spoiler alert--though I know that if you read my blog, you have probably read it...
I finished reading Atlas Shrugged last night (morning, really) at 4 a.m. To be honest, I skimmed through the last 200 pages, reading enough to know how the plot would be resolved and skipping over the philosophical arguments, including John Galt's three hour speech, having figured out Rand's message early on.
But I digress. Reading this article in the WSJ is what prompted me to read Atlas Shrugged. And in the article, it mentions long-awaited plans to make the book into a movie. Further research on wikipedia indicated that the latest (and hopefully shelved) attempt at this had Angelina Jolie cast as the indomitable heroin, Dagney Taggart. Angelina Jolie!!! A comment found on imdb.com said that casting her as Dagney was the equivalent of Michael Moore playing General Patton!
Granted, ANYONE from Hollywood would contradict their public persona by taking on the role of a "greedy" capitalist, which is why I would hope they could be good actors, and do justice to a role whether or not they agreed with the character's creeds. But Angelina looks NOTHING like the Dagney Taggart pictured in my mind!
If I were a casting director, here's who I would choose (assuming A-list actors would be willing to take some small roles)!
Dagney: Cate Blanchett
Hank Rearden: Daniel Craig
Francisco d' Anconia: Javier Bardem!
John Galt: Brad Pitt
Cheryl: Amy Adams
Lilian:
Jim Taggart: William Dafoe
Ragnar the pirate: ???
Hugh Akston: Morgan Freeman?
Orren Boyle: ?
Wesley Mouch: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Robert Stadler: ?
Eddie Willers: ?
Does anyone want to play this game and submit their own casting choices for any of the numerous characters?
3 comments:
I love this post!!! How fun! :-)
I don't really have anything against Angelina Jolie now (although if she'd stayed with Billy Bob Thorton, that'd be a negative, LOL...). She seems genuine, so I'd definitely disagree with the highly critical commenter on IMDB. Plus, her dad is Jon Voigt (lonely conservative), and she takes a lot of heat for using guns in movies *and* in real life, LOL. I like her because I can see an earnest foundation to her. Mentally, I'd say she's a good choice for Dagney. Physically, more Cate Blanchett, but the willfulness is very "Angelina." :-)
And really, it's been a decade since I've read the book, so I don't remember a whole lot of character detail, but I will second you on your Hank & Galt picks! Also Taggart & Mouch. I'll have to re-read it and get back to you on the other characters... :-)
Angelina hates her dad, Jon Voigt, and hasn't talked to him in years, so I assumed that their political opinions were opposite. I don't really know. My sister would agree with you, though! (we often have arguments about whether Angelina is a genuinely charitable person, or doing it for extra publicity!) That said, I really enjoyed "Mr. and Mrs. Smith!"
I take it back--Angelina would be great as Dagny. I still don't agree with some of her personal choices--but she is one of the classier Hollywood types.
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