ROTTEN TOMATOES: Crudup, Wilson, and Goode Confirmed for Watchmen

Crudup, Wilson, and Goode Confirmed for Watchmen

The casting speculation can end; Cast announced for Zach Snyder's movie.

by Binh Ngo | July 25, 2007

We can all stop speculating who will be in WB's big screen adaptation of Watchmen, because the cast has been announced. Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley and Malin Akerman are all confirmed, according to Variety.

Who will play which part? Dr. Manhattan is to be played by Crudup; Wilson plays Night Owl; Ozymandias goes to Goode; Morgan is The Comedian; Haley gets Rorschach; and Akerman is the Silk Spectre.

300's Zach Snyder is directing the movie, which is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel of the same name.

Source: Variety

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(1-20 of 20 posts) | Reply

Kollikodon writes:
on Jul 25 2007 06:42 PM

Im liking the fact that their is no "big name" in the cast... yknow... no Topher Grace to f--- things up...

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thenocturnalsun writes:
on Jul 25 2007 06:46 PM

In reply to this comment (#973063)
i looked up matthew goode on google, i cant picture his as ozy

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skasforfags writes:
on Jul 25 2007 07:58 PM

This movie is gonna blow.

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patsloomis writes:
on Jul 25 2007 08:13 PM

I think Matthew Goode looks too young to play Ozymandias, I was thinking of an actor who is in his 40's to play that role. I know that it will never happen now but Brad Pitt would have been a perfect choice for the role of Ozymandias. Great casting for the comedian though, I recognize him from Grey's Anatomy. I highly suggest for the people who never read to comic book series to pick up a copy, it is well worth it.

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patsloomis writes:
on Jul 25 2007 08:15 PM

Well this movie will rock as long as the director gets full reign of the movie. I loved Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake as well as the 300 movie. Here is hoping he can live up to the comic book.

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MPSolo writes:
on Jul 25 2007 08:42 PM

I'm not exactly ecstatic with these casting choices...just based on looks, I'd say Morgan is the only good pick (in fact, he looks almost exactly like the Comedian, sans mustache). Haley would've made a better Moloch.

Goode is a bad choice. I don't even remotely see him as Ozymandias. Guess we'll see, though. I wouldn't have picked Gerard Butler as Leonidas either..

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SirCrimson writes:
on Jul 25 2007 10:30 PM

Why is a bald man with no freckles and red hair playing Rorschach?

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twinsfan2715 writes:
on Jul 25 2007 10:49 PM

I can honestly say I'm disappointed with the casting. I would've liked to see a big name or two in the mix. The rumor about Jude Law playing Ozymandias got me really excited cuz I thought he would have been great. My biggest beef is with the casting of Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. To me Rorschach is the most pivotal character in the book and I think it should've been someone with more credentials. As disappointed as I am with the casting, I'm still excited and optimistic for the movie because look at what Zach Snyder did in 300 with an unknown cast.

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Travis27 writes:
on Jul 26 2007 01:19 AM

Except for Billy Crudup I have no idea who these people are.

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Lizard Brain writes:
on Jul 26 2007 02:29 AM

I say "who, who, and who?"

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Gimy writes:
on Jul 26 2007 05:52 AM

alot of times...movies are better when you don't know anybody, or in the case of 300...you KINDA know but you're not really sure. to me, it gets kind of old seeing the same actor play the same role over and over. i'm still pumped to see this based on what friends who've read the thing have said, and Snyder. as some have mentioned, i also loved the Dawn remake and 300...well...phew, can't wait till next week when it comes out on dvd

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Zen Mafia writes:
on Jul 26 2007 06:21 AM

I liked Zack Snyder's first two bloodfests, he's good at action and gore, but the Watchmen isn't that kind of story. It's layered and character development is a key element. Maybe Snyder can do it, but this cast list is giving me doubts. Haley as Rorschach is very risky because Rorschach's physical appearance contributed a lot to his personality. Most of these actors seem too young to be playing over-the-hill costume heroes. Even though the actors are not huge stars, I'm still afraid that it looks like this movie is going to get a superficial hollywood make-over, which is the complete opposite of Alan Moore's vision.

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oldnoakes writes:
on Jul 26 2007 06:21 AM

well, none of these people have made a big impression and almost none of them do I even recognize. But ya never know, it could work. *shrug

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Baccus83 writes:
on Jul 26 2007 07:07 AM

In reply to this comment (#973719)
Because red hair and freckles are absolutely important to the character, right? Jesus. If it's so important, then it's something they can easily accomplish in makeup.

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bateman619 writes:
on Jul 26 2007 07:34 AM

Love to see all the fanboys whining about not knowing who any of these people are. Yes, it would have been nice to have Danny Elfman (google search the photo) be Rorschach, but the reason why they cast who they did is that Jackie Earle Haley is the flavor of the month for creepiness, and Oscar-nominated to boot. He might be, in the eyes of some, the biggest name in the cast.

Anybody who's dissing Matthew Goode has NOT seen "Match Point" where he plays a rich guy. He's fine.

And Malin Akerman? I didn't recognize the name at first, but she's the blonde wife of the guy who tows Harold and Kumar. Nuff said, she'll be perfect.

I think Billy Crudup is going to be crucified the most because I don't see him bulking up and getting a superhero body for this role. He's OK as John Osterman but we need someone HUGE to be Dr. Manhattan. Unless they go 100% CGI for that.

Now, will they get Al Roker to play the shrink?

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blank blank writes:
on Jul 26 2007 08:29 AM

im real happy with the cast, other than ackerman. and i dont really know morgan's work but he at least looks the role. ackerman looks nothing like silk spectre (other than them both being hot) and i have to say her role in harold and kumar doesnt inspire confidence that she'll be anything other than just a pretty face. but who knows? maybe she does have talent.

for those who dont know goode, see match point. he can easily play oz. just dye his hair blonde and age him a little. people seem to be forgetting that you can age people easier than making them look younger. goode is also great in the lookout, although its not an ozymandias type role.

wilson is good for nite owl. again, they can age him and tie a tire around his stomach to make him look more middle aged. watch Hard Candy and you can see how he could easily play nite owl.

crudup is good for manhattan, as long as they work out the visuals right.

as for haley, even though he doesnt look like rorschach, he is creepy as hell in little children, and thats the essence of playing rorschach, he has to be a little unhinged, and haley can def do that if y ou've seen little children. he is also supposed to be ugly as hell too, and haley is that as well. just add a red wig and some freckles, big deal. besides, anybody who's read the comic knows that what the actor playing rorschach looks like is irrelevant, as rorschach's true face is his mask.

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bateman619 writes:
on Jul 26 2007 10:15 AM

Make-up is going to be a challenge unless they cast some of the roles twice. I always thought Burt Reynolds would be perfect as the 70-year-old Comedian (who drops out of the movie quickly). How are they going to make those scenes work where the young-adult Laurie confronts the 50-something year old Comedian at the cocktail party? I mean to preserve the narrative, you have to have the Comedian age throughout. But this is Hollywood, sure they can do it.

I'm really not going to worry about Rorschach, or any other casting. I don't mind this being a mix of B-lise and up and coming. This movie wouldn't get made if there were people in it who made $10 million. It's the script that will make or break this, and from the beginning they have stated no movie will ever be made where half the population of New York is killed. So what they come up with in place of that will determine if the movie gets over.

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Elixor writes:
on Jul 26 2007 10:41 AM

While the casting is important and I'll wait to see if these people work. I still say that Hollywood has about a %5 chance of following or portraying this story correctly. The comic was hard enough for its readers to follow, so you know they're probably going to dumb it up and ruin it.

Damn I've been negative today, but I can't say I have much faith in correct portrayals of comic books anymore. Just leave this stuff alone, if you aren't or can't do them correctly.

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wacko3205 writes:
on Jul 26 2007 12:17 PM

Can't wait to see this translate to the big screen. The casting's decent...but I am sure that the budget & certain ego's are what's keeping the big names at bay.

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FranklinStreet writes:
on Jul 26 2007 12:27 PM

Jackie Earle Haley is absolutely perfect for Rorshach. The whole point of Rorshach is that he's anonymous and forgettable. Haley was big back in the late 70s when he played Kelly in the original Bad News Bears and starred with Dennis Quaid and Dennis Christopher in Breaking Away. Then he disappeared for 20 years, and recently he had critically acclaimed supporting parts in All the King's Men and Little Children (the latter of which nabbed him an Oscar nom). But he's still way off the rader in the public's mind. Not only is he physically perfect (small and slight), but the personal anonymity he brings to the role is spot-on. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have freckles and red hair... what matters is that he's the right physical type who look very unimposing, and is not a star name that will bring a personal history to the role.

Other than that, they've case a great group... Wilson is an amazing actor and is destined to be a huge star. Crudup is another supremely talented actor who will no doubt nail Dr. Manhattan. Goode is actually a great choice once you get past the fact that they decided to cast a lesser-know actor instead of Cruise, Pitt, or Law. Not only was he fantastic in Match Point, but he also played the shaggy-haired lead criminal in The Lookout-- displaying quite a range between the two parts. As far as Malin Ackerman goes, as soon as the Farrelly brothers remake of The Heartbreak Kid hits, everyone is going to want to be seeing a lot more of her.

I do agree that the cast is skewing young, but after all of Snyder's green screen work in 300, I'll wait to see what he's doing technically with it.

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