10 Perfect Castings In Upcoming Comic Book Movies
What's a great character without the right actor?
There's nothing quite as inflammatory as the casting of a comic book movie. Despite countless examples of actors surpassing everyone's expectations, fans are routinely up in arms any time an actor is cast as their favourite character. Look no further than the uproar surrounding Ben Affleck's casting as Batman for proof of that.
The right casting, however, can conjure up an insane hype in audiences. These are the times when it feels like the actor was destined to play that specific part. Considering the rich history of these characters, it's essential to have the right person playing them, or the films risk wasting an entire legacy from the comics.
More often than not, in spite of some initial misgivings, thanks to some incredibly devoted performances and truly inspired casting, it has felt like a wealth of incredible heroes and dastardly villains from the comics have already been brought to life. Looking ahead, there's a whole lineup of actors that seem similarly destined to get their characters right.
Even ignoring the characters we’ve already seen on film, there’s still many promising outings on the horizon. From the performances we’ve only seen in trailers, to the adaptations we’re still fantasizing about, these are the most spot-on casting choices for the genre going forward.
10. Chiwetel Ejiofor As Baron Mordo - Doctor Strange
Marvel have taken a very interesting approach to Baron Mordo for Doctor Strange. Rather than act as Strange’s most prominent antagonist as he does in the comics, the cinematic version appears to still be his ally. It seems like Marvel is trying to set the seeds for a gradual descent into villainy and make Mordo’s fall from grace a multi-film arc.
The reason fans have so much faith in this potential route is because Marvel recruited Chiwetel Ejiofor for the part. While he in no way resembles the comic book version, his qualities as an actor should make that easy to overlook.
Ejiofor had always turned in strong performances but 12 Years A Slave proved to everyone that he was an absolute heavyweight. Just as he can do the sorrow needed for Mordo’s downfall, he has also proven to be able to handle his eventual villainy. Antagonistic roles in Children Of Men and Serenity showed his wicked side, and made him believable and terrifying as a man who would do anything to see his will done, leaving there little doubt that the actor is up for this task. All told, Ejiofor as Mordo is the sort of out-of-the-box casting which keeps everyone so excited about Marvel.