Alright since the Batman casting call is still my most popular article, not that anything is that popular on here but I decided I’d try another one. I’m gonna run down who I think should play the characters in a Metal Gear Solid film. I’m going to stick to just MGS1 for now mainly because theres just so many characters it’d take a while to cast em all plus I can do the rest in later posts anyway. There may be a few spoilers in this for MGS1 so you’ve been warned. Alright so lets start with the first and most important…Solid Snake
Solid Snake
It's easy to forget what a sin is in the middle of a battlefield.
Snake is the most pivotal character in the whole game, you have to have someone with chops but also someone who can pull off his grandiose badassery without being unbelievable. You need someone down to earth and someone the audience can relate to who’s stuck in a situation he doesn’t understand anymore than them. It’s a very tough list of requirements and nearly impossible to nail them all.
Who should play him: Gerard Butler
Yes this is probably an odd choice but I really think he could pull it off the best. His work in 300 while obviously over the top was still great to watch and exuded the ruggedness a Solid Snake would need on the big screen. Lots of people have been throwing Christian Bales name around for the part and while he’s a good actor and gets into his roles I just don’t want to see him at the head of MGS, it doesn’t fit for me. Gerard has shown he can be very serious, even overly so, but also I believe he has the wit to pull of a believable Snake, more so than anyone else.
Runner-Ups: Christian Bale, Keifer Sutherland, David Hayter (if he seriously buffed up)
Liquid Snake
Ask the father that you killed. I'll send you to hell to meet him.
Ah Liquid Snake the good old fashioned twin brother rival who hates the hero’s guts. While technically they are twins and really should probably be played by the same person I think Liquid looks different enough that another actor could play him and still pass off as his cloned brother, I mean Liquid seems to take ample steps to prove hes better than Snake there’s nothing saying he wouldn’t modify his appearance a little bit. Plus in a realistic standpoint making one actor play both the main character and the main villain doesn’t usually work…unless it’s Eddie Murphy of course.
Who should play him: Sean Bean
Sean Bean easily has the acting ability to play a convincing Liquid as well as the physique to look the part. He’s most well known for his role in Lord of the Rings but he’s a great actor in almost everything he’s in. Bean is easily my favorite choice for Liquid but there are a few other good ones.
Runner-Ups: Aaron Eckhart, Viggo Mortenson
Roy Campbell
You will accept this assignment.
Roy comes off most of the game as a friend but at times can be very stern and demanding. In a film he probably wouldn’t have much screen time and more than likely just be a voice in Snakes head warning him of dangers and the like. I think he needs a relatively recognizable voice but really any elderly actor with some pinache could pull him off. Most fans won’t care if he doesn’t look much like his game counterpart.
Who should play him: Gene Hackman
Hackman basically already played this exact role in Behind Enemy Lines and worked perfectly at it. He’s got that demanding voice but can also come off as a friend to sympathize with. He easily has the chops, the only thing might be he’s already done something like it and it’s not really a main character so he might think its beneath him or something.
Runner-Ups: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Clint Eastwood
Hal “Otacon” Emmerich
Life isn't all about loss, ya know.
Otacon is basically Snake’s sidekick and as such will have a ton of screen time and if you follow the first game directly even a love interest. He’s also a geeky coward who is a complete opposite of Snake, but thats why theres such chemistry. He needs to be played by someone who can look smart but at the same time vulnerable.
Who should play him: Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy plays a character like Otacon in a lot of his movies just not exactly. He’s played vulnerable killers and a terrified guy running from zombones. He’s pretty much the perfect fit for this role as he can easily bring the panic and cowardice but also come off as exceptionally smart and calculating. He even looks the part which is a major plus as well.
Runner-Ups: James Franco, Daniel Radcliffe
Meryl Silverburgh
...You're a sad, lonely man.
Meryl Silverburgh is the rookie trapped in the middle of Shadow Moses when MGS starts. She acts as tough as Snake and early in the game she even surprises him a few times but she actually has little to no combat experience. She’s basically the girl playing soldier who doesn’t really know whats shes getting herself into. Meryl is very smart though, and needs to be played by an experienced actress.
Who should play her: Keira Knightley
Keira basically played a Meryl-lite in her movie Domino where she played a female bounty hunter. All she has to do is be an inexperienced version of that but act tough which is easily within Keira’s range as she is a multiple academy award nominee. In the game Meryl has some of the most groan worthy lines but shes also got some of the best comic relief so it’s going to take someone with an actual ability to act, as opposed to simply being ‘eye candy’.
Runner-Ups: Felecia Day, Emily Deschanel, Maggie Gyllenhall
Revolver Ocelot
Can't you even die right?
Revolver Ocelot is easily one of my favorite characters, hes got major gumption and a glorious angry old man attitude. He also wields a single 6 shot pistol, which his name describes and loves it with a passion. He’s the first boss in the game and lasts through the entire series, showing up in many unexpected places, proving just how important a character he is. He may sound too hard to portray by those terms but I know just the actor.
Who should play him: Daniel Day Lewis
In my opinion theres no one more perfect for this role. He exudes the tension and drama that Ocelot is associated with. He’s also got the perfect mannerisms and style of speech in a lot of his films to where its not even a stretch for him to fit in the role. The only problem would be it’s probably not a character he’d be interested in but I can dream can’t I?
Runner-Ups: Gary Oldman, Sam Elliott, Sean Connery
Sniper Wolf
I watched the stupidity of mankind through the scope of my rifle.
A female sniper who works in solitude, Sniper Wolf is one of the deepest characters in the game. She doesn’t have much screen time but what she does have she steals the show even from Snake so you need someone with star appeal and great looks as well as the ability to make everyone else on screen nervous. Wolf also has a tendancy to have a huge emotional range in her characters feelings, probably a side effect of the drug she’s addicted to. She needs an actress who can portray all of this in a relatively short time.
Who should play her: Scarlett Johansson
It’s asking a lot of Scarlett Johansson to step into the shoes of Sniper Wolf but I think she’d do very well. She’s show the ability to act in a range of different roles the exact thing needed for someone with Wolf’s emotional spectrum. She’s also gorgeous which is another mark off the ol’ list.
Runner-Ups:Elisha Dushku, Megan Fox
Psycho Mantis
I am the top practitioner of psychokinesis and telepathy in the WORLD!
When first I fought Psycho Mantis he literally freaked me out so bad I stopped playing for the night. Hideo used a range of tricks for his battle that involved him reading your mind, and to someone who hadn’t seen anything like that before it was a huge surprise. He’s a pretty straightforward character though and doesn’t last long after he’s introduced, I still regard him as one of the best bosses ever though.
Who should play him: Alan Cumming
Basically all you need for Psycho Mantis is someone with a voice that sounds cool through a gas mask and a creep aura about them Alan Cumming should fit both of these pretty well…I’ve never heard him whisper through a gas mask but I can imagine. He should have no trouble handling Mantis but if he wasn’t up for it theres a few other good choices.
Runner-Up: David Hyde Pierce, Doug Jones
Vulcan Raven
Snakes don't belong in Alaska
Alright Vulcan Raven! The first real badass moment you have in the game is when Snake fights VR while Raven’s in a tank. Its a glorious scene that shows just how determined Snake is, meanwhile the whole time VR is asking him deep philosophical questions or just insulting him. So really his actor needs to be someone who is known for their strength, I mean he carries a gatling gun around, and can go from completely unstable to questioning existence in a split second.
Who should play him: Dwayne Johnson
Some may disagree with me but I think the Rock is a good actor and I can’t think of anyone more perfect for Vulcan Raven. He can easily handle all the big mans dialogue as well as come off as a bigger than life character, I mean he did it for years in the WWF. He’s my first choice for Vulcan Raven but there are a few others I could see working.
Runner-Up: Mickey Rourke, Djimon Hounsou
Gray Fox
I am like you. I have no name.
Gray Fox is an interesting character because he’s basically a renegade in the whole affair. He only wants to get involved so Snake can finally end him in an epic duel but he’s also not willing to let anyone finish the job. He grows as a character during the small amount of time hes on the screen and has some of the most ridiculous scenes in the game. He’s also for the most part only ever a voice through a mask so really you just need a strong voice actor and I have just the one.
Who should play him: Liam Neeson
He may seem old for the part but for the most part hes just going to be the voice of the character who will probably be played by a guy in the suit most of the time anyway. Liam does have some action under his belt though so he should be fine for a role like this. The character of Gray Fox’s age is disputable anyway and considering the way Snake ages theres no telling how old he actually is anyway.
Dr Naomi Hunter
Live Snake... that's all I can tell you.
Naomi Hunter is a major character later in the series. In MGS1 she’s just a contact for Snake much like the Colonel who shares information about his targets. Later in the game shes a part of a major plot point so I figured she needed to be cast, plus in MGS4 she’s a huge character. She’s very sensitive and seems sad all the time but is also a genius so it’s gonna be tough for her actress.
Who should play her: Monica Bellucci
Not only does Monica Bellucci look exactly like Naomi but she’s got the acting ability to pull her off. Monica should have no trouble fitting into the sad doctors role again just like Tears of the Sun, while also staying interesting and smart.
Whew that was a lot of choices. There are still quite a few lesser characters left but they have such short appearences in the original game besides dialogue that I’m not going to bother finding a picture for them. I will still cast them though:
Master Miller: Sean Bean with his hair tied up…What…thats how it is in the game =x
Mei Ling: I don’t know that Snake will need to save during the movie but if he does and calls her I think she’d be great played by Ziyi Zhang from House of Flying Daggers.
Natasha Romanenko: Really I can’t think of any famous russian female actress who would fit this part. It’d probably be best to cast a no-name for this one anyway.
Super Bonus Cast: Big Boss
There’s only one man who can play a hero of such magnitude…of such caliber.
Who should play him: Kurt Russell
There you have it, my casting choices for MGS1. I’m sure I’ll do the rest when I get around to it as these are quite fun to think about. If you would like to add your own I welcome it. Until next time~
Penetrating Mediocrity 