# Flashman movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311 "2009-05-22T17:17:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![catflea12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@catflea12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catflea12)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/1 "2009-05-22T17:17:30Z")
Do you think a good movie could be made from the Flashman books? And who could play Harry Flashman? A really bad movie of Royal Flash was made in the 1970s, with Roddy McDowell as Flashman, but I’m thinking a really good series of movies could be done. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/2 "2009-05-22T17:41:55Z")
> [@catflea12](#): > > Do you think a good movie could be made from the Flashman books? Sure. Harry _looks_ heroic; perhaps Nathan Fillion. Would you like the films in chronological order? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/3 "2009-05-22T17:56:29Z")
I think they’d make a wonderful series of movies. A big problem would be casting the role of Harry Flashman – perhaps Jonathan Rhys Meyers could carry it off. ---
**Author:** ![catflea12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@catflea12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catflea12)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/4 "2009-05-22T22:10:09Z")
Sure, movies of all the books in order, don’t know who could play a younger Harry Flashman, maybe Alan Richman as an older Harry ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/5 "2009-05-22T22:22:30Z")
> [@catflea12](#): > > Do you think a good movie could be made from the Flashman books? And who could play Harry Flashman? A really bad movie of Royal Flash was made in the 1970s, with Roddy McDowell as Flashman, but I’m thinking a really good series of movies could be done. 🙂 I’m having trouble seeing Roddy McDowell as a convincing Flashman. I liked McDowell as an actor, but Flashy needs to be a big, physicially imposing character - McDowell was too small, I would have thought. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/6 "2009-05-22T22:53:14Z")
That’s the problem with Nathan Fillion, too. I think he could pull off the characterization just fine, but a lot of the plots tend to key on Harry being big and bluff. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/7 "2009-05-22T23:02:20Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I’m having trouble seeing Roddy McDowell as a convincing Flashman. I liked McDowell as an actor, but Flashy needs to be a big, physicially imposing character - McDowell was too small, I would have thought. It wasn’t Roddy. It was [Malcolm](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073639/). [Armie Hammer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2309517/) has played Flashman-type roles, like one of the Devil’s sons in Reaper. If he could pull off a rakish yet distinguished British accent, he might do. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/8 "2009-05-22T23:11:30Z")
I’m not sure that’s an improvement. Malcolm always strikes me as creepy in every role he plays… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/9 "2009-05-22T23:31:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I’m not sure that’s an improvement. Malcolm always strikes me as creepy in every role he plays… I’ve not seen it, but I’ve been given to understand that it was mostly comedy gags. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/10 "2009-05-23T06:32:06Z")
I’d love a good Flashman series of movies, but they’d probably ruin it by trying to tone down what a terrible person Flashman is. He’s not gruff, but lovable, he really is a little shit and that’s why we love him. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/11 "2009-05-23T12:54:19Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’d love a good Flashman series of movies, but they’d probably ruin it by trying to tone down what a terrible person Flashman is. He’s not gruff, but lovable, he really is a little shit and that’s why we love him. Totally agree Flash was an interesting character NOT because he was a lovable rogue but because he was a genuine moral vacum plus a true coward. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/12 "2009-05-23T13:28:51Z")
Flashman? Gotta go with Daniel Day-Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/13 "2009-05-23T13:44:06Z")
Daniel Day- Lewis is a little old, don’t you think? The first Flashman book starts with the hero being expelled from school at age 17. He’s still only 20 at the book’s end. Flashman is in some ways a cowardly James Bond, so my first thought was Clive Owen, but he’s probably too old as well. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/14 "2009-05-23T14:18:38Z")
They don’t need to be in chronological order. I’d rather see Lewis as an older Flashman than some pretty boy who was utterly unsuited to the role as a younger Flashman. Right now I really don’t think there’s any younger actor who even remotely has the combination of looks, charisma and acting ability to pull off that character. Daniel Day-Lewis has sort of an ageless look to him anyway; when I see him I don’t think “he’s old.” I don’t think Clive Owen would work; his face just isn’t right. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/15 "2009-05-23T14:21:34Z")
I read an interview with George MacDonald Fraser where he endorsed Daniel Day-Lewis (though he did note the age problem). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashman-movie/497311/16 "2009-05-23T14:49:24Z")
James McEvoy, or (in a few years) Tom “Draco Malfoy” Felton