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Dream Casting: Camelot 3000
Dream Casting is an imaginative look at the casting process of potential Hollywood projects based on comics and other media. This isn't just about what is being made; this is about what should be made, and who we think should be the stars.
In this era of pervasive sci-fi and fantasy blockbusters, not to mention comic book adaptations, a live action version of Camelot 3000, the classic '80s comic by Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland, seems like something that could do really well.
Camelot 3000 plays off the famous legend that King Arthur will awaken from a long sleep in England's hour of greatest need. Thanks to a young Englishman named Tom Prentice, the legendary king is revived in the far future as the Earth is being invaded by aliens. He's joined by the immortal Merlin, as well as reincarnations of Guinevere and the major Knights of the Round Table. It turns out Morgan Le Fay and Modred are on the side of the aliens, and naturally an epic fantasy/sci-fi adventure ensues.
I've put together a cast that I think would be equally epic.
John Boyega as Tom Prentice
As the young man who accidently revives a slumbering King Arthur and sets the action in motion, Tom is the story's real protagonist. John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) would be a perfect lead for the movie.
Kristofer Hivju as King Arthur
Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) is best known for playing a barbarian, but he could easily bring his unique charisma to the role of a somewhat more refined warrior king.
Helen George as Queen Guinevere
Helen George (Call the Midwife) is the very essence of an English actress, so who better to play the reincarnation of a legendary English queen?
Jeremy Irons as Merlin
Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers, Justice League) is an all-time great actor, and he's reached a point in his career where he's an ideal choice to play the wizard Merlin.
Tom Ellis as Sir Lancelot
Sir Lancelot is a true hero, unlike the title character Tom Ellis plays on Lucifer, but at the same time both are figures of charm and temptation, and Ellis excels at that sort of thing.
Simon Pegg as Sir Kay
As reincarnated knights go, Sir Kay is a bit of a grizzled lowlife. Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek Beyond) can play that up and still make it charming.
David Gyasi as Sir Gawain
Sir Gawain is basically the everyman called upon to be a hero. David Gyasi (Interstellar, Containment) will make him both heroic and memorable.
Masayoshi Haneda as Sir Galahad
Masayoshi Haneda (Edge of Tomorrow, Westworld) can bring personality to a character who's pretty underwritten and stereotypical in the comic.
Jessica Clark as Sir Tristan
Sir Tristan isn't a transgender character in any traditional sense, but she does bend gender roles, so I figured lesbian actress Jessica Clark (True Blood) would have something to bring to the role.
Joonas Suotamo as Sir Percival
Sometimes you just need a 7-foot-tall actor to wear monster makeup, and as the Star Wars franchise's current Chewbacca, Joonas Suotamo has plenty of experience at that. He can bring it all to bear on the mutated Sir Percival.
Ruda Gedmintas as Isolde
Ruda Gedmintas (The Strain) can bring her own unique charisma to the role of Tristan's reincarnated true love, Isolde.
John Cameron Mitchell as Modred
Here's the thing: Camelot 3000 came out in the early 1980s, and the villainous reincarnated Modred comes off as a pretty homophobic stereotype. Rather than reacting to that by making him straight and macho, I'd rather cast a great gay actor like John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shrill) and focus on making him a more complex and interesting villain.
Tuppence Middleton as Morgan Le Fay
Tuppence Middleton (Jupiter Ascending, Sense8) is a great actress with striking looks, and she could give a fantastic performance as the ultimate villain, Morgan Le Fay.
