers.

Ah, what's the point.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] RSG_Corris 16 years ago

Not sure where you get the idea that Modesty is supposed to be in her thirties...quite apart from the fact that she herself does not know how old she is, she is usually thought to be in her middle to late twenties in the books and comic strips, with Willie about eight years older.

Quite often in the books the period before her retirement is covered, when she was running The Network, including Willie's first job for her, and the comic strip had an introductory story telling how she reached the point where the "My Name is..." story starts, when she was in her late teens.

[–] dalback.maria 16 years ago

One important part they seem to have been missing though is that Modesty Blaise is from the 60s. Her hair and makeup should look like Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot did in the early 60s. She looks like a scaled down skinny 90s Model now. I hope they correct this error if a follow up/sequel is made.

[–] Batsu73 16 years ago

They would have to update her and if it was done right it could work - look at James Bond and Jason Bourne. They were both brilliantly well updated for the 21st Century.

I was thinking about this a while ago and I think if they did it now she would have to be a refugee from one of the Balkan conflicts. The timeline would probably scan. Before he took the role of Bond, I always thought Craig would make a great Willie Garvin - craggy without being pretty, athletic and charming.

When I saw the first (dire) Tomb Raider movie I thought the Jolie and Craig pairing could have had much more fun as Modesty and Willie.

[–] dalback.maria 16 years ago

I can understand that modesty needs to be uptdated, but I cannot for the life of me, see Jolie as Modesty. No way that would be killing her off once and for all. Better to keep some unknown actress for that part. Someone who is as beautiful as Modesty is supposed to be (I don't think Jolie is that beautiful).

[–] HighPlainsDrifterDude 16 years ago

How about Emily Blunt or maybe Jessica Biel? I think either could really do the role justice.

As for Willie Garvin, I reckon Steve Zahn would be a great choice.

Just a thought...

[–] Batsu73 16 years ago

Steve Zahn is a little small isn't he? Garvin is supposed to be about 6 foot and rugged. Someone like Daniel Craig or Matthew McConnaughey are the right sort of size.

As for Modesty herself, I really like Jessica Biel but can't see her in the role. I would still go with a Brit actress like Jaime Murray or Gemma Arterton from the upcoming Bond movie could also be good.

[–] catman_grr 16 years ago

I really think that Eva Green could have pulled it off. She has that sophisticated , femme fatale look. I also thought about Daniel Craig as Willie Garvin, but then again, they already have been in a movie or two togheter, lol.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] cazito-1 16 years ago

I think Carrie-Anne Moss would make a perfect Modesty.

[–] mark-4145 16 years ago

She looks, behaves, and acts like a Yank.

Modesty Blaise is not, and has never been, a US citizen, Mr. McCarthy.

[–] Batsu73 16 years ago

Yes! A few years ago Gina Bellman and Sean Pertwee would have been a great call. Sean Bean would have been good too.

Maybe ,just maybe, someone out there will champion a Modesty movie. I am collecting all the Tartan reprints of the strips and have most of the novels (not keen on reading the end of the Cobra Trap though...)

I do think Modesty and Willie should really be played by Brit actors. He doesn't have the blonde hair but Jason Statham has everything else needed to be a fantastic Willie Garvin - rugged charm, very believable and capable in action movies. They gave him a wig in Revolver but look what happened there!

Modesty is still an incredibly hard role to cast because she is such a unique character. She needs an actress, not the pin-up du jour. Gemma Arterton and Olga Kurylenko could possibly do it (although I don't know much of the latter's work). Eva Green is a good actress but I don't find her that attractive. Whenever I look at Romero's Modesty I always think of actresses like Sophia Loren and Claudia Cardinale so I am sure there are multi-lingual European actresses out there who could do it that I haven't heard of.

Just not Alba, Simpson or any of those pretty, empty starlets in a black wig! That would destroy it.

[–] RSG_Corris 15 years ago

While watching the second series of TV's Ashes to Ashes, I began to wonder what Keeley Hawes would look like wearing a chignon - she is a talented actress, with good looks and a curvy figure, and manages well in action scenes. Trouble is, she is already in her thirties, which is really too old for Modesty - but finding an actress the right age who can convey Modesty's experience of life would be very difficult.

Casting Willie is even more difficult - I just can't get past the young Michael Caine, who was Peter O'Donnell's choice for the role - he even suggested that Jim Holdaway used Caine as the model for his strip drawings.