Posted 24 May 2010 - 04:28 AM
Great thread. Here's my two cents...
There's a lot of main characters that are black in this series and for most of them, switching ethnicities wouldn't make much (if any) of a difference on the story.
Hollywood would probably change some so I don't think picking actors based on race is all that necessary.
Basically anyone in the Malazan army besides Kalam and QB could be any ethnicity since they are all a hodgepodge anyways.
Also, since there are so many interesting characters without meaty roles, I think most would be played by relatively unknown actors, which I would prefer anyway.
This makes me think more of the type of actor that would get a role rather than an actual well-known name.
For instance, I think the only characters that would need to be a major actor are Whiskeyjack, Rake, Paran, Fiddler, Coltaine (plus it'd be just for one movie but a great actor could really make the chain of dogs scenes epic), and maybe Tavore. Especially because the audience would need to realize what a huge moment some of these deaths are.
The most interesting casting decision I think would be Tehol. I envision him being a perfect role for an actor that plays serious roles but is sort of down in public impression lately. I say this because it isn't a huge role but is easily the most likeable. The average person would see him as a bright spot in the movie and he's obviously already a fan favorite. This would be like Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder and would have been a great one for someone like Robert Downey while he was out of the spotlight. I swear, someone like Christian Slater (who I hate, but can't you see how playing Tehol would make even HIM likeable?) Every agent would be all over this.
Apsalar - great step up role for the next major hollywood hottie. Think Megan Fox in Transformers. The shadow dance would be ALL over the trailer. And they'd make her do it in the first one.
Kalam - up and coming actor getting their first major role as a badass. Sam Worthington in Terminator.
Cutter- same as above but the opposite of badass.
Laseen - probably one of those actresses that everyone recognizes but few know the name. Just because she doesn't have a huge role but you want everyone to realize she's still important. Dujek probably falls into this category. And you need to make it known that although he is higher in rank than Whiskeyjack, he isn't nearly the major player WJ is. Maybe Rhulad too.
Can't think of any more off the top of my head. QB is a mystery to me, it's hard to predict which way they'd go with that one.