Is There Any Actor Who Could Make Spielberg's Harvey Remake Interesting?
Let's face it: We're not Steven Spielberg's target audience for Harvey. In every way, the director's intended remake of the Jimmy Stewart imaginary rabbit vehicle feels safe and familiar -- so much so that industry wags have practically rubber-stamped Tom Hanks to star. That preliminary coronation got us thinking, though: Is there a single actor in Hollywood that could give this project any sort of curveball appeal? We decided to round up the best and worst of Spielberg's potential casting choices.
The Please-Don'ts:
According to Michael Fleming, Spielberg's expected to reach out to Tom Hanks and Will Smith first. Yawn. There's a certain class of A-lister who'd be perfect for this, and that's why we encourage Spielberg to make a quirkier choice -- does anybody need to see George Clooney talk to an empty space as saner heads tsk-tsk? At the same time, slotting Adam Sandler in this sort of role would certainly augur a baby-voiced box office hit, but it feels like exactly the sort of lazy project Sandler's George Simmons would have made in Funny People.
The If-You-Musts:
Still, there are some big stars who could bring to Harvey at least a minor dose of unpredictable frisson. Johnny Depp's got the imagination for it, if not the free-and-clear shooting schedule. Robert Downey Jr. always seems to be operating on a different, more creative frequency than most actors, and he'd be good for a few tossed-off ad libs to counter the project's saccharine feel. Still, if Spielberg really wants to go for it, why not hire Sacha Baron Cohen? The actor is nothing if not committed to preserving an illusion (even if it means he'd still be chatting with an imaginary rabbit while doing Conan and Letterman next year).
The Dark Horses:
If Spielberg really wants to get our attention, though, he'd hire a rising star like Jeremy Renner, whose coiled intensity could provide an interesting counterpoint to Elwood's inherent warm-fuzzies. Might he skew younger and reach out to Jake Gyllenhaal, who already has cinematic experience seeing rabbits that aren't there? Perhaps, but the option that we think is so crazy it just might work (literally) is Tom Cruise. His unshakable insistence on behalf of the Church of Scientology has already branded him a true believer amidst a sea of smirking skeptics. Would Cruise's Elwood politely brand disbelieving doctors "glib"? We already know his thought on psychiatry mesh perfectly, if perhaps more vehemently, with the character's. Sign him up, Steve!
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Comments
Oh my god, yes, this is going to be a Will Smith vehicle. Speilberg has never directed Smith before, this is the perfect opportunity. It fits in with Big Willie's whole effects-and-creatures-and-heart formula.
If you are going to have a Speilberg remake of Donnie Darko, of course you've got to have Gyllenhall.
This will only work for me if there's a 5150 at Cedars for Elwood.
Yes. This.
Danny Huston
The answer is simple: Call Gary Busey!
Ryan Gosling? Did he shoot himself in the foot when he got fat for that Peter Jackson movie?
STEVES! Buscemi or Zahn.
Mickey Rourke!
A 20-something version with Shia Leboeuf. He's the next-gen Tom Hanks, a hyper-likable wiseacre everyman. Plus Spielberg already looooooooves him.
George Clooney would do this very well, and yes, so would Tom Cruise (he's always at his best when playing someone unhinged - e.g. Magnolia). A film like this needs a star to carry it.
However, wish lists don't have to be practical so... Paul Giamatti, Richard Jenkins, Steve Buscemi (thanks Juancho) Zachary Quinto, Jim Parsons or if casting really young, Michael Cera.
And Zoe Saldana as the sister. I'm calling it now.
Zach Galifianakis. The character of Elwood P. Dowd is one of the most charming alcoholics ever to appear on screen. Stewart was great in the roll and I think in this modern age, Galifianakis could bring a loose-cannon to it. Failing that, Downey Jr.
Mischa Barton
Yay!
It needs to be an older actor. Jimmy Stewart himself demonstrated this: his mid-seventies stage portrayal of Elwood P. Dowd was far superior to what he had done on film.
Also, it needs to be an actor who is powerful enough to overcome the Stewart persona.
The one and only choice: JACK NICHOLSON.
A. Jon Stewart
B. Owen Wilson
C. David Arquette
D. Bill Murray
Jonas Hill
good call. that's the best one so far, i think.
did someone say david arquette?
OK, I'll change David Arquette to Billy Bob Thornton.
This will be Jim Carrey. Mark my words. My intense dislike of Carrey and recent Spielberg make this a DONE DEAL. Both are assholes. Both lack talent. And both would sign on for a totally unnecessarily remake of a classic film. This whole project just proves that Hollywood is lost.
Harvey Fierstein FTW!
Jeremy Davies--he can do gently crazy really well.
Benicio del Toro. Or Harry Dean Stanton.
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