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Live Action Simpsons Movie: Re-Cast

A Fun Game to Play with Your Friends

By Mr. TibbzPublished 5 years ago 8 min read
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You've got your mates round. You've all had a few drinks. You wanna play a game to have a good giggle. My go0to is something I call, "Re-Cast." Just pick a popular show or movie, and make your dream cast. You can add some drinking into the rules for good measure. But there is hours of fun to be had. Especially if everyone disagrees, then it becomes an insightful hypothetical debate that really means nothing at all. But it's great fun.

One of our favourites is to re-cast The Simpsons. Everyone disagrees. Everyone has their own dream. So here's mine. Try it with your friends and I promise you'll love it.

Homer Simpson

John C. Reilly

So for me, it's a no brainer that the perfect person to play Homer is John C. Reilly. He is a high-calibre actor who could pull off the subtle nuances of Homer J. Simpson (don't laugh, Homer has layers). And he's hilarious. I don't want my Homer to be a tragic drunk. He needs to be lovable, likable, and hysterically funny, even if he is a total idiot. And that would be difficult to achieve in a live action adaptation. Reilly could pull that off perfectly. Need proof? Look no further than Step Brothers.

Marge Simpson

Leslie Mann

OK. A little biased here. I might be a little bit in love with Leslie Mann. But aren't we all a little bit in love with Marge. She's just lovely (as is Mann), and far too good to have stuck by Homer through thick and thin. Mann is a great actress and has comic timing spilling out her ears. A woman that exudes charisma and strength. But she can also play subtle, more reserved characters. She's just perfect. She wouldn't make a bad Marge either.

Bart Simpson

Tom Holland

Its quite difficult casting the kids, especially if you want to go age appropriate. I think this is a bit of a cop out, but I'm going with Tom Holland. He's shown he can hold his own next to amazing actors (I'm looking at you Downey Jr.), so why not throw him in as Bart? He can play attitude too, and that's what we want in Bart. The Dennis the Menace vibe. I'm sure I could do better, but Holland will do for now.

Lisa Simpson

Chloe Grace Mortez

I know, I know. Chloe Grace Mortez. I concede it's not a very inspired pick. But I'm not very well-versed in current child actors. I don't watch the Disney channel I'm afraid. So we're stuck with Hit-Girl herself. Really my best argument for this pick is they are both annoying, somewhat, but they are also both empowering for women. I think Lisa gets more stick than she deserves from fans. As Mortez is concerned, I'll remain mute.

Moe Szyslak

Andy Serkis

Yes. It's Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. Someone give this man an Oscar already. Once I settled on Serkis I can't think of anyone better for Moe. Go on. Try. Can't do it, can you? He would be perfect. He's got a good look for Moe, but hey, he could just motion cap it if he wants. He can do whatever he likes, he's Andy F*****g Serkis. In this hypothetical world of mine, if they could defile the memory of The Simpsons by making a live action movie, the least they could do is get the perfect man for Moe.

Ned Flanders

Brian Cranston

I was torn between Bryan Cranston and Jeff Goldblum, but I've got to give the edge to Walter White himself. There is just something so kind about Cranston's face, and it would be so funny watching John C. Reilly pretend to not hate him. Naturally he is a great actor, but he already channels the sensibilities of Flanders when you hear him talk. All he needs to do is to throw in a few "diddlys" in every sentence and viola! Spot on.

Krusty the Clown

Paul Giamatti

Anyone who is familiar with Paul Giamatti's work, knows how brilliant he is. He is an excellent comic actor who always brings a pathos to his characters, always providing them with layers. And that's where the comedy comes from. Look at Sideways. He likes to go for tragic yet funny roles. Remind you of anyone? He's the ideal fit for Krusty. He makes kids laugh, but when the commercial break hits, he's off smoking a cigarette and gambling with a monkey. Tell me I'm wrong.

Sideshow Bob

Woody Harrelson

Now this is a re-cast. Which means I can't use Kelsey Grammer, who is already perfect for the role. But we've gotta mix it up. So I'm going with Woody Harrelson. He's charming. He's likeable. But there is a side to him that can be scary and dark. To be honest I would watch anything with this man. He's amazing. Even something awful is worth watching if this guy is around. He would make a great antagonist in any film, but the thought of him as Sideshow Bob gives me goosebumps.

Sideshow Mel

David Tennant

This one is more of a joke than anything else, but David Tennant is well loved by all. He has so much Shakespearean experience that the well spoken Sideshow Mel would be a great character coming from him. Then again, we'll watch anything with him in it, won't we? That's why he's still popular, even when he does do trash like Fright Night.

C. Montgomery Burns

Christopher Walken

I love this choice, Christopher Walken. I love this man, even if he does put needless gaps in his sentences. This guy can play intense better than most actors and he could be a very plausible Mr. Burns. Just imagine his voice in your head saying the word, "excellent." You see! He could easily pull off Burns.

Waylon Smithers

Alan Cummings

So let's get an actual representative of the LGBT community for this one. Why ever not? And I can't think of anyone better than Scottish legend, Alan Cummings. I'm a massive fan of the guy. Ever since his turn as Nightcrawler in X-Men 2 and the wacky antagonist in the terrible Spy Kids movies. He is always a highlight in the few movie roles he has taken. He's far more accomplished as a stage actor. Having seen him myself in a production of Cabaret in London, I can concur he is far more impressive in person.

Abraham J Simpson

James Woods

Someone to care for. To be there for. I. Have. James Woods. If I'm being honest, I just want James Woods in as many films as possible. He is so consistent. I don't think I've ever seen him give a bad performance, and he's getting on a bit now so he's age appropriate. Even the above picture looks suspiciously like Grandpa Simpson.

Patty and Selma Bouvier

Melissa McCarthy

So I thought we would go with a single actress for the sisters. And who better than character actress and all round charmer, Melissa McCarthy? I was thinking about Cathleen Turner, but she's a little too old for the roles. Melissa would be excellent, and her on point comic timing certainly goes in her favour.

Milhouse Van Houten

Micheal Cera

Yes, I know, Micheal Cera is a bit too old for the role, but look at that face. He's a complete man child. He will never be able to convincingly play his own age. He can just walk on his knees the whole film. Besides. He's made a career out of playing characters that get rejected by women. So he's perfect.

Otto Mann

James Franco

I thought about Jason Mewes and Keanu Reeves, but after watching The Disaster Artist earlier this year, I've got to give the role to James Franco. His turn as Tommy Wiseau was impressive, and we all know him and Seth Rogan are smoking up a storm every chance they get. I think he'd be great as the local stoned bus driver.

Professor Frink

Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi. Don't argue. He's a great shout for Frink. Let's move on.

Chief Wiggum

Nick Frost

I think we all love a bit of Nick Frost. He's super funny and filled with charisma. It really is a shame that he isn't working as often as his friend Simon Pegg. Especially when considering how much more talented he is.

Ralph Wiggum

Julian Dennison

Julian Dennison has smashed his way into the limelight since his performance in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and for good reason too. He's a very talented little actor. Like Macaulay Culkin in Uncle Buck, Dennison completely upstaged accomplished acting talent Sam Neill throughout the film. That's no easy achievement. He's also great in Deadpool 2, matching Ryan Reynolds in comic timing and likability. This kid would make a great Ralph. No question.

Principle Seymour Skinner

Jon Hamm

Who doesn't love Jon Hamm. He's great and seems to really care about the roles he takes. But he also likes to have fun. I know people are championing him to play Batman (he would be good as Bats, but I think he would make a much better Superman), but he can play anything. Any movie is improved with the casting of this man.

Edna Krabappel

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan, one of my mum's favourites. She's a fantastic actress and she's at the age now where she's got the Mrs. Robinson vibe. I think she'd be perfect for Edna. And I'm sure her and Hamm would have great chemistry when they ultimately come to have a little flirt.

Everyone Else

Hank Azaria

Hank Azaria already plays everyone on The Simpsons, I know. But we are only left with smaller, peripheral characters now, and there are too many to do them all. This guy is f*****g brilliant in everything he is in. Someone please give Hank more work.

Okay. That's the game. Try it with your friends. It's a lot of fun. There are plenty of well loved TV shows and movies out there that are fun to play "Re-Cast" with. Comic books tend to cause rifts in the group, so do give that a go. I'm still going with Jon Hamm for Superman. Who's your dream cast?

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About the Creator

Mr. Tibbz

I'm a filmmaker and film enthusiast. May start to put up some dream projects. Depends. I hope you enjoy listening to me spout nonsense. Follow my youtube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXalLYgI0bKhMWIfhop4Jog

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