# Who will they get to play Mitchum? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476 "2003-06-21T21:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/1 "2003-06-21T21:09:05Z")
Of all the actors working today, if/when they decide to make a bio movie of Robert Michum’s life and career, who can they possibly get to play him? Another thread mentions Renee Zellweger for Janis Joplin. Sherilyn Fenn did Elizabeth Taylor. And so on. If you feel up to it, think about these others: Gregory Peck James Stewart Alec Guinness Robert Stack or anybody else (dead or alive) who seems to have a unique style and persona. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/2 "2003-06-21T21:14:30Z")
That’s tough casting, **Zeldar** like John Wayne, he was “larger than life”. I think maybe Liam Neeson… The rest of your names I’ll have to give some thought to. Good thread. 😃 Q ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/3 "2003-06-21T21:15:54Z")
Um, there should be a period after Zeldar up there. And a capital L following the period. Didn’t mean to imply that **Z** was like John Wayne! :D:D:D Q ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/4 "2003-06-21T21:17:44Z")
Good call, Q, and there should be a “t” in Mitchum in the OP. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/5 "2003-06-21T21:19:47Z")
Jimmy Stewart - Ed Norton Alex Guiness - Ewan McGregor (Who should also star as Kurt Cobain, see him in Velvet Goldmine). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/6 "2003-06-21T21:20:20Z")
BTW, in the remake of “Ocean’s Elevel” did you notice that the only Rat Pack member they even tried to reproduce (hint at?) was Sammy Davis, Jr.? Cheadle played him in the movie that had Ray Liotta as Frank and Joe Mantegna as Dino. Cheadle is cool! ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/7 "2003-06-21T21:58:31Z")
George Clooney might play Robert Mitchum. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/8 "2003-06-22T14:22:15Z")
But Clooney’s voice is all wrong for Mitchum. He has the same kind of presence but doesn’t make me think of Mitchum at all. The Liam Neeson suggestion is in the ballpark. Val Kilmer might work if he can get the voice down. Alan Cumming might make a good Alec Guinness. Can Kevin Spacey do British accents? Kurt Russell might be able to pull off a good Robert Stack. Peck was one of a kind though, IMO. But who could play: Paul Newman Burt Lancaster Sidney Poitier Jack Palance Toshiro Mifune Klaus Kinski or Jackie Gleason - I heard Brad Garrett played him in a TV movie not too long ago. I heard he was terrible also. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/9 "2003-06-22T17:23:59Z")
I liked **Nathan Lane** as Gleason, myself. Q ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/10 "2003-06-22T17:28:20Z")
Marlon Brando? ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/11 "2003-06-22T18:16:51Z")
I think Harvel Keitel as Mitchum. Similar powerful, brooding quality. Or maybe Brian Cox a few years ago. De Niro has the right sort of presence to play Mitchum, although he did a mediocre job in the Cape Fear remake. Guy Pierce as Gregory Peck, based largely on L.A. Confidential. Courtney Love as Joan Crawford. Vin Diesel as Victor Mature? And Hank Azaria as Cary Grant 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/12 "2003-06-22T19:18:00Z")
Hey, folks, these are better than I had hoped for! Especially Vin Diesel as Victor Mature. So far, for Mitchum we have: George Clooney Liam Neeson Val Kilmer Harvey Keitel Robert DeNiro Keep 'em coming! ---
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/13 "2003-06-22T21:47:27Z")
You are going to hate me… Billy Bob Thornton. No, I’m not on drugs. He really reminded me of Mitchum in ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’, I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the movie was filmed in black & white. Also his face, like Mitchum, has a lot of character. Gregory Peck should be played by Jude Law, just dye his hair black. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/14 "2003-06-22T21:57:02Z")
Hüsker Düde I love the idea of Billy Bob. Looks are way less a factor than the underlying je ne sais quoi that Mitchum and Thornton share. TMWWT could even have been as much a tribute to Mitchum as it was to film noir. for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/15 "2003-06-23T15:52:54Z")
The more I think about it, Hüsker Düde, the more I think Billy Bob would have some trouble with the more physically imposing aspect that Mitchum had. Given that Mitchum was unique, and that any actor would be compromising on some portion of the role, I’ve been considering these as at least worthy of a shot at whatever script might be developed: Chris Cooper Michael Madsen Stacy Keach Randy Quaid Andy Garcia Powers Boothe Then there are some of those actors who’ve never had the opportunity for a major role since they’re usually so good in supporting parts. It’s just possible that we’d have to look in that sector for the right guy. Rhum Runner, when I saw the Edward James Olmos movie “Caught” I thought that Arie Verveen (played Nick) was a lot like the early Brando. And if he weren’t so close to the same age, and would have trouble with the younger period, Don Stroud always struck me as at least physically similar to Brando. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/16 "2010-03-14T06:50:24Z")
Zombie Alert! But since the role has yet to be cast, as far as I know, and no revivals of movies he was in (again as far as I know) since this was asked seven years ago, I wonder how the passing years may have affected our views. One name to appear as a possibility would be Javier Bardem. Both he and his lookalike [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0604747/) have strong enough physical similarities, and with Javier’s work in [No Country for Old Men (2007)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477348/) I could see the menacing aspect as well. Another candidate for the Victor Mature role would be [Chris Noth](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636562/). Who else has arrived or become more prominent for these old guys’ portrayals in the seven years? Who else needs to have himself or herself considered powerful enough to be looking for a new face to “do” him or her? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/17 "2010-03-14T07:26:48Z")
Russell Crowe could do a credible Robert Mitchum. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/18 "2010-03-14T07:29:54Z")
Sean Penn seems capable of playing portraying anyone. He was unrecognizable in Carlito’s Way. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/19 "2010-03-14T07:32:34Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Russell Crowe could do a credible Robert Mitchum. That’s what I came to post. If _LA Confidential_ had been made in the 50s, Mitchum would have been cast as Bud White. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476/20 "2010-03-14T08:30:42Z")
Russell Crowe would be great. But I’d also screen test Keifer Sutherland. Yeah, he’s not as physically imposing as Mitchum, but he does do that “who gives a fuck” vibe just right. If he’s busy, try Kevin Bacon. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-they-get-to-play-mitchum/183476.md?page=2)