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Post by stephen on Oct 6, 2020 0:07:16 GMT
So this thread idea is borne out of the constant what-ifs that we bring about when discussing fabled matchups between our favorite actors. So here's the name of the game: present a project where some of your favorite talents finally square off against each other, either for the first time or under the guise of a director you'd wish they'd worked with, or even if their previous matchups didn't give them proper material to work with. You can use existing films as well or proposed remakes as well, but you can only use original properties at the time of their release (i.e. you can't transplant The Master to the 1970s). Writer/directors are fixed in time on this one, but you can pitch adaptations to directors that never happened if you'd like.  |
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Post by SeanJoyce on Oct 6, 2020 0:37:59 GMT
I'll always pine for the lost opportunity that was De Niro in The Departed. He was going to play Queenan opposite Nicholson but had to drop out because of his commitment to The Good Shepard. Nothing against Sheen, he's great, but De Niro would have gotten a beefed-up part and the adversarial angle with Nicholson would have been given more focus. That under Scorsese's hand would have been something.
...but since I'm one of those who feel that Nicholson almost singlehandedly craters the move, I wish Hackman would have come aboard...with De Niro across from him.
Killing Season initially started off as a Travolta/Cage reunion under the title of Shrapnel, which promised to be a "Face/Off in the Rockies." Oh yeah, and it was to be directed by John McTiernan. Before you know it the action was transplanted to the Appalachians, De Niro replaced Cage and the guy who gave us Predator and Die Hard was supplanted by the mastermind who unleashed Daredevil on the world. Obviously no guarantees with Cage and McTiernan these days, but I can safely bet we'd have gotten something better than the finished product.
Finally, close real-life friends Kidman and Watts were going to make a psychological thriller called Need, in which they play dangerous rivals for the affection of the same man. That could have been something.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 6, 2020 0:59:42 GMT
Although I'm glad Jamie Foxx got the role and he's great in it, I've always been curious to see what Collateral would have been like had Adam Sandler still been attached to star it in alongside Cruise. I could actually see Mann playing up his comedic manchild persona to get effect like PTA did with Punch Drunk Love.
Also I would have been down for Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock to do a "War of The Roses" style comedy that apparently was in the works at one point, but seems to have fallen apart. I remember posting about on some old threads several years ago, and it seemed to be a go, but suffice to say, it never actually happened.
Plus I'd genuinely be curious to see the world where Brad Pitt and Denzel did Se7en together or some other movie of that caliber, although I'm not complaining about Freeman being in that film, like at all.
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 6, 2020 1:04:53 GMT
Nicole Kidman and Tilda Swinton, who are probably the two best actresses working in the English language today (and yes, that includes sacred cows like Meryl Streep) would have been much, much better casting than Sairsose Ronan and Margot Robbie in Mary Queen Of Scots (2018).
For a start, Mary was in her mid 40's when she died and Queen Elizabeth was in her 50's. Hollywood being Hollywood, they skewed the casting younger and started the story younger, but how much better that film may have been in they had cast older, age appropriate actresses with gravitas like Kidman and Swinton to play these legendary rivals, and focused the story closer to the period of Mary's death.
Not really fussed who plays who. Kidman and Swinton could each play Elizabeth and Mary with zero difficulty.
The lack of gravitas in the casting really tends to hurt movies like that, no matter how well intentioned. In the 1971 version of the story, you had Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson, who were gravitas personified. Ronan and Robbie are both talented actresses, but they don't have that gravitas yet.
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 6, 2020 1:20:37 GMT
Plus I'd genuinely be curious to see the world where Brad Pitt and Denzel did Se7en together or some other movie of that caliber, although I'm not complaining about Freeman being in that film, like at all. I don't think Seven with Pitt and Washington was ever going to happen. It was one or the other, as they were up for the same role, which Washington passed on. He wasn't considered old or weary enough looking for the Freeman role, so he was never considered for that. |
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Post by stephen on Oct 6, 2020 1:22:10 GMT
I'll always pine for the lost opportunity that was De Niro in The Departed. He was going to play Queenan opposite Nicholson but had to drop out because of his commitment to The Good Shepard. Nothing against Sheen, he's great, but De Niro would have gotten a beefed-up part and the adversarial angle with Nicholson would have been given more focus. That under Scorsese's hand would have been something. ...but since I'm one of those who feel that Nicholson almost singlehandedly craters the move, I wish Hackman would have come aboard...with De Niro across from him. Yeah, The Departed has always been a dream project to overhaul with an almost entirely new cast. Hackman as Costello is so perfect on paper, and he's not given to Nicholson's unbearable theatrics. Even in his advanced age, the Hack Man still projects menace and physicality -- he would be entirely believable as still running a feared mob crew, not acting like some sort of coked-out Lennie Smalls. I actually quite like Sheen as Queenan and he'd be one of the few I wouldn't touch, and De Niro's last few outings with Scorsese don't give me faith he'd be any sort of improvement, but I wouldn't be averse to seeing the hypothetical recasting if Bob actually gave a fuck and showed up to work. Damon's out on his ass as well. There's no shortage of strong actors in his generation to replace him with -- hell, if you want a Bah-stan native, I think either Affleck brother would've been much better and more effective at portraying . . . well, anything. |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 6, 2020 1:23:33 GMT
Plus I'd genuinely be curious to see the world where Brad Pitt and Denzel did Se7en together or some other movie of that caliber, although I'm not complaining about Freeman being in that film, like at all. I don't think Seven with Pitt and Washington was ever going to happen. It was one or the other, as they were up for the same role, which Washington passed on. He wasn't considered old or weary enough looking for the Freeman role, so he was never considered for that. Oh yeah, he wouldn't have fit the Freeman role at all. That required more of an elder statesmen mentor type at the time, but I absolutely could have seen Pitt and Washington squaring off in another mindbending thriller, even ending with Washington literally blowing Pitt off the screen. That could have been fun to watch. |
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Post by stephen on Oct 6, 2020 1:25:36 GMT
Nicole Kidman and Tilda Swinton, who are probably the two best actresses working in the English language today (and yes, that includes sacred cows like Meryl Streep) would have been much, much better casting than Sairsose Ronan and Margot Robbie in Mary Queen Of Scots (2018).For a start, Mary was in her mid 40's when she died and Queen Elizabeth was in her 50's. Hollywood being Hollywood, they skewed the casting younger and started the story younger, but how much better that film may have been in they had cast older, age appropriate actresses with gravitas like Kidman and Swinton to play these legendary rivals, and focused the story closer to the period of Mary's death. Not really fussed who plays who. Kidman and Swinton could each play Elizabeth snd Mary with zero difficulty. The lack of gravitas in the casting really tends to hurt movies like that, no matter how well intentioned. In the 1971 version of the story, you had Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson, who were gravitas personified. Ronan and Robbie are both talented actresses, but they don't have that gravitas yet. was such a fucking disappointment. Absolutely no nuance to what is essentially a sweeping tale of intrigue and power-plays; you could easily sustain several seasons of a TV series around it. The casting was solid on paper but the material just gave them utterly nothing to work with, and the aging wasn't convincing, particularly with Ronan. On a side-note: I saw someone call it " Heat with frills" and now I can't help but imagine De Niro and Pacino dressed in bad wigs, veils and gowns confronting each other in a stable. Swinton/Kidman would've been great in the early 2000s for sure. Although I would have wanted my ideal Mary to be French (as Mary grew up speaking French and had a distinct French accent). Huppert, anyone? |
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Post by dadsburgers on Oct 6, 2020 1:30:57 GMT
Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Gosling
Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 6, 2020 1:31:56 GMT
I'll always pine for the lost opportunity that was De Niro in The Departed. He was going to play Queenan opposite Nicholson but had to drop out because of his commitment to The Good Shepard. Nothing against Sheen, he's great, but De Niro would have gotten a beefed-up part and the adversarial angle with Nicholson would have been given more focus. That under Scorsese's hand would have been something. ...but since I'm one of those who feel that Nicholson almost singlehandedly craters the move, I wish Hackman would have come aboard...with De Niro across from him. Damon's out on his ass as well. There's no shortage of strong actors in his generation to replace him with -- hell, if you want a Bah-stan native, I think either Affleck brother would've been much better and more effective at portraying . . . well, anything. My hot take (and I know you aren't a fan of the guy  ): Matt Damon gave the best and most nuanced performance in The Departed. Twitchy, sweaty, constantly anxious Leo is one of the least credible undercover cops I've ever seen on film. He should have been outed as the "rat" within 5 seconds if the gangsters were actually seeing the same performance we the audience were. Jack was pure honey-glazed ham, and Marky-Mark, while credible, had zero degree of difficulty involved in his performance. Damon gave great low-key sociopath vibes and he was "behaving" as opposed to Capital A "acting" like Jack and Leo. |
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 6, 2020 1:40:38 GMT
American Buffalo (1996) - It's my favorite play .........and my favorite actor's greatest role to some who saw him do it on stage (and it's my avatar!  ).......Pacino passed on the movie which turned into a casting disaster - all 3 roles in a 3 person movie were miscast (Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, Sean Nelson)......cast Pacino, Keitel and DiCaprio and you got a film classic......though if I'm casting a "match-up" - put Nicholson in the Keitel/Franz role - he's perfect for that part also. Pacino/Nicholson is the great "what if" of the GOAT contenders ........who never interacted I mean.....
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sirchuck23
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Post by sirchuck23 on Oct 6, 2020 2:21:32 GMT
Matchup: Denzel Washington vs Daniel Day-Lewis
Project: The Matarese Circle
Director: David Cronenberg
This project looked like it was going to be made before MGM went bankrupt in 2010. Denzel was attached to star as Brandon Scofield and Tom Cruise was going to play Vasili Taleniekov with Cronenberg behind the camera. In my dream matchup..Tom Cruise drops out and Cronenberg convinces DDL to come aboard in a titanic matchup between the two greatest actors of the last 30 years imo.
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Drish
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Post by Drish on Oct 6, 2020 2:52:44 GMT
It's my movie dream to see Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio pitted against each other in a movie together.
Similarly, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Brie Larson. Their little scene in Scott Pilgrim is a gem! Also, Julianne Moore and Naomi Watts. Emma Stone and Saoirse Ronan too. Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett. And so many others I can't think of rn.
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Post by Kings_Requiem on Oct 6, 2020 3:42:54 GMT
DDL and PSH in There Will Be Blood would have really been something.
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Post by SeanJoyce on Oct 6, 2020 3:51:14 GMT
Yeah, The Departed has always been a dream project to overhaul with an almost entirely new cast. Hackman as Costello is so perfect on paper, and he's not given to Nicholson's unbearable theatrics. Even in his advanced age, the Hack Man still projects menace and physicality -- he would be entirely believable as still running a feared mob crew, not acting like some sort of coked-out Lennie Smalls. I actually quite like Sheen as Queenan and he'd be one of the few I wouldn't touch, and De Niro's last few outings with Scorsese don't give me faith he'd be any sort of improvement, but I wouldn't be averse to seeing the hypothetical recasting if Bob actually gave a fuck and showed up to work.
Damon's out on his ass as well. There's no shortage of strong actors in his generation to replace him with -- hell, if you want a Bah-stan native, I think either Affleck brother would've been much better and more effective at portraying . . . well, anything. Ed Harris would have also been a great Nicholson replacement, not only because of his physical resemblance to Bulger but because of his work in the (superior) State of Grace. Speaking of recasting The Departed, somebody way back in the IMDb days suggested Mickey Rourke and Gary Oldman as the two principals in the late 80s. Fireworks... |
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 6, 2020 4:08:16 GMT
Matchup: Denzel Washington vs Daniel Day-Lewis Project: The Matarese Circle Director: David Cronenberg This project looked like it was going to be made before MGM went bankrupt in 2010. Denzel was attached to star as Brandon Scofield and Tom Cruise was going to play Vasili Taleniekov with Cronenberg behind the camera. In my dream matchup..Tom Cruise drops out and Cronenberg convinces DDL to come aboard in a titanic matchup between the two greatest actors of the last 30 years imo. Oooh...this is a good one, particularly for Day-Lewis. It allows him to break out of his period drama/ Oscarbait straightjacket. He gets to go toe to toe with a male leading man whose reputation matches his own in Washington, which was quitr rare for him . He's one of those actors who also tends to really favor having some sort of external "hook" to play a character, so playing Vasili Talenikov would allow him the excuse to break out a Russian accent. Add Cronenberg into the mix, and you'd probably get something fantastic. |
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sirchuck23
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Post by sirchuck23 on Oct 6, 2020 4:50:59 GMT
Matchup: Denzel Washington vs Daniel Day-Lewis Project: The Matarese Circle Director: David Cronenberg This project looked like it was going to be made before MGM went bankrupt in 2010. Denzel was attached to star as Brandon Scofield and Tom Cruise was going to play Vasili Taleniekov with Cronenberg behind the camera. In my dream matchup..Tom Cruise drops out and Cronenberg convinces DDL to come aboard in a titanic matchup between the two greatest actors of the last 30 years imo. Oooh...this is a good one, particularly for Day-Lewis. It allows him to break out of his period drama/ Oscarbait straightjacket. He gets to go toe to toe with a male leading man whose reputation matches his own in Washington, which was quitr rare for him . He's one of those actors who also tends to really favor having some sort of external "hook" to play a character, so playing Vasili Talenikov would allow him the excuse to break out a Russian accent. Add Cronenberg into the mix, and you'd probably get something fantastic. Exactly..it’s more of a change of pace for DDL who like you said tends to stick to period dramas with Oscar potential. Action Thrillers are in Denzel’s wheelhouse but the dream prospect of him with DDL and David Cronenberg would be an event. Shame Cronenberg couldn’t find a different project for him and Denzel to work on since it was obvious Denzel was keen to work with him when this project looked like it was headed into production. |
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Post by TerryMontana on Oct 6, 2020 6:42:22 GMT
Pacino and De Niro in a Scorsese film! Oh, wait...
The real "loss" for me as a big Pacino/Nicholson fan is we never saw these two together...
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 6, 2020 7:21:11 GMT
For me, the biggest match-up for the 70's legends that I'm disappointed never happened was Gene Hackman and Robert DeNiro at the peak of their powers. I know they've been mentioned earlier on the thread for The Departed, but for me that would come way too late for DeNiro, who has just lost so much of his oomph and power as a screen presence since the mid 90's onwards.
For me, if Gene and Bob teamed up, for maximum results, it'd have to be sometime between 1970 and 1995, when DeNiro still operated a peak efficiency. Hackman was great all the way up to his retirement, so we don't have to worry about him.
This might seem like sacrilege to some, but I think it'd be fascinating to have Hackman replace Al Pacino in Heat. Pacino is good enough in Heat (though it's not one of my favorite of his performances), it's an iconic pairing of two actors who have been closely compared etc etc yadda yadda. On that level, it doesn't need recasting. On then other hand DePac have also made 3 other movies together. I don't see Pacino's performance as something that couldn't be topped either, and Hackman could absolutely crush a role like Vincent Hanna.
I'd be very interested to see Hackman as the cop, vs DeNiro as the thief with Michael Mann at the top of his game. I don't think the movie would have suffered for it at all, and I could see Hackman and DeNiro crushing that diner scene dialogue as well the the pair we got. I feel DeNiro got the edge over Pacino in Heat by skilfully underplaying to Pacino's more bombastic turn, so it'd be fascinating to see where Hackman would go with Hanna.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 6, 2020 7:51:07 GMT
DDL and PSH in There Will Be Blood would have really been something. This for me is a big one since I don't like Dano in the film much at all ........I know people like to argue PSH is too old but there's a way to make it work and no one is locked into those ages either ........what really stings about that of course is not only the 2 best actors of their successive age groups.......but also that PSH had been in all 4 of the PTA movies prior to that. |
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Post by jakesully on Oct 6, 2020 13:57:08 GMT
Great thread idea stephen !
My dream casting matchup would be Joaquin Phoenix & Leonardo Dicaprio in a Lewis and Clark Expedition film. Two American pioneers exploring the American West. It'd be so cool to see Phoenix & Dicaprio sharing the screen together .
Still can't believe it hasn't happened yet.
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Post by SeanJoyce on Oct 6, 2020 15:58:43 GMT
I'd be very interested to see Hackman as the cop, vs DeNiro as the thief with Michael Mann at the top of his game. I don't think the movie would have suffered for it at all, and I could see Hackman and DeNiro crushing that diner scene dialogue as well the the pair we got. I feel DeNiro got the edge over Pacino in Heat by skilfully underplaying to Pacino's more bombastic turn, so it'd be fascinating to see where Hackman would go with Hanna. I agree that Hackman vs. De Niro in Heat would have been fascinating, but I, like I'm sure most other movie fans, am quite content with the movie that we got. The joint casting of DePac is what has given that movie its nearly-mythical proportions. I also agree about De Niro's savvy underplaying in THAT scene and the movie in general. Do you get the sense that he learned his lesson from Jack after trying to go "big" in their scenes together in The Last Tycoon? Or do you think he hit the right notes in that one? |
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Post by stephen on Oct 6, 2020 16:39:51 GMT
DDL and PSH in There Will Be Blood would have really been something. This for me is a big one since I don't like Dano in the film much at all ........I know people like to argue PSH is too old but there's a way to make it work and no one is locked into those ages either ........what really stings about that of course is not only the 2 best actors of their successive age groups.......but also that PSH had been in all 4 of the PTA movies prior to that. I mean, I'd argue that Dano's age absolutely is a major factor in the character and in Plainview's relationship with him. The fact that this fucking worm of a sniveling kid can still manage to throw a wrench in Daniel's plans is compounded by the fact that he's barely older than H.W. You can make the argument that PTA could've revised the character to make him older, but I think that defeats what PTA was going for. Revival wunderkinds were all the rage in that era, with Aimee Semple McPherson and Marjoe being major examples that PTA was clearly inspired by. Don't get me wrong, a DDL/PSH combo would've been excellent, but I think Dano just augments DDL's performance and makes it even better just because, like him, you want to see that little shithead get smacked around. |
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 6, 2020 17:06:38 GMT
I'd be very interested to see Hackman as the cop, vs DeNiro as the thief with Michael Mann at the top of his game. I don't think the movie would have suffered for it at all, and I could see Hackman and DeNiro crushing that diner scene dialogue as well the the pair we got. I feel DeNiro got the edge over Pacino in Heat by skilfully underplaying to Pacino's more bombastic turn, so it'd be fascinating to see where Hackman would go with Hanna. I agree that Hackman vs. De Niro in Heat would have been fascinating, but I, like I'm sure most other movie fans, am quite content with the movie that we got. The joint casting of DePac is what has given that movie its nearly-mythical proportions. I also agree about De Niro's savvy underplaying in THAT scene and the movie in general. Do you get the sense that he learned his lesson from Jack after trying to go "big" in their scenes together in The Last Tycoon? Or do you think he hit the right notes in that one? was just miscast in The Last Tycoon. Nothing he could have done there, and the much vaunted head to head with Nicholson was a damp squib. Jack wasn't anything special either though, and it basically amounted to cameo. Nice to see them share scenes together in their prime, but if it wasn't Jack and Bobby, those scenes wouldn't be interesting enough for anyone to care. They had no chemistry ar all together as scene partners. I agree, Heat would have less of a mythical following if you replaced Pacino with Hackman. The parallels between Pacino and DeNiro's careers and roles they played, was a huge hook in building it's following as the years went by. But like I said, I don't think it'd be a lesser film with Hackman cast, if we are just going by quality of the movie. It's just a great movie, even though I think Pacino has given better performances in similar roles like Sea Of Love (though that is obviously a much lesser film than Heat) . I'm very happy with the Heat we got as well. Spitballing Hackman is just an interesting "what if" for me. |
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Post by wallsofjericho on Oct 6, 2020 18:03:34 GMT
There were talks of the Bridge of Spies being made with Gregory Peck and Alec Guinness in the 60s I think. Rylance is flawless but I would have loved to have seen Guinness play that part and act opposite Peck.
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).......Pacino passed on the movie which turned into a casting disaster - all 3 roles in a 3 person movie were miscast (Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, Sean Nelson)......cast Pacino, Keitel and DiCaprio and you got a film classic......though if I'm casting a "match-up" - put Nicholson in the Keitel/Franz role - he's perfect for that part also.
