# Discworld Casting Call **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620 "2002-08-19T17:24:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/21 "2002-08-21T14:03:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparrow \* > \*\* > > I thought of Wilfred Brambell too, but for Albert (Death’s assistant) not Nobby. I think he’d be too old to be Nobby. > > \*\* That’s perfect. Shergar for death’s horse. Jimmy Edwards for the Dean Bernard Bresslaw for Sergeant Colon. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/22 "2002-08-21T14:09:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparrow \* > \*\* > > I thought of Wilfred Brambell too, but for Albert (Death’s assistant) not Nobby. I think he’d be too old to be Nobby. > > \*\* That’s perfect. Shergar for death’s horse. Jimmy Edwards for the Dean Bernard Bresslaw for Sergeant Colon. ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/23 "2002-08-21T14:43:59Z")
Anybody who suggests that Gaspode should be done by the same people who did the CGI Scooby-Doo will be flogged unmercifully. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/24 "2002-08-21T14:44:40Z")
so that’s what happens if you push that button three times. sorry. Is there a more flakey site on the web, anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/25 "2002-08-21T14:49:44Z")
so that’s what happens if you push that button three times. sorry. Is there a more flakey site on the web, anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/26 "2002-08-21T15:31:19Z")
**Granny Weatherwax** : Rhea Pearlman (I changed my mind. Betty is out.) **Angua** : Helen Baxendale ( **owlstretchingtime** , you can call up anyone you want for any role. Living or dead, it doesn’t matter- we have some wicked-good CGI at our disposal. But they do NOT have to be British. (My thread, my rules.)) ---
**Author:** ![Alto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Alto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alto)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/27 "2002-08-21T16:03:20Z")
Maybe you know this already, but the Bugarup University Student’s Guild has been playing this game for a while. They’ve also got a poll about which book you’d like to see made into a move. They’re at [http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/4108/discworld\_the\_movie.htm](http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/4108/discworld_the_movie.htm) I can never come up with any good actors, but I see the suggestions here and think, “of course.” I particularly love James Earl Jones for Death. He reminds me of a description I once saw of Paul Plishka singing Wotan: “The only man who can walk onto the stage, open his mouth, and convince you he’s God.” ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/28 "2002-08-21T17:27:47Z")
Brian Blessed IS Ridcully. no arguments. big, beardy, robust, late sixties, it’s all there. for me the patrician was always more Ian Richardson in House of Cards. Rickman seems too young. has anyone considered Hyacinth Bucket as Mrs Vimes? obviously i mean same actress, different character. Brendan Frasier works well as Carrot, and i like Lucy Lawless as Angua. what about Kirk Douglas, Paul Newman or Charlton Heston as Cohen? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/29 "2002-08-21T18:05:47Z")
I devoted much thought to this subject late last night, suffering from one of my frequent bouts of insomnia. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlstretchingtime \* > \*\* > Corporal CArrot: Ewan McGregor > \*\* Thank you, **owl**! I guess I can see where people are coming from with Brendan Fraser and Paul Gross, but to my mind Ewan is the _only_ choice here. Of course, this immediately brings to mind the image of John Leguizamo on his knees as Nobby. I’m not sure if that is good or bad thing. However, I _am_ sure that if Hollywood ever got its hands on this project they’d try to get Verne Troyer (Mini-Me). My first choices for Granny Weatherwax would be Anne Bancroft or Maggie Smith, but I could also see Vanessa Redgrave, Angelica Huston, or Glen Close in that role. Judy Cornwell (Daisy on _Keeping Up Appearances_) is the only actress I can think of who comes close to matching my mental image of Nanny Ogg. Jane Horrocks is good as Magrat, but I think Toni Collette could also do it. Maybe Kathy Najimy as Lady Sibyl? Guy Pearce would probably be a great Vimes someday, but he’s far too young right now. The younger female characters are more difficult. A decade ago I might have suggested Winona Ryder for Susan Sto Helit, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe Thora Birch? I can’t really think of any young actress who could do the role justice. I also can’t think of any young actress big enough to play Agnes Nitt. Might have to go with a talented unknown there. Comb the voice schools! Angua is perhaps the trickiest of all. She must be stunningly beautiful, tough, intelligent, slightly insecure, and clearly capable of ripping out a man’s throat. Lucy Lawless does seem the obvious choice, but she doesn’t quite fit my mental picture. I could buy Angelina Jolie as a vicious werewolf, but she’s too nutty/slutty for Angua. Angela Bassett would be perfect, except that it is important to the character that Angua be a strapping Teutonic blonde. Maybe a CGI of a young Nico as acted by Angela Basset? But I fear now I am just getting weird. Hmmm…perhaps Hilary Swank? She hasn’t quite got the look, but the right hair and makeup might get her there. ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/30 "2002-08-21T20:28:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlstretchingtime \* > \*\* > Shergar for death’s horse. > > \*\* Nah, Binky’s gotta be Desert Orchid! ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/31 "2002-08-21T20:30:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamia \* > \*\*I > Angua is perhaps the trickiest of all. She must be stunningly beautiful, tough, intelligent, slightly insecure, and clearly capable of ripping out a man’s throat. Lucy Lawless does seem the obvious choice, but she doesn’t quite fit my mental picture. I could buy Angelina Jolie as a vicious werewolf, but she’s too nutty/slutty for Angua. Angela Bassett would be perfect, except that it is important to the character that Angua be a strapping Teutonic blonde. Maybe a CGI of a young Nico as acted by Angela Basset? But I fear now I am just getting weird. Hmmm…perhaps Hilary Swank? She hasn’t quite got the look, but the right hair and makeup might get her there. \*\* What about the blonde actress who played Xena’s enemy (Callisto?) in the series? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/32 "2002-08-21T22:37:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparrow \* > \*\* > > What about the blonde actress who played Xena’s enemy (Callisto?) in the series? \*\* Too skinny, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![lucie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@lucie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucie)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/33 "2002-08-21T22:59:37Z")
I guess I have a very different picture of Vimes in my mind. I can’t see him played by anyone but Pete Postlethwaite. Second for Kathy Najimy as Sybil Tony Robinson (Baldrick) as Nobby Thora Birch as Miss Susan Robbie Coltrane as Sgt Colon Emma Chambers (Alice on “The Vicar of Dibley”) as Magrat Miranda Otto as Angua Max Von Sydow as the Patrician ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/34 "2002-08-22T00:21:16Z")
Who’s gonna be Cherry Littlebottom? John Rhys-Davies with lipstick and a chain-mail skirt? ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/35 "2002-08-22T02:15:31Z")
Well, there goes my appetite… ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/36 "2002-08-22T07:19:14Z")
This thread is really fun. I’ll second Brian Blessed as Mustrum, but also think that [John Rhys-Davies](http://us.imdb.com/EGallery?source=granitz&group=1284&photo=JohnRhysDavies_Granitz_298983_400.jpg&path=pgallery&path_key=Rhys-Davies,+John) might be a good choice. I have a new nomination for Rincewind. Check out [this photo](http://us.imdb.com/EGallery?source=ss&group=0219822&photo=humannature_still06.jpg&path=pgallery&path_key=Ifans,+Rhys) of Rhys Ifans. Actually, if Jennifer Anniston put on a few pounds, I can see her as Angua. Emma Thompson is a bit too old for Susan, but would’ve been good when younger. How about Kirsten Dunst? I want to repeat thet Connery **IS DEATH**. He’s not only supposed to have a dark voice, but also trying to be a ‘people person’. And I don’t want to be done by CGI! ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/37 "2002-08-22T17:17:14Z")
Michael Caine _has_to be a wizard. I don’t know which one. I don’t _care_which one. He just has to be a Discworld wizard. Sort of an anti-Dumbledor. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/38 "2002-08-24T14:10:18Z")
I was going to suggest Julia Stiles for Susan. D.J. Qualls (the lead kid from _The New Guy_) as Nobbs. John Hurt or Jeremy Irons as Mr. Teatime. Michael Palin as the zombie lawyer (can’t remember his name right off). Terry Jones as Cherry Littlebottom. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/39 "2002-08-25T04:08:23Z")
People, people, people, many of you have named the right actor with the wrong role. Re-read Cohen the Barbarian’s lines and the way they’re written (including the shlight lishp)…Cohen is Sean Connery. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620/40 "2002-08-26T04:00:44Z")
Doesn’t Cohen lisp because of the diamond teeth he had put in? Lots of credible actors can pull that off. Besides Connery would be distracting in a Discworld film, so large a star playing a secondary role, other than a cameo. Just can’t see Connery as Cohen, I still say Lance Henriksen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-casting-call/124620.md?page=3)