10 Riskiest Upcoming Casting Choices (And Why They Will Work)
9. Oscar Isaac - Apocalypse
The Risk
Until very recently, there seemed little risk involved here. Oscar Isaac is Hollywood's latest darling, a fine actor, and seemingly ready to stake his claim in the bigger Blockbuster releases. None of that has changed of course, but after Apocalypse's design was released by Fox to the public, the tide turned.
Through no fault of Isaac's, many fans had turned against his version of the character. All of a sudden, a surefire thing was surrounded in question marks. This was not the Apocalypse die-hard fans were used to - his frame slight, his garb more Pharaoh than fiend, and bearing more than a passing resemblance to goofy purple Power Rangers baddy Ivan Ooze.
The Reward
Any changes to comic book designs are always going to be met with pouted faces and snarky comments, it's just a fact. With so much established lore and fervent cosplayers amongst its fanbase, X-Men in particular is very prone to this. That said, why is this allowed to overshadow the acquisition of one of this generation's finest young actors?
Besides which, criticisms of Isaac's appearance as Apocalypse are ultimately knee-jerk. For a start, puzzled looks over the villain's purple visage seem to be overlooking the red tint cast by the surrounding fires, also casting onto accompanying characters. The follow-up image of Apocalypse on the cover of Entertainment Weekly confirmed a more traditional blue colour scheme.
In terms of the design itself, some things in the brightly coloured panels of comic books simply do not translate well on screen. Apocalypse is clearly one of those things, but with Oscar Isaac behind the make-up and CGI, you needn't worry about it.