Crawley's Casting Calls

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Roger Rees

Posted on 6 November 2023by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors

Robin Williams, Happy Days #110: My Favourite Orkan, TV, 1978. The stars hated the script. “it’ll get better,” they were told. It got worse. The words didn’t matter. The problem was finding the right Mork from the planet Ork (remember My Favourite Martian?). Voice-over king John Byner and Dom De Luise rejected producer Garry Marshall’s invite. Joanthan Winters, who would have been perfect, was touring down-under. Roger Rees, from London’s Royal Shakespeare Company no less, was signed – and quit in the same week. “I can’t do this – he’s not a real person.” Marshall asked his cast: Anyone know a funny Martian? Yeah, yelled Al Molinaro, new owner of Arnold’s malt shop. There’s guy at Harvey Lembeck’s improv workshop, also attended by Garry’s sister, Penny Marshall… As Henry Winkler put it, Williams absorbed the script like a sponge and then “Robinised it.” And the episode led an immediate spinoff, Mork & Mindy,1978-1982…by much time he was in the movies.
Tim Roth, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, 1991. Part of the original cast before the delay when Sean Connery had to quit. Rees had become (Ton y award) famous in the 80s for headling the Royal Shakespeare Company’s marathon version of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby – lasting ten hours wih intermissins.
Bruce Boxleitner, Babylon 5, TV, 1994-1998. Considered for Captain John Sheridan, the 2258 commander of what’s left of five space stations… Also in the mix : Barry Bostwick, James Earl Jones, A Martinez, Michael Moriarty, Michael York – and two Welsh guys: Rees and John Rhys-Davies.
John Spencer, The West Wing, TV, 1999-2006. President Martin Sheen’s Chief of Staff Leo McGarry ws asimed at one of two actors: Rees, the British stage star, or trhe US veteran Spencer. Series creator Aaron Sorkin kwpt his promise to write a new character for Rees – the UK advisor and eventual ambassador Lord John Marbury. The best take on US politics since Advise & Consent in 1961, the series won a staggering 26 Emmys. I met Spencer at the Monte Carlo TV Festival in 0000, and aranged a Oval Office-ish photo-shoot of him with a visiting USA President – 24’s Dennis Haysbert. Looking up at Dennis John commented: “He’s, bigger than my guy!”

Birth year: 1944Death year: 2015Other name: Casting Calls: 4

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MOUSE HOUSE

Jeff Bridges is Kevin Flynn. Like who else?

Disney is determined to make us suffer. They’re making Tron 3. The others never worked. The perfectly named #2 was so bad I expected to find Keanu Reeves in it. New hero is Evan Peters and producer Jared Leto is bringing Kevin Flynn back – aka Jeff Bridges, at age 75. He was 32 for the first film in ‘81. Leto also plays Ares which was part of the title (Tron Ares) until someone was canny enough to realise what damage a simple typo could cause.

Rachel Zegler – the new Snowy

The Mouse House loves live-actioning its top toons… Aladdin, Cinderella, Dumbo, Jungle Book, Lion King, 101 Dalmatians, etc. Now it’s Snow White, first tooned in 1936. Snowy is Rachel Zegler, the girl named Maria in Spielberg’s West Side Story. Once upon a time the idea was Snow White and the Seven Magical Creatures - heroes of differing sexes, ethnicities, heights and salaries.

FUNSTERS

LAPD’s first LN

Liam Neeson-Pamela Anderson succeed Leslie Nielsen-Priscilla Presley (Bo Derek was first choice) in the new Naked Gun ventures of the US Inspector Clouseau – LAPD Captain Frank Drebin. But then in 1988, we never thought the similarly straight-laced Nielsen could be hilarious. I never expected Liam to land up here (more like The Arnold Palmer Story) but he refused the new Fantastic Four to be the (apparently) not so defective detective. Where’s the fun in that!
The Wayans brothers (Keenan Ivory, Shawn, Marlon) have re-opened theirfamily biz – Scary Movie – where they write, produce, direct and perform horror spoofs. They did the first two in 1999 and 2000 and have returned now for #5. Initial targets were 90s’ hits like I Know What You Did Last Summer… also being redrawn asI Never Forgot What You Did Last Summer. With the original star, Freddie Prinze Jr; Camila Mendes (nearly the new Lois Lane) had to leave to be Teela, daughter of a Master of the Universe.

LITTLE JOHN

Even the French are at it… Having already become the 50th (or so) Zorro, Jean Dujardin – the French Oscar-winner for The Artist - is L'Homme Qui Rétrécit in a Paris look at Richard Matheson’s book, The Incredible, Shrinking Man, made by Universal in 1956 with Grant Williams (instead of Dan O’Herlihy) as the tiny hero. Eddie Murphy wanted to re-do it in 2008. Jean has been a Little John before… opposite Virginie Efira in the 2015 rom-com Up For Love, itself a French spin on a 2014 Argentinian comedy, Corazón de León.

SEQUELISATIONS

The 1986 dirty dancers: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey

“I’ve already started drawing Gladiator III,” says Ridley Scott. He’s not alone. Coming shortly to a cinema (or streamer) near you… #2s (!) of The Accountant, The Bad Guys, The Black Phone, Den of Thieves, Dirty Dancing, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Happy Gilmore, Megan, Mortal Kombat, Nobody, Wicked, Zootopia… and, some 25 years later,Kevin Smith promises Dogma 2... Then there’s #3s of Black Panther, The Conjuring, Downton Abbey, Now You See Me. Paddington in Peru (hey, Paddi Goes to Downton would be a swell idea), Wallace & Gromit… #4s of Bridget Jones, Jurassic World… Has Fallen 5, Ice Age 6, Scream 7… #8 of Cruise: Impossible and #11 of Fast and Saw!
Oh, and Sir Ridley is planning The Battle of Britain. The ’68 one had everybody in it - Caine, Jürgens, McShane, Olivier, Robert Shaw, Susannah York. So… squadron Leader Paul Mescal?

PS. By the way, Adam Driver’s Paper Tiger has nothing to do with the 1974 David Niven-Toshirō Mifune thriller.

CHAMPION'S LEAGUE

Game over! Recently, we’ve seen Marlon Brando leading Jack Nicholson by one or two movies he chose not to make – and then, almost immediately, vice-versa. The gap is much wider now. We’ve found two more titles for Jack – Wall Street, Scent of a Woman - and just one extra for Marlon (The Killer Inside Me). Result: Jack now tops the league with 179 films compared to Brando’s 173. Unless you’re telling me Marlon refused Churchill, Gandhi, Goldfinger, two Sergio Leones plus Emmanuelle and Carry On Cleo…

Jack Nicholson – 179
Marlon Brando – 176
Paul Newman – 160
Cary Grant – 150
Robert De Niro – 140
Tom Cruise – 135
Dustin Hoffman – 126
Mel Gibson – 118
Sean Connery, Al Pacino – 117

Highest Brit remains, as always, Sir Sean at 117… followed by Laurence OIivier, 93; Richard Burton, 87; Peter O’Toole, 79; Elizabeth Taylor, 73; Peter Sellers, 72; Dirk Bogarde and James Mason, 68; Olivia De Havilland, 58; Gary Oldman and Vivien Leigh, 57.

Highest lady is Bette Davis, 97; Jodie Foster, 84; Michelle Pfeiffer, 81; Katharine Hepburn, 79; Michelle Pfeiffer, 78; Julie Christie, 76; Meryl Streep, 75; Elizabeth Taylor,73; Nicole Kidman, 72; Jane Fonda, 70; Julia Roberts, 68.

Younger Brigade: Johnny Depp,108; Leo, 75; Jim Carrey, 70; Madonna, 62; Natalie Portman, 57; Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 40; Bridget Fonda, 36; Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie and Uma Thurman, 35;, Jake Gyllenhaal, 33; Ben Affleck, 1.

(You'll find the full list at Champions in the Main Menu)

"THE HORROR ..."

Oldest title being dug up is Nosferatu, the first Dracula film, even though he was actually called Count Orlok in 1921 - a magic teaming of director FW Murnau and actor Max Shreck. German film-maker Werner Herzog (The Client in Mandalorian for today’s generation) called itthe greatest German film ever made. And promptly re-made it in 1978!! American Robert Eggers makes a better job of it, with Bill Skarsgård (ex-It, ex-Crow) as the ex-alive Orlok. Plus a staggering turn from Lily-Rose Depp

The other great horror ikon is, of course, Frankenstein - 187 films (!) since 1910. Two more open soon. That means two Frankies and two Monsters. After planning his take for years, Mexico’ Guillermo del Toro chose Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi (instead of Andrew Garfield). Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale occupy the same roles in The Bride!, based on 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein, when she was the UK’s Elsa Lanchester but billed as “?”.Now she’s another Brit, Jessie Buckley Jake’s older sister, Maggie, writer-directed.

Another standard, Wolf Man, actually opens Re-Run Year on January 17. Back In 1941, ‘twas a battle between Universal’s horror royalty. Created for The Guv’nor, Boris Karloff, it was desired by Bela Lugosi and won by Lon Chaney Jr – matching his famous father’s penchant for horrible make-up. After Ryan Gosling had to quit, the fella in need of a shave went to Christopher Abbott (also in East of Eden). And Julia Garner is Julia Garner. ‘Nuff said!

"I can't believe anyone still knows who Carrie is!" That was Sissy Spacek. But we still do, Sis. That’s why Amazon MGM (the busiest re-treader) ordered a series based on the book that made a superstar of Stephen King (spelled Steven in the trailer!). The 1976 Carrie-dates had included Linda Blair, Melanie Griffith, Farrah Fawcett, Amy Irving (the first Mrs Spielberg), the inevitable Kay Lenz, even Meryl Streep (at 27) – until art director Jack Fisk suggested his missus. Sissy was 25, Carrie was 16. Instant stars, both. So was a kid called Travolta.

Elle Fanning is bravely tackling Predator - a 1986 title which has taken on whole new and horrific meaning in filmdom. Plus TV, music, sport, education and, of course, politics. So this re-spin has a sub-title: Badlands. Top critic Roger Ebert said first one began like Rambo and ended like Alien.

Julia Garner’s also re-cycling Rosemary’s Baby as Apartment 7A. They call it a prequel, not a sequel, as it takes place before Mia Farrow’s tale about another girl falling victim to Satanists. Julia is a budding actress called Terry – briefly played by Victoria Vetri in Roman Polanski’s ‘67 classic, before committing suicide. Now we’ll find out why… (Victoria was supposed to be dining with Sharon Tate on the night of the Manson murders).

Hollywood’s new horror queen, ex-kiteboarder Maika Monroe (from Longlegs, Watcher) is the baddest nanny in town for a vengeance trip adaptation of Rebecca De Mornay’s 1991 chiller, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle - from Mexican cineaste Michelle Garza Cervera.Anaconda is no new Bond Girl, but the massive (up to 30 foot) snake – a serpentine Jaws in 1997. Harrison, Jack and Sean were sought for what can only be termed The Robert Shaw Role! Opposite the (surely too young) Jennifer Aniston, Kim Basinger or Nicole Kidman. Today, Jack Black and Paul Rudd head what is now a comedy. Always was for me.

And, of course, there has to be a new Godzilla. There’s been 38 since 1954. Kurosawa, Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Carpenter were all fans of the monster Gojira (combining the Japanese for gorilla and whale). Takashi Yamazaki, the wizard auteur-director-visual effects supervisor of Godzilla Minus One, remains in charge.

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