Video Game Casting Call: Who Should Play Your Favourite Character?

Let me be the first to say that I cannot stand film adaptations of video games. Nine times out of  ten Hollywood scoops up the film rights for our favorite games and turns them into cinematic garbage; but we all know that as long as it makes money, they won’t stop. Since they probably will happen anyway, let’s play casting director and pick some potential candidates for our favorite video game characters.

Nathan Drake 

While I personally think they should never make an Uncharted movie, the wheels are already well in motion for it to happen. Uncharted fans know that Nolan North is Nathan Drake, and there isn’t anyone who could possibly replace his voice. Two of the men with their names hovering around the project could certainly bring the Nathan Drake charm and wit. Nathan Fillion has been seen in many people’s eyes as the front runner for the role of Drake for years. He has the look and the sense of humor, but at the age of 43 his window is rapidly closing to take the role. Chris Pratt would be my choice for the role of Nathan Drake, especially after his performance as Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. Unfortunately there are many reports that Pratt has already turned down the offer to be a part of the film.

Gears of War Crew

The characters in the Gears of War series would be tough to cast, but let’s face it, these three actors are about the only ones jacked enough to fill the shoes. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson seems to just keep getting more gigantic with every movie role he takes on, and while he doesn’t necessarily fit perfectly with an existing character, they could easily write one in just for him. Dave Batista is an obvious choice for Marcus Fenix, and showed he had some acting chops as Drax The Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy. Terry Crews would make a decent Cole Train, if he managed to get some downtime from his Old Spice ads. He has a similar background as Cole Train, with both being former professional sports players.

John Marston

Hollywood could always use another Western, and what better video game Western to adapt than Red Dead Redemption. When trying to cast John Marston, three names immediately popped in my head. Viggo Mortenson has always played some pretty gritty characters, and has some cowboy experience with Hidalgo. Christian Bale has proven he can pretty much play any sort of role, and was in the Western 3:10 To Yuma. Josh Brolin is probably the grittiest of the three choices, fittingly starring in the remake of True Grit.

Samus Aran

If any Nintendo game was ever made into a movie (not counting that god awful Mario movie), the most likely option would be Metroid. Samus Aran has always been one of the strongest female protagonists and would need a solid leading lady to take on the role. The first choice would be Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett has the look. and she’s proven she can kick some major ass in her role as Black Widow in The Avengers series. The second choice would be Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence is in high demand as of late, and would make for a pretty good Samus given the opportunity. The third choice, Ronda Rousey, is a bit of a dark horse pick. For those of you who do not know, Ronda Rousey is the UFC women’s bantamweight champion who has recently got her feet wet with acting. She starred in The Expendables 3, and will be in the next installment of The Fast and The Furious films. Of course, the major perk of a Metroid film is the potential to see either of these three ladies in a skin-tight Zero suit.

Even though movie adaptations are mostly horrible, sadly they will never stop. Movies like Doom, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Max Payne, and of course the abomination that is Super Mario Bros. will continue to be released as long as the Hollywood studios are making a pretty penny. Let’s just hope they don’t tarnish your favorite game’s legacy too badly.