Metal Gear Solid Movie: Fan-Casting Every Major Role

9. Colonel Campbell - Bryan Cranston

Metal Gear Solid Colonel Campbell
Konami/Dreamworks

Colonel Roy Campbell was literally inspired by and made to look like Rambo's Colonel Sam Trautman, though with Richard Crenna passing away in 2003, it falls to another actor to step in.

Like Naomi, Campbell starts out as support for Solid Snake during the Shadow Moses Incident, though it's later revealed he kept things like the FOXDIE's activation in Snake's system a secret, alongside the fact that Meryl is his daughter. This leads to some tension between Solid Snake and Campbell from here on in, but the Colonel is also slap-bang in the middle of one of gaming's most OTT twists: MGS 2's "He was an A.I. all along!" switcheroo.

Predicated on the idea that the Colonel Raiden is talking to is actually an A.I. construct, the real Colonel Campbell returns in MGS 4, though in a standalone movie inspired by the games - depending on how socio-political the script gets - we could see this get adapted beat for beat.

Known just as much for physical comedy as roles like Walter White in Breaking Bad, Cranston could walk one hell of a line between menacing and otherwise loveable, depending on what the script demands.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.