CASTING CREW: a galaxy far, far away

Gosh, I forgot how much doing these posts are!  Sure, I'm called out on my occasional blasphemy for my remake or casting choices, but here's a behind-the-scenes Hollywood type flick I'm giving the Casting Crew treatment to.  Behind the scenes of the filming of Star Wars, from the butting heads of young director George Lucas and cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, to the no-nonsense attitude of a 19-year-old Carrie Fisher, it could make an interesting '70s period piece...

Joshua Jackson as George Lucas

The Director

Ron Livingston as Alan Ladd, Jr.

20th Century Fox Creative Director

Bill Paxton as Gary Kurtz

The Producer

Bill Murray as Gilbert Taylor

The Cinematographer

Matt Bomer as Harrison Ford

The Leading Man

Emma Stone as Carrie Fisher

The Hollywood Royalty

Bug Hall as Mark Hamill

Mr. Skywalker

Alan Rickman as Alec Guinness

The Thespian

**Thoughts, readers?**

casting crew, mix 'n match: WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

All right folks - I'm reviving the Casting Crew.  But this time I need some help.  It's time to cast a remake (or additional play-to-film adaptation, depending on how you see it) of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? So for each of the four cast members, I've given you five options.  Mix and match your ideal cast in the comments!

Elizabeth Taylor as Martha

The Martha Contenders

Laura Linney, Helena Bonham Carter, Maria Bello,

Olivia Williams, or Cate Blanchett

Richard Burton as George

The George Contenders

Kyle MacLachlan, Daniel Craig, Robert Downey Jr.,

Michael Sheen, or Dougray Scott

Sandy Dennis as Honey

The Honey Contenders

Greta Gerwig, Mamie Gummer, Rebecca Hall,

Elisabeth Moss, or Bryce Dallas Howard

George Segal as Nick

The Dennis Contenders

Jude Law, Ryan Gosling, Jay Baruchel,

John Krasinski, or Lee Pace

**SO WHO COMES OUT ON TOP IN THESE AUDITIONS??**

casting crew: MADAME PRESIDENT

Casting Crew is taking a trip to the late '60s and early '70s.  Following the historic run of Shirley Chisholm for the Democratic Party ticket for president, Chisholm was the first African American (let alone African American woman) to launch a major campaign for the office.  Sideline players include Chisholm's opponent George McGovern and fellow important ladies of the time activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King and politician and monumental chair of the EEOC (appointed by Pres. Jimmy Carter) Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Adina Porter as Shirley Chisholm

Sanaa Lathan as Coretta Scott King

Lisa Nicole Carson as Eleanor Holmes Norton

Richard Jenkins as George McGovern

Clifton Powell as Martin Luther King, Jr.

Matthew Perry as Jimmy Carter

casting crew: HOOVERVILLE

Casting Crew is making its triumphant return - this time we're going back for some depression. Okay, actually it's Depression. The great one in fact. For this entry, we're casting the Herbert Hoover flick, taking a gander at his life during the troubling events that followed the 1929 stock market crash (and that controversial Secretary of the Treasury of his...). Let's look at the major players.

Oliver Platt as President Herbert Hoover

Sela Ward as First Lady Lou Henry Hoover

Richard Riehle as Vice President Charles Curtis

Jared Padalecki as Herbert Hoover, Jr.

Max von Sydow as Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon

Kevin Spacey as Successor Franklin Roosevelt

Voice those re-casts in the comments! (Or, you know, approve of my choices - that'll work too.)

casting crew: the INGRID BERGMAN story

It's been ages since I've done a Casting Crew, and they are generally reserved for potential big-screen adaptations of popular 60s and 70s sitcoms. But in honor of Ms. Bergman's recent birthday (and date of death, strangely enough) on August 29, I thought I'd take a stab at casting an Ingrid Bergman biopic, including some major players in her life. Shower me with gripes about my casting choices and your own picks in the comments!

Kate Winslet as Ingrid Bergman

Andy Garcia as Roberto Rossellini

Gabriel Byrne as Humphrey Bogart

Alexis Bledel as Isabella Rossellini

George Clooney as Cary Grant

Chris Cooper as Michael Curtiz

casting crew: WKRP IN CINCINNATI

Perhaps I'm one of the unique few that loved watching the late-1970s, early-1980s CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati with my parents growing up, but as a precursor to NBC's short-lived 1990s sitcom Newsradio, it stands in my mind as a truly fun show about the innerworkings of a radio station. So, as the Casting Crew always does, I'm going to venture a stab at a modernized cast for the TV series, and, much like the columns before it, I'm assuming I'll catch fire in the comments. But have at it! Let's tune in...

Matthew Perry as Andy Travis

Zach Galifianakis as Johnny "Dr. Fever" Caravella

Kate Hudson as Jennifer Elizabeth Marlowe

Tim Meadows as Venus Flytrap

Zooey Deschanel as Bailey Quarters

casting crew: THE HONEYMOONERS - THE MOVIE

Whether this column simply gives you night terrors over bastardization of classics TV shows or gets you intrigued for a fresh take on a beloved small-screen treasure, Casting Crew is back again and is here to stay. And following a slew of later shows such as The Munsters and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, it's time to muse about the potential film adaptation of the original family sitcom - The Honeymooners.

James Gandolfini as Ralph Kramden

Portia de Rossi as Alice Kramden

Colin Mochrie as Ed Norton

Allison Janney as Thelma Norton

casting crew: THE MUNSTERS - THE MOVIE

It's been ages since I've featured a Casting Crew column on this blog! In fact, most of you current readers haven't been around long enough to even remember it. A refresher then - it's time to cast the hypothetical small-screen-to-big-screen adaptations of the future. The 'crew' has already stopped by many other old shows, but for this entry, it's all about the other kooky family of the undead, The Munsters.

Carel Struycken as Herman Munster

Melinda Clark as Lily Munster

Robin Williams as Grandpa

Nolan Gould as Eddie Munster

Jayma Mays as Marilyn Munster