The Great Discworld Casting Debate

[Trivun]

Okay, so Sky1 (in the UK) have in recent years worked with Terry Pratchett to produce TV adaptations of two Discworld novels (three if you want to get technical). These are Hogfather, The Colour of Magic, and The Light Fantastic (filmed and screened as Part Two of 'The Colour Of Magic'). Now Sky1 are in post-production of Going Postal, to be shown this Easter.

So it looks like The Mob, the production company behind the films, have a pretty good rapport with Terry, to the point where he seems to have given them his blessing when it comes to Discworld in general, and he's also appeared in cameo roles (as the toyshop owner in Hogfather and an astrozoologist in The Colour of Magic) in these adaptations. So we can expect to see a few more soon enough, I'll bet.

So the purpose of this thread is to see what, if any, adaptations you want The Mob to poduce next. And while we're at it, what would your casting choices be? Now, as a Discworld fan I really enjoyed the films so far, and I'd definitely want to keep the casting for these exactly the same as were used. They are:

Spoiler: Cast of The Colour of Magic

David Jason as Rincewind, a failed wizard and the main protagonist.
Sean Astin as Twoflower, the discworld's first tourist.
Tim Curry as Trymon, the power-hungry senior wizard at the Unseen University.
Christopher Lee as the voice of Death.
Jeremy Irons as Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork.
David Bradley as Cohen the Barbarian, the most famous barbarian in the discworld, now 'retired'.
Laura Haddock as Bethan, a druid sacrifice, who falls in love with Cohen.
James Cosmo as Galder Weatherwax, the incumbent Archchancellor of the Unseen University.
Nicolas Tennant as Head Librarian of the Unseen University, who is turned into an orangutan during the events of the film.
Karen David as Liessa, a dragonlady from the Wyrmberg.
Liz May Brice as Herrena, a mercenary who is employed to capture Rincewind.
Nigel Planer as the Arch-Astronomer of Krull.
Richard Da Costa as The Luggage.
Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lumuel Panter.
Miles Richardson as Zlorf, the leader of the Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild.
James Perry as Kring, the enchanted sword.
Stephen Marcus as Boardman, the bartender at the Broken Drum.

Spoiler: Cast of Hogfather

Michelle Dockery - Susan Sto Helit
David Jason - Albert
Marnix Van Den Broeke - Death
Ian Richardson - Death (voice)
Marc Warren - Jonathan Teatime
Joss Ackland - Mustrum Ridcully
David Warner - Lord Downey
Neil Pearson - The Raven (voice)
Nigel Planer - Sideney and Auditor (voice)
Sinead Matthews - Violet the Tooth Fairy

And here is the cast of Going Postal:

Spoiler: Cast of Going Postal

Richard Coyle - Moist Von Lipwig
David Suchet - Reacher Gilt
Charles Dance - Patrician Havelock Vetinari
Claire Foy - Adora Belle Dearheart
Marnix Van Den Broeke - Mr. Pump
Steve Pemberton - Drumknott
Andrew Sachs - Tolliver Groat
Tamsin Greig - Miss Cripslock
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal - Sgt Angua

Now, to get the ball rolling I'll just make a few comments about the Going Postal cast. First, Charles Dance as Vetinari? Fine, he's a great actor and I really do like him. But Jeremy Irons defined the role for me in The Colour Of Magic. I can't see Dance managing to conjure up the same degree of awesomeness as Irons did. Also, Tamsin Grieg may well prove to be a great 'Miss' Cripslock. But my view of her has always been a blonde girl in her mid to late twenties. As for the rest of the cast? No problems there, provided Christopher Lee is still the voice of Death (because seriously, no-one does Death better than Christopher Lee).

But I digress. What Discworld books do YOU want to see adapted by The Mob, and who would be your casting choices?

P.S. I would personally love to see Nicole Kidman as 'The Lady' in Interesting Times, and Christopher Eccleston as Lu Tze in anything regarding Lu Tze...

 

[El Poncho]

I'm not good at remembering actors names and I have not read going postal yet so I don't know, Although i'm looking forward to it

 

[Kiefer13]

On the casting for The Colour of Magic:

I would just like to say, David Jason was a bloody terrible choice to play Rincewind. If there was ever anyone perfect to play Rincewind, it was Eric Idle (shame he's too old now). He even did his voice for the point and click adventure games, and it was spot on.

Choices they DID get spot on however: Tim Curry as Trymon, Christopher Lee as Death (can anyone else play Death better? I don't think so.) and Jeremy Irons as Vetinari.

I did like the TCOM adaption overall, but David Jason really didn't work as Rincewind, which kept it from being truly great.

And I would really like to see an adaption of one of the Watch novels. Guards! Guards! would probably make sense, being chronologically first, but Men At Arms just seems to stand out as perhaps being a good one for some reason. Night Watch would be fun to see, but possibly difficult for someone that hadn't read any of the other Watch books to understand properly. As for casting it, I really have no idea (I'd need time to think about it), but I'll say this: If only Clint Eastwood were a few decades younger, as he'd be the perfect Vimes.

 

[Trivun]

On the casting for The Colour of Magic:

I would just like to say, David Jason was a bloody terrible choice to play Rincewind. If there was ever anyone perfect to play Rincewind, it was Eric Idle (shame he's too old now). He even did his voice for the point and click adventure games, and it was spot on.

Choices they DID get spot on however: Tim Curry as Trymon, Christopher Lee as Death (can anyone else play Death better? I don't think so.) and Jeremy Irons as Vetinari.

I did like the TCOM adaption overall, but David Jason really didn't work as Rincewind, which kept it from being truly great.

Really? I thought David Jason made a great Rincewind, personally. The early scene with Irons' Vetinari ("Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, what ARE we going to do with you, you little scamp?") was just genius and Jason really made the role his own, at least, so I thought. Though it was slightly unconcerting to see him as Rincewind after he was Albert in Hogfather. That said, I always imagined Rincewind as being younger, considering the original book takes place only a short time after his expulsion from UU and most officially recognised artwork (like book covers and so on) shows him as looking at the oldest in his mid-thirties.

As for Death, Lee actually played the role (well, voiced him) in several early animated versions of Discworld novels back in the late Eighties or early Nineties, I believe. So he has experience as well as the perfect voice for Death .

 

[Loop Stricken]

Richard Coyle?
...
Excuse me, I had a little bit of a crisis.

Anyway; no more bloody David Jason. Never have I thought of Rincewind as a short fat cockney.

As for casting it, I really have no idea (I'd need time to think about it), but I'll say this: If only Clint Eastwood were a few decades younger, as he'd be the perfect Vimes.

Perhaps Hugh Jackman?

 

[Plinglebob]

I never watched Colour of Magic, but I enjoyed Hogfather and I can easily imagine Jeremey Irons as Vetinari. My biggest hope still is they do Thief of Time and keep Michelle Dockery as Susan.

 

[Trivun]

I never watched Colour of Magic, but I enjoyed Hogfather and I can easily imagine Jeremey Irons as Vetinari. My biggest hope still is they do Thief of Time and keep Michelle Dockery as Susan.

Agreed. If they did Thief of Time I'd definitely want to see Michelle Dockery keep the role, and David Jason as Albert again (because really, he was a natural fit for that in Hogfather, even if he did compound it with his role as Rincewind). I'd replace Ian Richardson with Christopher Lee again as the voice of Death, and I'd want to see Lu Tze played by Christopher Eccleston (albeit bald, obviously). Add in, potentially, Tallulah Riley as Lady Myria LeJean (aka Unity), and perhaps Matt Smith as Lobsang Ludd and Jeremy Clockson, and my personal perfect casting would be complete .

 

[Trivun]

Oh, and I actually reckon that Richard Coyle as Moist von Lipwig is a pretty good choice. I mean, he's 36 and I always imagine Moist as being perhaps in his mid to late twenties, but looking at him he's definitely got the right sort of look about him for the role. Plus he looks younger than 36, which is a great help. And as I say, apart from my grievances noted in my OP, the rest of the cast seem pretty perfect .