**Oliver Platt[/p], definitely. PSH is good, but Platt is great at playing abrasive characters and he is a lot closer to how I imagined IJR looking.
I think Wayne Knight would definitely do a decent job. I don’t think I’d like to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, I don’t like the cut of that fellow’s jib for some reason.
Has anyone been cast besides Drew Barrymore? I gather not. I don’t know how the plot of the book justifies her getting a “starring” role, but maybe I’ll be able to deal with it. Holy Toledo! 
Ages:
Wayne Knight: 48
Oliver Platt: 43
Vincent D’Onofrio: 43
Philip Seymour Hoffman: 35
Jack Black: 33
Ignatius J. Reilly: 30
Anybody here see Office Space (1999)? Stephen Root, who played the beyond-nerdy Milton Waddams, would be good as Ignatius, although I don’t know how he would do with long passages of declamatory dialogue, as he mostly mumbles in Office Space.
Stephen Root was also Jimmy James on Newsradio.
I can’t say I’ve thought about it much before, but, now that I’ve read the OP I realize Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the only person in the world to play IJR. That is so fucking perfect.
Well I could almost see Jack Black. But PSH is the better actor.
I don’t see Wayne Knight at all.
Apparently Will Ferrell got the role. Interview from this week’s Onion AV Club:
Drew Barrymore is playing the stripper, Darlene.
I like Cher for Miss Lana, Charlotte Rae for Ms. Trixie, Kelsey Grammer for Levy, Christine Baransky for Mrs. Levy, Lily Tomlin as Santa Bataglia, Joe Pesci as Mancuso, and love either Brenda Blethyn or Carol Burnett for Mrs. Reilly.
The IMDB confirms that Will Ferrell will play Ignatius.
Ugh.
I guess we should be thankful they didn’t cast Adam Sandler, but still. :eek:
Will Farrell!?!?!?!??? Damn, that’s just not right. Well, another good project shat on.
For the record, my first thought when I saw the OP was Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I think I could have been pretty happy with Stephen Root, Vincent d’Onofrio or even Jack Black. Will Farrell… fuck no!
On the bright side, Mos Def looks like he’ll be good as Jones. I’ve liked his acting from what little I’ve seen of him (Monster’s Ball, The Italian Job).
Will Ferrell? Damn. Just damn.
I mean, were they thinking? Did they think about it at all? Damn!
Will Farrell?
God in heaven forgive “the degenerates who produced this abortion”.
On second thought, don’t.
[righteously indignant rant]IGNATIUS IS SUPPOSED TO BE 300 POUNDS! HE’S ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE A GENIUS (TRUE, HE’S A PATHOLOGICALLY LAZY AND DERANGED ONE, BUT A GENIUS NONETHELESS)!!! WILL FARRELL WOULDN’T SEEM SMART IF HE WAS SURROUNDED BY CHICKENS AND HE’S GONNA MUG AT THE CAMERA AND GIVE HIS SAME DUMBASS FARTJOKE QUALITY PERFORMANCE THAT HE GIVES IN EVERYTHING ELSE!!! WHAT THE FCK? WHAT THE FCK WHAT THE F*CK? AAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!! WHAT NEXT- THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN II STARRING DREW BARRYMORE AND FANNIE FLAGG?[/righteously indignant rant]
I like Will Farrell in some things but I just can’t see him as Ignatius. I hope the casting of Farrell is not a signal that they intend to produce a dumbed-down, slapstick version of the story which trades in all the cerebral qualities of the novel for a bunch of fat and fart jokes.
Damn. I really wanted it to be PSH.
Fannie Flagg is actually not a bad actress, IIRC. Maybe not good enough to convince us she’s black, but even Olivier didn’t manage that.
Didn’t even pick the right SNL hack. Horatio Sanz would be decent. Will Ferrell? I’ll stay home and reread the book.
Of all the wonderful actors clamoring for this role, why Farrell? It’s as if they’re targeting people who never read the book, or indeed any book at all, ever.
Hmm. I always saw Oliver Platt in that role. But Soderbergh is an excellent choice for director.
If Will Ferrell does it, I will hunt him down and kill him.
To all the WF bashers, take heart. This movie may never be made. This book has been the project of the damned in Hollywood. You know who was first suggested for the role? John Belushi. John Candy was later proposed for the role. Chris Farley was tapped to play IJR as well. Perhaps Farell should see his doctor soon. There have been numerous scripts written, including one by Stephen Fry. All have come to naught. The book is simply too long and textured to be properly put into movie form.