Casting Call: Indiana Jones

While all of the attention has been focused on the new Star Wars movie, Disney has been quietly developing a new Indiana Jones.  Now, the rumor going around is that they have been thinking about rebooting recasting the character rather than bring in Harrison Ford.

Now I am not as opposed to this idea as you might think.  Don't get me wrong, Ford's Indiana Jones is an icon.  But remember that Indiana Jones was originally thought of as an American James Bond.  And Bond has been played by many different actors over the years to varying degrees of success.  THe same could be done with Indiana Jones.

So far, the rumor is that Disney has approached Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen of Twilight) for the role.  I have nothing against him, He is a fine actor.  But I don't see him as a good fit for the part.  First of all, he seems a bit young for the part.  He is only 28 and Ford was 39 when he donned the fedora.

Indiana Jones is part is a character that requires both drama, action, and comedy.  Think about all that Ford was able to do with the character in the first sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark.  He was strong and dangerous the first time you see his face.  He was was a man of action in the temple.  And he made us laugh as he ran for his life.  He was all of those things because Indiana Jones is all of those things.  He also has to be able to show the maturity and intelligence of a college professor.

Whoever succeeds Ford needs to have those qualities.

I have listed below some choices.  Some lean towards the more actiony, some towards the dramatic, and some go towards the comedic.  I admit that there a number of choices outside the box, so be sure to vote for your favorite.



Greg Kinnear

photo by Angel Schatz

After watching Heaven is for Real, I am reminded what a good actor Kinnear is.  He also demonstrated a strong, world-weary grace in the role.  He can also match the comedic needs of the part.  The one thing that is a question mark is the action element.  Would he believable as the ultimate adventurer?


Joel McHale

photo by Gage Skidmore

This is a dark horse candidate.  McHale definitely has the comedic chops and he has proven over again that he can work believably as an action man on episodes of Community.  But he has never really tackled the deep dramatic nature that would be essential to the part.  But I think he is definitely capable if given the right director.

Josh Holloway

photo by Kristin Dos Santos

I've recently been rewatching Lost and Holloway did an amazing job as Sawyer.  He captured Indy's devil-may-care attitude along with a manly swagger.  He did a lot of very unlikeable things in that first season and yet he used his strong charisma to draw the audience in.


Chris Hemsworth

photo by Melinda Seckington

The youngest choice, Hemsworth showed a maturity beyond his age in Snow White and the Huntsman, as an action man beaten down by life.  He balances good dramatic and humorous elements as Thor as well.

Aaron Eckhart

photo by Gage Skidmore

He is the one who is closest to Ford in look and personality.  He is a fantastic actor who has enough gravitas to command the attention Indy does as an adventurer and as a professor.



Nate Fillion

photo by Gage Skidmore

Fillion has a strong background in action, comedy, and drama.  He displayed all of the classic Indiana Jones traits as Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly.  This is especially true in the movie Serenity, where like Indy, he fought hard while mostly getting his butt kicked.  He also comes off as the lovable rogue.

Thoughts?

Be sure to vote on the poll in the right column.  If you vote for "Other," be sure to put your choice in the comments section below.