Troy casting

[marcus]

Not really about Alexander at all, but I thought it was interesting to note some of the casting for Wolfgang Petersen's Troy.Obviously, we know that Brad Pitt is Achilles. Orlando Bloom (Legolas in The Lord of the Rings) will be Paris; Sean Bean will be Odysseus (not great casting, in my view), and Eric Bana will be Hector (he was "Chopper" and is soon to be seen as The Hulk). If I recall correctly, Saffron Burrows is playing Andromache... but the search for Helen still goes on.All the bestMarcus

[Kate]

Hi,I am a fan of Sean Bean's, but I agree with you, Marcus. I picture Odysseus as being quite a bit older than the other heroes of Troy too.Cheers,Kate

[jorgios]

Well no offense to some great actors(especially Sean Bean!) but how about some Mediterranean actors in the cast!?(ok, so Orlando Bloom looks kind of Greek-Trojan).There are plenty of great unknown Italian, Greek, and Spanish Thespians that would die to play one of these parts... and all these Nordic actors just seem strange in the roles to me(no offense to the noble British people of course!) I would really just like to see the casting crew put some more creativity into the casting. anyone agree?

[marcus]

Hi Jorge,You might well be right - and I'm sure none of the Anglo-Saxon contingent will take offence - but of course we don't know who they are casting in various other roles. There are, anyway, a fair number of Mediterranean looking actors even in Hollywood (I'm thinking of people like Antonio Banderas), so they don't necessarily even need to look for 'unknowns' (as in, unknown in the US or UK).If it's any consolation, they do appear to be looking for an actress who looks vaguely Greek/Mediterranean to play Helen...All the bestMarcus

[Thalestris-Alexandros]

I most definetly agree with you Jorgios! Mediterranean/Spanish thespians are consistently overlooked or ignored; money makes ratings...that is what it is all about, therefore, casting is essential for capitalism, and they remain ignored. Poor casting of Sean Bean (he is more of an Idomeneus). Who is the lucky actor casted for Agamemnon? And I will further my fury (since I am demonstrating it here) by throwing my spears of angst and disgust at the casting for the Alexander movies.I feel better now, thank you.Thalestris,Alexander's Amazon Queen

[marcus]

My idea of Odysseus requires him to be less 'rough' than Sean Bean, very obviously a thinker as well as a fighter. Sean would be much better as one of the pure warriors - maybe even Menelaus, perhaps?All the bestMarcus

[Linda]

Although Odysseus was a bit of a rogue, and Sean Bean did play Sharpe, ruthless, herioc, quick-witted. He is not ideal casting, but I htink he could make it work...he didn't show much intelligence as Boromir, but hten the part didn't require that.Linda

[marcus]

Hi Linda,Well, that's true - Boromir didn't really require much 'thought'.Don't get me wrong, I don't really have any objection to Sean Bean playing Odysseus. I'm glad he's in the film. I'd like to see them cast Viggo Mortensen in it, too - actually, I could see him as Odysseus... but maybe it would be too much like a LoTR convention, what with Orlando Bloom in it, too.Aha, just thought - Hugo Weaving should be Odysseus. He could combine that part with playing someone in the Alexander film, too :-)All the bestMarcus

[jan]

I have just finished reading a book called TROY by Adele Geras. Is the screenplay based on this book?It is an excellent book but is written for young adults, and I doubt that it is the source for the movie. However, I recommend it highly for its literary merits and its characterization.I have trouble finding Brad Pitts suitable as an Achilles, but then so what. Box office is what Hollywood movies are about, and which star can draw them in.The book Troy by Geras is simply marvelous in its use of metaphors, and especially, the method she uses for the appearance and disappearance of gods and goddesses.