If there was just 1 Star Wars prequel, who would you cast as Anakin?
- Thread starter The Wook
- Start date
I've always said that pre-Vader Anakin would have been a tough,smart,smooth person and have a way with words and could get people on his side easily not a bad guy but someone who walks the line between good and evil.
Have him start out with noble intentions but get slowly more and more violent and hateful,I'd also say let Padme die in the second film and have three be Anakin just going off the deep end,become Vader and do a whole lot of slaughter.
I also think the way he looked by ROJ should have been more gradual and less "oh,that was because Obi almost killed him" been better if Obi hacked off an arm and ran him through with a saber then...after he thinks he's dead and walked off have Anakin come staggering out,alive and pissed.
I actually thought Hayden was a good choice and it was more Lucas's fault since he was the one calling the shots,he basically tried to make him a copy of Hamil as Luke and that just didn't work out so well.
Some may freak out but I'd think Christian Bale would have been a downright perfect Anakin if they let him cut loose like in American Psycho.
Have him start out with noble intentions but get slowly more and more violent and hateful,I'd also say let Padme die in the second film and have three be Anakin just going off the deep end,become Vader and do a whole lot of slaughter.
I also think the way he looked by ROJ should have been more gradual and less "oh,that was because Obi almost killed him" been better if Obi hacked off an arm and ran him through with a saber then...after he thinks he's dead and walked off have Anakin come staggering out,alive and pissed.
I actually thought Hayden was a good choice and it was more Lucas's fault since he was the one calling the shots,he basically tried to make him a copy of Hamil as Luke and that just didn't work out so well.
Some may freak out but I'd think Christian Bale would have been a downright perfect Anakin if they let him cut loose like in American Psycho.
I think Hayden was a good pick. The script was out of his hands and not his fault. I know too many people who don't like Natalie Portman "because of Star Wars" and I have to keep explaining it wasn't her fault the script was subpar. She's done plenty of amazing, acclaimed performances in other films (The Professional, V for Vendetta, Garden State).
If we were to pick someone else to cast now, as opposed to back then in 98, I'd say Bradley James (he played Prince/King Arthur on BBC's Merlin). He's not a huge buff guy, built more lean like a soccer player, but plays a good suave, cocky punk that I pictured a young star pilot would be.
View attachment 342575
Another good choice might be Stephen Amell (though he's doing this really successful tv thing about archery and leaping about on rooftops, so he probably wouldn't have the time
)
If we were to pick someone else to cast now, as opposed to back then in 98, I'd say Bradley James (he played Prince/King Arthur on BBC's Merlin). He's not a huge buff guy, built more lean like a soccer player, but plays a good suave, cocky punk that I pictured a young star pilot would be.
View attachment 342575
Another good choice might be Stephen Amell (though he's doing this really successful tv thing about archery and leaping about on rooftops, so he probably wouldn't have the time
)
Solo4114
Master Member
Soooo as long as we're resurrecting this ol' thing, here's my more serious answer.
I have no idea who'd be well cast, but I think the look would have to be less pretty-boy and more capable of looking grizzled. To me, the actor wasn't the real problem. Rather, it was the story as a whole.
The way I'd restructure things is to have a trilogy (not a single prequel film), but have it be entirely about the Clone Wars and their immediate aftermath. Maybe make the first film and a half be about nothing but the Clone Wars with Anakin being discovered as an ADULT hotshot pilot who joins the Jedi order (in this version, "padawans" aren't required to be 5-year-olds). The large-scale destruction of the war and the dithering of the Galactic Senate would ultimately lead Anakin to decide that the only way to save the galaxy from itself would be to impose strong, imperial rule, using ruthless control and even brutality to achieve peace. Basically, peace by ANY. MEANS. NECESSARY.
Other things that I might play with...
- The clones are the antagonists, not the Republic's troopers. They're a labor force that rose up a la the various Servile Wars in the old Roman Republic.
- The clones would be a mixed bag. You'd sympathize with them, but they'd also be fighting with as much brutality as possible to force the Republic to come to terms. They'd have basically been little more than slaves, and would use any means available to fight back.
- The Republic would ultimately decide that all clones must be exterminated and cloning itself would be absolutely outlawed. Droids would be seen as a better option because they'd be more controllable due to programming. Not everyone would believe this, though, which would explain some of the anti-droid sentiment, as well as some of the more restrictive attitudes towards droids that we see in the Star Wars films.
- The Jedi would start out supporting the Republic, but would eventually reject the decision of total extermination, believing it to be antithetical to the light side of the Force. It would be this decision that would result in them being labeled outlaws and traitors. The process of their extermination would be underway by the middle of the 2nd film as the war wraps up and the Empire takes control. The third film would showcase the rise of the Rebellion.
- The Emperor would be a talented politician who would take advantage of the situation and enhance his abilities through his mastery of the Dark Forces of the Sith. He would ultimately turn Anakin to his cause. Anakin would see in the Emperor a path to permanent peace, and so would sign on with him. The Emperor would simply want total power for its own sake but would be happy to use Anakin as long as he could.
- Re: Anakin's wife, she'd be with him by the 2nd film after the war, but would escape while pregnant for fear that her child (it's unknown she's having twins) grow up in an environment where Jedi were hunted. Her death in childbirth would be faked, and she'd move to Alderaan where she'd work in the Organa household until Leia was appx. 2-3 years old, at which point she'd die and Bail Organa would adopt Leia as an otherwise unnamed "war orphan" who would be raised as an emissary of peace. This would be a political act of the ruling house of Alderaan, but would explain why Leia remembers "her real mother."
- Luke's "uncle" would have actually been one of Anakin's friends growing up. Anakin left Tatooine to join the war and never came back. Owen always thought this was stupid, since the war didn't have anything to do with a planet like Tatooine where nobody was wealthy enough to use clones except the Hutt crime bosses and their associates.
Basically, Anakin's motivation would be to prevent the kind of war that happened with the Clone Wars from ever happening again. He'd hate the dickering of the Senate and the slowness of representative politics. He'd recognize that he's doing villainous things, but believe he's doing them for an ultimately good purpose, and become a very "end justifies the means" kind of warrior. He'd still be conflicted about this, though, and hate himself for doing it. Ultimately, that'd be what Luke senses in the OT and uses to turn him back from the Dark Side. Anakin would view himself as a monster, but believe that it's necessary for him to be one to save the galaxy. Luke would show him that he's wrong.
There'd be no Jar Jar, no midichlorians, no prophecies about chosen whosits, no "roger roger what's our vector, Victor?" droids, etc.
I have no idea who'd be well cast, but I think the look would have to be less pretty-boy and more capable of looking grizzled. To me, the actor wasn't the real problem. Rather, it was the story as a whole.
The way I'd restructure things is to have a trilogy (not a single prequel film), but have it be entirely about the Clone Wars and their immediate aftermath. Maybe make the first film and a half be about nothing but the Clone Wars with Anakin being discovered as an ADULT hotshot pilot who joins the Jedi order (in this version, "padawans" aren't required to be 5-year-olds). The large-scale destruction of the war and the dithering of the Galactic Senate would ultimately lead Anakin to decide that the only way to save the galaxy from itself would be to impose strong, imperial rule, using ruthless control and even brutality to achieve peace. Basically, peace by ANY. MEANS. NECESSARY.
Other things that I might play with...
- The clones are the antagonists, not the Republic's troopers. They're a labor force that rose up a la the various Servile Wars in the old Roman Republic.
- The clones would be a mixed bag. You'd sympathize with them, but they'd also be fighting with as much brutality as possible to force the Republic to come to terms. They'd have basically been little more than slaves, and would use any means available to fight back.
- The Republic would ultimately decide that all clones must be exterminated and cloning itself would be absolutely outlawed. Droids would be seen as a better option because they'd be more controllable due to programming. Not everyone would believe this, though, which would explain some of the anti-droid sentiment, as well as some of the more restrictive attitudes towards droids that we see in the Star Wars films.
- The Jedi would start out supporting the Republic, but would eventually reject the decision of total extermination, believing it to be antithetical to the light side of the Force. It would be this decision that would result in them being labeled outlaws and traitors. The process of their extermination would be underway by the middle of the 2nd film as the war wraps up and the Empire takes control. The third film would showcase the rise of the Rebellion.
- The Emperor would be a talented politician who would take advantage of the situation and enhance his abilities through his mastery of the Dark Forces of the Sith. He would ultimately turn Anakin to his cause. Anakin would see in the Emperor a path to permanent peace, and so would sign on with him. The Emperor would simply want total power for its own sake but would be happy to use Anakin as long as he could.
- Re: Anakin's wife, she'd be with him by the 2nd film after the war, but would escape while pregnant for fear that her child (it's unknown she's having twins) grow up in an environment where Jedi were hunted. Her death in childbirth would be faked, and she'd move to Alderaan where she'd work in the Organa household until Leia was appx. 2-3 years old, at which point she'd die and Bail Organa would adopt Leia as an otherwise unnamed "war orphan" who would be raised as an emissary of peace. This would be a political act of the ruling house of Alderaan, but would explain why Leia remembers "her real mother."
- Luke's "uncle" would have actually been one of Anakin's friends growing up. Anakin left Tatooine to join the war and never came back. Owen always thought this was stupid, since the war didn't have anything to do with a planet like Tatooine where nobody was wealthy enough to use clones except the Hutt crime bosses and their associates.
Basically, Anakin's motivation would be to prevent the kind of war that happened with the Clone Wars from ever happening again. He'd hate the dickering of the Senate and the slowness of representative politics. He'd recognize that he's doing villainous things, but believe he's doing them for an ultimately good purpose, and become a very "end justifies the means" kind of warrior. He'd still be conflicted about this, though, and hate himself for doing it. Ultimately, that'd be what Luke senses in the OT and uses to turn him back from the Dark Side. Anakin would view himself as a monster, but believe that it's necessary for him to be one to save the galaxy. Luke would show him that he's wrong.
There'd be no Jar Jar, no midichlorians, no prophecies about chosen whosits, no "roger roger what's our vector, Victor?" droids, etc.
CSMacLaren
Sr Member
James Franco looks a teensy bit like Hayden, but James has many more layers in his acting ability.
In "Homefront" he was downright freaky.
In "Homefront" he was downright freaky.
Wolfsburg
Master Member
Whoa, I really like this. Would've been worlds better. I personally would've been fine if the PT already started out with Anakin as an adolescent training under a 40ish Obi-wan, his good friend and mentor. I don't consider it that important knowing how Anakin was discovered or where he came from. Just leave it ambiguous. I'm not sure who I would specifically choose but I kinda pictured an affable British actor, perhaps with a bigger build.
rodneyfaile
Sr Member
I clipped this for size, but I agree with the whole post as well. This plus the youtube video if Episode 1 & 2 didnt suck (I think theyre still working on 3), are kind of the basis for my assertion that keeping it all secret does have the advantage of surprise twists, but it also means they miss out on possible input like this.
Part of me still secretly hopes that Disney one day decides that they want to build a real life version of Scrooge McDuck's money vault to swim in and to raise the $$ they remake the prequels entirely. Probably wont happen anytime soon, but I can dream.
When they invent a memory machine that could transport me back to 1977 and relive the experience of going to the Coronet Theater in San Francisco and watching Star Wars for the first time with my 11 year old eyes that will be the greatest SW experience of all.
evilchiken469
Member
personally i dont think hayden was to bad i blame the script more than anything specifically in episode III dude held a strong presence when he was on screen not saying anything. its been along time since ive watched the prequels and i really cant remember the second one as i still think its worse than episode I, but from what i remember of Hayden in episode III i thought he was pretty good. Then again i am also only 18 and was growing up as the prequels came out so i never had the chance to only be familiar with the orignal trilogy, i mean my oldest memory is from going to see episode I with my dad on opening night.
Not really on topic here, but reading through these reminded me of how I THOUGHT this was all going to go.
The idea was that you would watch these in order... so I was really surprised (but not from a money stand point) that they had Vader in Ep 3.
The best they could have done is have Obi Wan leave Anakin dying, burnt up and limbless on that planet... screaming away.... lava licking at him as it did (at no point would Palpatine dub him Darth Vader)
then the rest of the movie plays like it did... But no Anakin being picked up and Vader-ised.
So if you're watching in order, episode 4 starts up and you see "Darth Vader"... the new apprentice. Since we've been introduced to other apprentices without back story, this wouldn't read as weird.
Then you see Ben flat out lie about killing Anakin, and blaming it on this new Sith Lord.
Then it STILL can be a surprise in Empire with the whole "I am your father" bit.
This just seemed like common sense from a story sense... but nope. Didn't happen.
In factto keep interest in the prequel releases, I would have done them in reverse order...
Episode 3, 2, 1,
Have every episode wondering how you got there.
If in 3 you had a young Anakin bitterly fighting with Obiwan, leading to a dismembering, you would have to wait til episode 2 to see how they got there.
It would just be mystery's revealed in reverse.
Okay blah blah... now I'm just typing out my ass cuz I'm bored. Back to work. heh.
The idea was that you would watch these in order... so I was really surprised (but not from a money stand point) that they had Vader in Ep 3.
The best they could have done is have Obi Wan leave Anakin dying, burnt up and limbless on that planet... screaming away.... lava licking at him as it did (at no point would Palpatine dub him Darth Vader)
then the rest of the movie plays like it did... But no Anakin being picked up and Vader-ised.
So if you're watching in order, episode 4 starts up and you see "Darth Vader"... the new apprentice. Since we've been introduced to other apprentices without back story, this wouldn't read as weird.
Then you see Ben flat out lie about killing Anakin, and blaming it on this new Sith Lord.
Then it STILL can be a surprise in Empire with the whole "I am your father" bit.
This just seemed like common sense from a story sense... but nope. Didn't happen.
In factto keep interest in the prequel releases, I would have done them in reverse order...
Episode 3, 2, 1,
Have every episode wondering how you got there.
If in 3 you had a young Anakin bitterly fighting with Obiwan, leading to a dismembering, you would have to wait til episode 2 to see how they got there.
It would just be mystery's revealed in reverse.
Okay blah blah... now I'm just typing out my ass cuz I'm bored. Back to work. heh.
Solo4114
Master Member
And, as such, was a mistake and entirely unnecessary. The original Star Wars did just fine and gave little boys and girls plenty to enjoy. Pandering is unnecessary. Just tell a solid story.
Axlotl
Master Member
I liked everything you posted, Solo, except this.
Even as a kid I believed that Uncle Owen knew far more than he let on.
I believe he was a soldier in the Clone Wars, and fought alongside Obi Wan and Anakin.
(I still prefer my childhood imaginings to the prequels - I pretend the prequels never happened)
Solo4114
Master Member
I'm with you on that, and I actually like that a lot better than what I came up with! Hope you don't mind if I steal it and incorporate it into my "mental Prequels".
--EDIT--
Although, there's the issue of "He didn't hold with your father's ideals. Thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved." Unless Obi-Wan is lying about that, you end up having to come up with something a bit more complicated to explain away Owen's attitudes. Now, maybe that's as simple as "We should've stayed home" after the war, or maybe it's something like Owen fights with them initially and then quits when he sees the direction the war is taking, but either way, you have to deal with it.
Laspector
Master Member
I would have to imagine that when Obi Wan dropped off Luke to Owen and Beru he must have told them about Annakin's downfall. I would feel that, in a way, Obi Wan felt responsible for Annakin's turn to the dark side and maybe expressed these feelings to Owen, who following that, blamed Obi Wan also. And perhaps he had already seem the pain that Shmi had gone through in the fact that she basically abandoned her son, turning him over to the Jedi. Regardless of the situation I think any loving mother would feel the same pain and grief of losing a child.
Between all this and the Tusken situation Owen realized that the guy was just plain no good. And since the general consensus of the population then regarded the Jedi as corrupt, he just did not want to have anything to do with them, especially Obi Wan--feeling he would do to Luke the same as he did to Annakin.
His basic philosophy being that anytime Jedi come around, bad things happen to people.
I mean if you think about it, Owen never really even knew Annakin. He had just heard about him through Shmi, then this guy shows up, kills a bunch of Sandpeople, and then goes off to almost destroy the galaxy. Probably the only reason he accepted Luke was out of respect for Shmi. It had nothing to do with any kind of love for Annakin.
Between all this and the Tusken situation Owen realized that the guy was just plain no good. And since the general consensus of the population then regarded the Jedi as corrupt, he just did not want to have anything to do with them, especially Obi Wan--feeling he would do to Luke the same as he did to Annakin.
His basic philosophy being that anytime Jedi come around, bad things happen to people.
I mean if you think about it, Owen never really even knew Annakin. He had just heard about him through Shmi, then this guy shows up, kills a bunch of Sandpeople, and then goes off to almost destroy the galaxy. Probably the only reason he accepted Luke was out of respect for Shmi. It had nothing to do with any kind of love for Annakin.
Jaitea
Master Member
I think Ian McCaig had Ralph Fiennes in mind for the concept drawings for TPM......although for Obi Wan,....he would have been an excellent Anakin,......
Obi Wan could have met him when he was already a great pilot (benefiting with the help of the Force), he could have been street savvy, a bit like Han Solo, cocky & sarcastic......could have brought a bit of humour to the film.....no need for a comedy character thrown in.
J
Obi Wan could have met him when he was already a great pilot (benefiting with the help of the Force), he could have been street savvy, a bit like Han Solo, cocky & sarcastic......could have brought a bit of humour to the film.....no need for a comedy character thrown in.
J
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