"Most of all, I'd like to thank Cortana, the Artifical Intelligence living in my armor."
When making a movie based on a pre-established property, you're always going to have disappointed fans. It doesn't matter how loyal you are to the source material, fanboys will always whine and moan about every little detail. The key is to stop caring about those people. While look and, to a lesser extent, voice went into my casting decisions, I also put a heavy focus on acting ability. I'm also a huge fan of the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", so in my dream Halo movie, I would keep a lot of the fantastic voice actors from the games. But in the spirit of Hollywood, I've thrown in some bigger names that could fit the roles as well. That said, hit the Read link to see my casting choices for the Halo movie.
Christian Bale as Master Chief
Let's be honest; it doesn't take a lot to pull off Master Chief. He's in his armor the entire time and he barely speaks. However, when he does speak, it should be memorable. Christian Bale is a fantastic actor and his time in the batsuit in Batman Begins has given him the skills necessary to make an impression with only a few lines.
Tricia Helfer as Cortana
Tricia Helfer, best known for her role as Six in Battlestar Galactica (the remake), could play a mean Cortana. She both looks and sounds similar to Master Chief's AI companion, and because of her role as a Cylon, she has the "kind-of-like-a-human-but-not-really" personality down perfect. Not to mention she's gorgeous, and what's hotter than an Artificial Intelligence Construct?
Denzel Washington as Sergeant Major Avery Johnson
I almost went with grizzled veteran Carl Weathers on this one. While Weathers arguably looks and sounds more like Johnson, he doesn't have the presence that Washington does. Next to Master Chief, Johnson is one of the few people unafraid to stand toe to toe with the worst the Covenant has to offer. You need to believe that the guy isn't afraid of anything and Washington can definitely pull it off.
James Earl Jones as the Arbiter
Like I said before, I strongly believe that you shouldn't fix what isn't broken. Keith David has done an amazing job voicing the Arbiter in both Halo 2 and 3 and I think he would do a fantastic job reprising that role on the big screen. For the sake of the casting call, however, James Earl Jones would be outstanding as the Arbiter. And in my dream movie, the Arbiter is partially computer animated, but also a good deal of prosthetics. I don't want this looking like the Phantom Menace.
Terence Stamp as the Prophet of Truth
Terence Stamp is the Prophet of Truth. He voiced the character in the games and he can voice the character in the movie. I'm sure as hell not telling the man who played General Zod in Superman 2 that he can't be in the Halo movie. I don't want my ass thrown into the phantom zone, no thank you.
Lucy Lawless as Commander Miranda Keys
Another Battlestar Galactica veteran, Lawless definitely has what it takes to play the tough-as-nails Commander. Her experience from Xena: Warrior Princess has shown that she's a force to be reckoned with, which is only fitting for the daughter of the late Jacob Keyes. She has the look, accent, and if she were a guy, she'd definitely have the balls.
Geoffrey Pierson as Captain Jacob Keyes
A little bit of an unknown, Geoffrey Pierson is perhaps best known for his short stint on 24 as the President of the United States and his current role on Showtime's Dexter as Captain Tom Matthews. If you've ever seen him in action, you know the man can command authority, which is a must have quality for Captain Keyes.
Who better to voice the disgusting, terrifying personification of the flood than the man who voices Mr. Krabs on Spongebob Squarepants? Seriously though, Clancy Brown is one of the most talented voice actors working today and it would be a treat to hear his deep, scratchy voice rambling off some of the Gravemind's cryptic messages.
Ron Perlman as Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood
Like Terrence Stamp, I couldn't deny Ron Perlman a role he's already mastered. Perlman voices the character and just happens to look pretty damn similar. And if you couldn't tell from his voice, he's a total badass. If you need proof, check out Hellboy, where he plays the titular character.
So there you have it: my perfect Halo movie. Feel free to tell me what you think about my choices or even give some of your own casting ideas in the comments section.
