Whedonesque : Comments on 15632 : (SPOILER) Ausiello reveals Dollhouse principal characters.

Are the casting sides out already?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "casting sides," but Ausiello said he got a list of principal characters. He then went on to speculate who could/should play them, both from inside the 'verse and from outside.

hobnail | February 28, 20:29 CET

Excited. Very very excited.

TamaraC | February 28, 20:33 CET

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "casting sides,

Casting sides are excerpts of scripts sent out to actors auditioning for minor parts for an episode. Back when Buffy and Angel were on the air, fans would purchase the scripts and reveal what was said in a particular scene to fellow fans.

Course it didn't help spoiler phobes that Mutant Enemy leaked like a sieve as well. Good times, good times.

Simon | February 28, 20:35 CET

Well, here's to the casting side being "leaked" this time around, too.

hobnail | February 28, 20:37 CET

Echo? November? Sierra? I guess we know what the Dolls' naming scheme is now.

theonetruebix | February 28, 20:42 CET

Echo? November? Sierra? I guess we know what the Dolls' naming scheme is now.

And Victor, too.

Bobbi | February 28, 20:53 CET

Ooh! That was fun! Me likes Mitch Pileggi. In fact, I was just thinking of him last night, 'cause I reread one of my fics (A "Nash Bridges/JAG" crossover) and that reminded me of the X-Files I wrote that had a "guest appearance" by Colonel Sarah "Mac" McKenzie...but I digress.

It'd be totally awesome to see him back on TV. And...much as I love Tony, I think I'd rather have Mitch in that role.

theonetruebix We do? Huh. I guess I must not be "we" yet, 'cause...I'm drawin' a blank.

"Foxtrot Tango Charley"?

Shadow slips away to her make-believe world where she has a chance to audition for a small part...

ShadowQuest | February 28, 20:57 CET

Paul Ballard:
Inside the Whedonverse: Alexis Denisof
Outside the Whedonverse: Michael Muhney!

It's great to see some Dollhouse scoop. I'm so happy there's a new Joss show to gossip and speculate about. Ahhh, it's so good to be home again. :)

electricspacegirl | February 28, 20:59 CET

All I have to say is that I want Sean Maher in this some way, shape or form.

romanceguru | February 28, 20:59 CET

Does that mean that some poor sods are stuck with Golf, Hotel and Uniform? ;)

cypher | February 28, 21:01 CET

Loving this!

But... some of the choices Ausiello mentioned are less-than-good. Especially since Shohreh Aghdashloo is, bar none, my least favorite actress of all time. But that doesn't matter, as I'm sure Joss's choices will be what wows me. But the wow factor, along with the anticipation, is already getting pretttty high up there.

patxshand | February 28, 21:11 CET

"ADELLE DEWITT- The fortyish iceberg who runs the Dollhouse where the human Etch-a-Sketches reside."

Stephanie Romanov please!

hitnrun017 | February 28, 21:23 CET

Victor Juliet is your identity. Push through that band of rain. I'm anticipating we'll be celebrating when you're down and braking. Whew!

napua | February 28, 21:26 CET

Paul Ballard:

Inside the Whedonverse: Alexis Denisof
Outside the Whedonverse: Michael Muhney!

OK, electricspacegirl, put up your dukes! *wink*
What's wrong with the already suggested Ben Browder? He rocked Farscape and has the chops for it. He can do the witty Joss banter with his eyes closed. I vote for Ben!

mongorules | February 28, 21:27 CET

Does anyone know-is this going to be a 'Mutant Enemy' production...or is that gone now?

angeliclestat | February 28, 21:27 CET

If Ben Browder acted on a Whedon show, any show, I would be quite enthused. He has a knack for making his reactions to completely ridiculous things very believable.

Sunfire | February 28, 21:33 CET

This has hammered home the fact that I really don't want Dollhouse cast like this. I know Joss would never do this anyway, but even people doing this for fun is watering down the concept for me. I'll just wait for the official casting announcements and stay away from things like this.

hacksaway | February 28, 21:34 CET

There can never be enough Michelle Forbes on TV. Fact.

And they're going with a Madam, that's pretty cool. Easy to have some pure patriarchy hatin' but asking questions about women's co-involvement has more meat in it to me.

The phonetic alphabet names are pretty cool and, as no doubt intended, completely impersonal. If they ever have a guest doll from the UK i'd lobby for Juliet Bravo ;).

(that said, isn't the US one slightly different ? I seem to remember John Rambo was in Baker company rather than e.g. Bravo Two Zero)

Saje | February 28, 21:46 CET

Ben Browder and Joss Whedon would go together wonderfully.

I'd never thought of it before, but I think I'd now be quite dissapointed if we never got to see that!

Ghost Spike | February 28, 21:46 CET

I'm with hacksaway. I know the speculation is fun, but it's putting me off the show. Seriously.

gossi | February 28, 21:48 CET

For me, pretty mundane list apart from previous Whedon actors. And no Alexis. I'll cling to my fantasy of Jeff Goldblum coming back to TV (interesting that I somehow knew there'd be a mentor role in that previous thread about Dollhouse casting ideas).

Tonya J | February 28, 22:02 CET

Interesting specs, not really sure I agree with all of them but looking forward to finding out who they do cast and I'm liking the descriptions of the characters of Dollhouse.

gossi and hacksaway-Then why the heck are y'all clicking on the spoilers?

Jeff Goldblum as the mentor? Hmmmmm.

menomegirl | February 28, 22:05 CET

menomegirl - spoilers don't bother me at all. People expecting Dollhouse to be a party full of JW's mates does. I'm willing to bet/hope it's 95% unknowns.

Okay, so, meanings:

ADELLE - Often used to represent somebody who is noble. Germanic, very popular in the early 1900's (about the time dolls houses were popular for kids to play with).

PAUL BALLARD - Paul is Tim Minear's middle name. (I'm quite impressed I know that but didn't know how to pronounce his surname). There's a play called A Doll's House (which is referenced in Angel season 2 - Cordy plays a part in it) by Henrik Ibsen. Recently, Laurence Ballard played a part in this play. 'A Doll's House' is about the social lie and duty, with a woman in a gilded cage. The idea is a woman whose purpose in life is to be happy for her husband's sake, more or less.

BOYD - often refers to yellow-gold. Scottish origin. Died out in the 70s, pretty much.

TOPHER - Obviously, christ bearer. The surname is european, too. Which probably means nothing.

Join me! Pointless speculation awaits!

[ edited by gossi on 2008-02-28 22:10 ]

[ edited by gossi on 2008-02-28 22:15 ]

gossi | February 28, 22:08 CET

Boyd was a character created by Marti Noxon for Point Pleasant. I suspect that's a nod to her in return for Marti's Whedon family in Brothers and Sisters. That of course is pure speculation.

Simon | February 28, 22:10 CET

Saje: (that said, isn't the US one slightly different ? I seem to remember John Rambo was in Baker company rather than e.g. Bravo Two Zero)

There are variations, but the standard alphabet is 'alpha bravo charlie delta echo' etc. I wonder if there is an 'alpha' doll out there somewhere that Echo is going to come across and either rescue or learn from.

This casting thing is not as much fun as I thought it would be. For one thing, I want to see Joss perform his wizardry with casting unknowns, and none of these people are at all unknown -- except for the ones I don't know. ;-)

Edit: Deleted one of the too many somewheres.

[ edited by cabri on 2008-02-28 22:17 ]

cabri | February 28, 22:15 CET

While it would be great to see more of our favorite Whedon-verse actors in major roles, it would get a bit distracting. Perhaps they could do guest characters, or cameos, but let's cast the show fresh.

Oh, and I too would love to see Ben Browder on a Joss show. (I have a sudden urge to go watch Farscape again all of a sudden...)

AnotherFireflyfan | February 28, 22:17 CET

gossi-Ah! Well, in that case, I agree with you. And I highly doubt they'd go that route anyhow. As far as casting goes, most of the choices made for all three of Whedon's shows were excellent ones and I expect this show to be no different.

menomegirl | February 28, 22:18 CET

Question - what does G-Man mean?

gossi | February 28, 22:23 CET

G-Man (short for Government Man) is slang for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. The word "Government" stands for the United States Federal Government, as opposed to state or local government police agencies. ;-)

Anuris | February 28, 22:26 CET

I agree with gossi's second point-- that these roles will probably mostly be played by new people and not be a Buffy/Angel/Firefly reunion. And I wouldn't want to see such a reunion, myself. But the speculation doesn't really bother me.

And-- RUNAWAYS SPOILER for the people still reading the trades--

Topher was a vampire in Runaways. Nico stabbed him with the Staff of One and he told her "Whedon got it wrong"-- that won't kill him.

Sunfire | February 28, 22:28 CET

Saje -- there are many spelling/ radio/ telephone/ alphabets; if you are really a student of them you can supposedly tell where and when someone learned to use one (if they're doing that one correctly!) For example, the USMC has used at least three in addition to the NATO English. "X-ray" is probably the most common word across the English language versions. There's a very brief list at Wikipedia under "spelling alphabet"

htom | February 28, 22:29 CET

Hah. And thanks, Anuris.

gossi | February 28, 22:30 CET

Hey I just remembered Springsteen has a song called "Dollhouse."

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SgcaAN0t0A

I'm sure somewhere out there is already working on a mock opening credits and is looking for a theme song ;-)

IMMORTAL | February 28, 22:33 CET

Does that mean that some poor sods are stuck with Golf, Hotel and Uniform? ;)

Charlie Foxtrot.

MissKittysMom | February 28, 22:35 CET

I can't wait to meet India Quebec. ;-)

cabri | February 28, 22:37 CET

Cheers htom (and cabri), that helped (I was searching on "phonetic alphabet" with only partial success). I remember learning one in the Cubs and then a few years later hearing a different version so I knew there were at least two ;).

(and, thinking about it, there was also "Easy company" from 'Band of Brothers' so I also knew it hadn't always been 'Echo')

Further casting speculation:

Morgan - Welsh, born of the sea
Freeman - English, man who is free

Probably pure coincidence, but 'Sanders' is related to aleXander which means 'defender' or 'defender of man'. Claire means bright, shining or famous. So if Dr Claire Sanders ends up being a goodie, I wouldn't exactly be amazed ;).

And Ballard, like Adele, also means something like noble (literally, "high lord"). Paul as well as the Mine-ear (as it turns out ;) connection, mean 'small' or 'humble' so he may well be a slightly ambiguous, confused good/bad guy. De Witt means white or blond.

Good game gossi ;).

Saje | February 28, 22:56 CET

Paul was also the name of an FBI agent in Tim Minear's The Inside. Everybody hated the character, except me. He looked after Becky.

Repeat after Joss: Timothy Mine-Ear.

[ edited by gossi on 2008-02-28 22:59 ]

gossi | February 28, 22:58 CET

Does that mean that some poor sods are stuck with Golf, Hotel and Uniform? ;)

I'd take the name of golf. :)

crazygolfa | February 28, 23:05 CET

Hahaha I mis-pronounced Minear's name for years. I believe I said it somewhere along the lines of: Min-ee-arr. It wasn't until I saw some Firefly dvd interview that I was like...ohhhh!

MySerenity | February 28, 23:07 CET

Does anyone know-is this going to be a 'Mutant Enemy' production...or is that gone now?

AFAIK it is supposed to be a co-production between ME and Eliza's newly established 'Boston Diva Productions' production company.

gossi - You're welcome. ;-) I actually didn't know it too, but as I was wondering what happened to the government agent character about who we heard before, it crossed my mind to look up the "G-man" expression... after which I came here and played the wise guy. :-)

Anuris | February 28, 23:08 CET

MySerenity, don't feel bad. I mis-pronounced Minear in front of about 800 people on a loud speaker system. And then Joss corrected me. As I died of shame.

gossi | February 28, 23:10 CET

To be honest, I could care less about the casting speculations, but reading the character names/descriptions has gotten me so incredibly excited. The idea of all these juicy new characters--and of them being fleshed out into "real" people who can't just be described in one sentence--reminds me of why I love Joss's shows.

Lirazel | February 28, 23:11 CET

He looked after Becky.

Well he tried gossi, in his own decent, earnest, morally upright fashion. I'm not sure he really knew just how much of a mess she was in though (Webs knew though, boy did he ;).

Didn't hate Paul but he started out a bit one dimensional, he got more interesting after the lonely hearts killer episode though. Adam's character struck me the same way but unfortunately he never really had time to round out.

Saje | February 28, 23:12 CET

I agree, he did it in his earnest, blinkered view point, with best intentions but little clue. The reason I liked Paul was 'cause he's like me.

gossi | February 28, 23:14 CET

Thus we cross the Freeman Threshold at 37 comments in. I'm curious, did this start as a joke during the Wonder Woman speculation threads, as I seem to remember, or was that actually a reference to something else?

Sunfire | February 28, 23:23 CET

I didn't hate Paul. I don't think I disliked anyone on The Inside. Of course, time has made me fonder of all of them. Doesn't Jay Harrington need a job? And Peter Coyote?

TamaraC | February 28, 23:23 CET

And I wonder what Katie Finneran's doing at the moment ?

(I agree it shouldn't be filled with Joss' mates, that's why i've moved onto Tim's ;)

Thus we cross the Freeman Threshold at 37 comments in. I'm curious, did this start as a joke during the Wonder Woman speculation threads, as I seem to remember, or was that actually a reference to something else?

AFAIK that's where it started Sunfire, might've been a meme before my time though, a pre-me meme ;).

(dunno who started it, I want to say billz but I don't rightly recall for sure)

Saje | February 28, 23:30 CET

Has anybody seen billz lately? I just googled Morgan Freeman Whedonesque - 960 hits. Heh.

gossi | February 28, 23:36 CET

82 hits using site:whedonesque.com

Sunfire | February 28, 23:45 CET

Caroline Dhavernas?

TamaraC | February 28, 23:47 CET

Kuno Becker.

gossi | February 28, 23:48 CET

You're just making names up now.

Has anybody seen billz lately?

Nah, he popped back in towards the end of last year then popped back out again (I know he was steering clear to get some studying done, could be he just got used to passing his courses - stuff like that can become habit forming if you're not careful ;).

(and a couple of those links indicate that Joss was the originator of the Freeman riff Sunfire. Quelle surprise ;)

Saje | February 28, 23:54 CET

Dave Lizewski. And I say that as the world's numero uno Buffy maniac.

Simon | February 28, 23:54 CET

Amanda Bynes would make a perfect Doll, she nearly always looks brain-wiped. (Altho she did a surprisingly decent job in Sydney White)

cabri | February 28, 23:56 CET

Harry Oaioeu. I also think Pete Peuahliegh-Konsonanz could play any number of roles.

Saje | February 28, 23:57 CET

Jade Carter. Excellent actor and great guy.

TamaraC | February 28, 23:59 CET

Emma Thompson as a semi-mythical "doll that got away", kind of the Steve McQueen of dolls.

Saje | February 29, 00:04 CET

You're just making names up now.

Not so - Eliza has actually worked with Kuno before on a movie film.

I can't believe Joss started the Morgan Freeman thing. That just adds to the hilarity, as I was presumed it was us being stupid which started it.

gossi | February 29, 00:09 CET

Caroline Dhavernas?

Oh, someone beat me to it.

theonetruebix | February 29, 00:23 CET

I would totally kill to get an audition for this show...

*sigh* A girl can dream.

Rogue | February 29, 00:26 CET

Thge only name I agree with is Michelle Forbes. Has anyone been watching In Treatment, where she has played Gabriel Byrne's wife, with quiet vehemence? That is the scariest best program I have ever seen outside of Buffy, and if Joss can find a way to get her and Mia Wasikowska in there, I'd love him forever.

[ edited by Dana5140 on 2008-02-29 15:48 ]

Dana5140 | February 29, 00:27 CET

Caroline Dhavernas, god yes! She neeeeeeds to be in another tv series.

AnotherFireflyfan | February 29, 00:53 CET

Interesting that a woman in her 40's who's an "iceberg" would be in charge of this "Dollhouse". I wonder if we'll get an insight on why she'd take such a job, like maybe it's her chance to change people at will after people have tried to chancge her. I mean, is the Dollhouse her own creation, or is someone else behind all this. Hopefully, this show will be around long enough for us to understand.
As for who'd play this role, I'd choose Dana Delaney if she wasn't on "Desperate Housewives". Jill Hennessey, who used to be on "Crossing Jordan" would also be a possibility.

impalergeneral | February 29, 01:22 CET

Oh, fun! Speculation and fantasy casting!

For Paul Ballard, how about Mark Valley? I think that he would be awesome in a Whedon show. He rocked in "Keen Eddie" and I think that he has been wasted in "Boston Legal".

Pliny | February 29, 01:42 CET

I hope Joss adds in some people of color in this cast. His shows have tended to get progressively better on this front, so I know his heart is in the right place, but still--a world where everyone speaks Chinese but there isn't a single character of east Asian descent with a speaking role? What's that about?
The shows were great on gender and sexuality. Race--not so much.

With any luck, the awesomeness of B* Galactica has paved the way on this front.

rufustfyrfly | February 29, 01:48 CET

I love, Love, LOVE Ben Browder and would be thrilled to see him play any role in the Whedonverse.

Saturn Girl | February 29, 01:52 CET

Interesting that there's such a large ensemble cast. I was getting the impression that this was going to be more of an episodic show, focusing on ED and guest actors and what happened when they commissioned a doll. Looks more like it'll be focused on the dolls and the crew that maintains them.

[ edited by shambleau on 2008-02-29 02:34 ]

shambleau | February 29, 02:33 CET

Michael Muhney would be a good Victor or Paul Ballard. I also second what rufusfyrfly said.

Nebula1400 | February 29, 02:34 CET

40'ish ice queen: Carrie-Anne Moss would be my suggestion. The actress who played Trinity in the Matrix films. I checked IMDb and she isn't up to much. She has a great look.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2008-02-29 02:50 ]

Tonya J | February 29, 02:49 CET

Herc of AICN says the plan is to shoot the pilot, and only the pilot, prior to the SAG deadline, and then wait and see what happens with those negotiations.

theonetruebix | February 29, 03:01 CET

Jen Godwin from E! Online's Watch with Kristin blog says that the production office for Dollhouse will open in about 2 weeks. Not big news or anything, but I thought I'd share it with you guys.

hobnail | February 29, 04:02 CET

Ooh, and the casting sides are out - floating around the internet. Very interesting. It's so lovely to read Joss' words again - and his amusing script asides. Also, spoilers obviously - and already intrigue in some characters.

Can't wait to read/learn/see/hear more!

crossoverman | February 29, 04:05 CET

Fantasy casting is great fun; I doubt anyone here harbors any illusions that it will affect the real-life biz.

What's offputting to me about Ausiello's piece is, as Lirazel (perhaps inadvertently) implied above, the reduction of what we know will be hugely brilliant characters to, frankly, silly one-liners that sound like bad preview voice-overs: "Malcolm Reynolds - he was a disillusioned veteran who had a simple yearning to be free"; Wesley Wyndham-Pryce - he was a pompous Brit before he realized how far he had to travel before he would return . . . Home".

Much as I'm incredibly tempted to read sides, I will forbear in order to stoke up the delicious anticipation I'm already feeling about this show. :-)

SoddingNancyTribe | February 29, 04:09 CET

the casting sides are out - floating around the internet

I fear my Google fu will not be up to this challenge.

theonetruebix | February 29, 04:11 CET

Not that this is related to casting (I'll be happy just to see the show on, to hell with who's in it), but I wonder what happens to dolls when they get too old to work. Are they killed? Kept on as advisory staff? Maybe they get rewarded with getting to keep some of their memories for a change.

And now that I think of it (and more on topic), Ian Somerhalder would be a cool choice. I haven't seen him in anything recently.

deepgirl187 | February 29, 04:18 CET

Much as I'm incredibly tempted to read sides,

The sides are much more interesting and informative than those taglines in the TV Guide piece.

I fear my Google fu will not be up to this challenge.

Yeah, I doubt they'll come up on Google...

I wonder what happens to dolls when they get too old to work.

The casting sides suggest...

... that the Dolls have volunteered themselves for five years - for a huge payout at the end. This, of course, could be a load of crapola.

Food for thought.

[ edited by crossoverman on 2008-02-29 04:31 ]

crossoverman | February 29, 04:29 CET

Michael Muhney would be perfect for the Victor or Paul character. I would also like to see Felicia Day in this somewhere. Maybe another doll? I just adore her. I am so excited about this show :)

Harmalicious | February 29, 04:39 CET

The horrible thing about the casting wishlist is that now I can only see Forbes as Adelle. Heh.

theonetruebix | February 29, 04:43 CET

The horrible thing about the casting wishlist is that now I can only see Forbes as Adelle. Heh.

Yes, exactly!

crossoverman | February 29, 04:44 CET

I'm sure Joss will pick people so perfect for the roles, none of us could imagine anyone else taking their places.

Nebula1400 | February 29, 05:24 CET

Nebula1400 He does have that knack, doesn't he?

I'm sure we'll have characters we love instantly, and those we hate instantly, and those we're on the fence about. And then he'll rip our hearts out, and then he'll make us laugh, and we'll change our minds about some we hate, and some we love, and then he'll rip out hearts out again.

Can't wait.

ShadowQuest | February 29, 06:09 CET

What's offputting to me about Ausiello's piece is, as Lirazel (perhaps inadvertently) implied above, the reduction of what we know will be hugely brilliant characters to, frankly, silly one-liners that sound like bad preview voice-overs

Yes, that's how I feel. Thanks for putting it in a much better way.

hacksaway | February 29, 06:41 CET

Andre Braugher could be interesting choice for the father figure role, Boyd Langton. I wasn't a huge fan of his short-lived FX series THIEF, but he was brilliant on it and the best part of the show was the unique stepfather/stepdaughter relationship between his character and Mae Whitman's.

I'm also all for Michelle Forbes and Caroline Dhavernas.

WindTheFrog | February 29, 07:02 CET

And if one were to look for these casting sides online, where would one look? I'm using dogpile search engine, and I found zilch.

If anyone has them, but doesn't necessarily want to post them here...e-mail me. I would love, love, love to see them!!!

Harmalicious | February 29, 07:02 CET

Yay! Found them!

Harmalicious | February 29, 07:31 CET

I don't really care about the casting spec -- because Joss will cast who he casts and frankly, it's harmless and fun fantasy speculation -- but what's really got me excited is: Victor, the "distractingly handsome" male Doll. YAY! I was a little worried that we'd only get female, "drowning women"-type female Dolls, and I love Joss's touch with female characters, but a male Doll was absolutely needed in the main cast to make the whole concept less exploitation-y.

Plus: HOT. yay! yay! something for the peeps among us who appreciate that kind of thing. Thank you Joss. (*cough* may I suggest Sean Maher??)

dottikin | February 29, 08:04 CET

to make the whole concept less exploitation-y

Of course, the entire premise appears to be exploitation.

theonetruebix | February 29, 08:24 CET

I do love that it's an Equal Opportunity Exploitation theme, though.

Though it's interesting that (from the casting sides, bit plot spoilery) the main cast Male Doll is also an FBI agent. So he's at least doing a job... as best he can... under the cirumstances. Oooh, grey areas!

crossoverman | February 29, 08:46 CET

Deleted by gossi.

[ edited by gossi on 2008-02-29 15:24 ]

gossi | February 29, 09:22 CET

Deleted by crossoverman.

[ edited by crossoverman on 2008-03-01 00:35 ]

crossoverman | February 29, 10:24 CET

Regarding quoting the dialogue from the sides at Whedonesque, I would ask that this be curtailed until further notice. Basically cause I'm not actually sure where we legally stand on this issue.

Previously in the past, some message boards/forums didn't allow sides dialogue discussion for fear of C&D orders from 20th Century Fox. And I think this may have actually happened at some places but I'll have to ask those with better memories than me.

Simon | February 29, 10:46 CET

I wonder if there is an 'alpha' doll out there somewhere that Echo is going to come across and either rescue or learn from.

Interesting. The first thing I thought when I saw the names, though, was that it might be like Men In Black - the code name taken from the first letter of the actual name. Guess we'll see.

dreamlogic | February 29, 10:56 CET

We could get a lot of casting sides through pm the person who had them, but we did avoid discussing them in some of the major boards.

I think it should be better be safe, than sorry. And we all know how Joss feels about spoilers.

Numfar PTB | February 29, 11:08 CET

I second Stephanie Romanov for the role of Adelle, please give his woman a role Joss. She's such a wonderful actress, I adored Lilah!

vampmogs | February 29, 11:14 CET

dreamlogic: The first thing I thought when I saw the names, though, was that it might be like Men In Black - the code name taken from the first letter of the actual name. Guess we'll see.

Oooh, I didn't remember the name thing! Well, so far we've spelled out SVEN ... or perhaps if you double up Echo we have SEVEN. Veddy interestink...

cabri | February 29, 12:08 CET

You could even triple up Echo (Echo ... Echo ... Echo).

Also, take the numeric positions of each doll's letter/name (E[cho]=5, N[ovember]=14 etc.), recursively add the individual digits together, numerology stylee and you end up with 6. I mean, surely we all see it right ? 6 ? From 'Battlestar Galactica' ? The dolls are clearly cylons, no other possibility even remotely makes sense.

Saje | February 29, 12:28 CET

I just meant her name might be Emily, or Elizabeth, or Effy (no snide comments - my grandmother's name). But probably not.

dreamlogic | February 29, 12:49 CET

Sure, a cylon called Emily, like that makes sense.

(knew what you meant dl and it's at least possible. Makes an X-Ray doll fairly unlikely too which is handy ;)

Saje | February 29, 12:56 CET

Good fun but I'm very happy about the "no more quoting sides."

It's one thing to learn the names of characters and the one-dimensional descriptions in this article, which may or may not be totally accurate but are at any rate not so spoilery because of their one dimensionalness (OK, the very ptospect of a new Joss show is already having an odd effect my vocabulary :-)

But I don't want to hear the dialog before hand, that would really spoil half the fun.
And thanks to everyone who blanked out what I assume are more serious spoilers.

Shey | February 29, 13:37 CET

Andre Braugher could be interesting choice for the father figure role, Boyd Langton. I wasn't a huge fan of his short-lived FX series THIEF, but he was brilliant on it and the best part of the show was the unique stepfather/stepdaughter relationship between his character and Mae Whitman's.

There's virtually no chance of it happening, but that would be incredible. Just his scenes in the interrogation room on Homicide would have made that show watchable. He's a remarkable actor. One of those guys who could play the lead on House better than Hugh Laurie.

The Sandy Llama | February 29, 14:04 CET

Fantasy casting--at least for Dollhouse--interests me not at all, but I'm loving these character descriptions.

And I'm going to attempt to find those casting sides. (Seriously, if you have them, please e-mail me.)

About billz, mah main twin, for those who asked...it's true that he hasn't been hanging out at the W for quite some time, but he can be reached via his MySpace (not sure if he wants it spread all over the place, though, so I'm not gonna link it here).

UnpluggedCrazy | February 29, 15:25 CET

I've removed my quotage from Dollhouse above. I was a bit excitable when I posted it.

I will say, dear man-friends -- Joss Whedon is back. With style.

Get excited. Seriously - get excited.

[ edited by gossi on 2008-02-29 15:27 ]

gossi | February 29, 15:26 CET

Are hints on how to find these casting sides allowed? I'm not finding them, and though I hate spoilers I'm dying to see them. (Yes, I'm a deeply conflicted person. :-)

kyrumption | February 29, 15:57 CET

There can never be enough Michelle Forbes on TV. Fact.
Saje | February 28, 21:46 CET

My heart remains inconsolably broken that she didn't continue on in the role of Ro Laren. There could never be enough Ro Laren. And speaking of ignoble deaths, I thought her final appearance in STNG sucked. In my own private Star Trekverse, she survived the final Bajoran/Cardassian conflict, and is somewhere out there roaming the galaxy with Number 1.2 who she rescued from Cardassian prison, hopefully to show up someday in a better Star Trek movie.

barboo | February 29, 16:58 CET

Simon says:

Dave Lizewski. And I say that as the world's numero uno Buffy maniac

Seems to me that Joss himself claimed that position here on Whedonesque some time ago.

Lioness | February 29, 17:20 CET

One of those guys who could play the lead on House better than Hugh Laurie.
The Sandy Llama | February 29, 14:04 CET

Blasphemer!
Just kidding. Kind of. Andre Braugher is, indeed, totally awesome... but better than Hugh Laurie?? Does not compute :)

miri47 | February 29, 17:24 CET

But I don't want to hear the dialog before hand, that would really spoil half the fun.

While I get this, and have no objection to the blackout on it, I would tend to think that if a thread is marked (SPOILER) like this one is, you have to just assume, if you don't like spoilers, that you ought not to read it at all. If you do, you can't complain if there are spoilers in it.

And good to see Braugher getting the love. He was my only real casting wish in the previous thread on casting wishes.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2008-02-29 17:48 ]

theonetruebix | February 29, 17:47 CET

And now that I have the sides, I've decided not to read them. I just don't want to be spoiled. I'll hang on to them if anyone wants to see them.

Harmalicious | February 29, 18:06 CET

I want them, please! (I'm still trying to decide whether I really want to read them, but I want to know that I can if I want to. :-)

kyrumption | February 29, 19:00 CET

Please, Harmalicious...I'm like a smack addict sweating profusely without his fix. It's scary, really.

Help put an end to profuse sweating.

UnpluggedCrazy | February 29, 20:03 CET

And then he'll rip our hearts out, and then he'll make us laugh, and we'll change our minds about some we hate, and some we love, and then he'll rip out hearts out again.

So the scenario in "Underneath" from Angel Season 5 was a metaphor for what Joss does to us!

Nebula1400 | February 29, 20:50 CET

And then he'll eat us starting from our bottoms.

hacksaway | February 29, 21:36 CET

Ahhh, I miss the old days when I would try to avoid spoilers but know it’s futile when I find myself reading an article that has ‘Possible Spoilers’ in the top, thinking that I’m suave enough to not read the “naughty” parts.

But then I give up completely when a big storyline comes up and I lap on at every possible smidge even if it is a blatant fake-out. *sigh* Those were the times when fanfics boomed the most *wipes stray tear*

And seeing as I am not admitting to Dollhouse’s existence until my powers of jinx hold no claim over the workings of the universe… I’m not really here.

Mirage | February 29, 22:21 CET

Oh. Wow.

*Heroically refrains from further comment.*

ETA: Thanks, Harm!

[ edited by kyrumption on 2008-02-29 23:04 ]

kyrumption | February 29, 23:03 CET

Me for November. No, I'm serious, where do I send my headshots too? I have absolutely no issue being "the Tracy Turnblad" of dolls, as a matter of fact I think I would be perfect for this. I know where to get the sides, just tell the time and place of the audition and I will be there. Please, and thank you.

ShadyLane | February 29, 23:18 CET

I also agree that Michelle Forbes is a brilliant actress. I first noticed her in 24, then Prison Break, and by that time had become a fan, so whenever she appeared briefly in an episode of Alias I was really happy. I had heard about her being in Battlestar Galactica quite a while before I saw the second season, so I was really looking forward to it, and Admiral Cain was the best performance of hers I'd seen.

She's one of those actresses who has a really prolific output in TV, but usually as a guest star or supporting character, but she truly deserves to start taking on main roles that will give her the attention she deserves.

Really, most of the actors and actresses I tend to love appear in TV shows or films which have a certain level of intelligence and emotional resonance, so it's only natural that I'd love to see any of them performing work that Joss has written. But generally it is the supporting characters or slightly less famous actors that come to mind, because Joss has such a brilliant way of bringing out amazing acting talent.

Razor | February 29, 23:39 CET

Ooooh Harm, I'd love you forever if you could shoot those sides over to me too. I'm a shameless spoiler junkie.

zuzuspetals11 | February 29, 23:39 CET

ShadyLane I have no clue who Tracy Trueblo...uh...Turn...what now? Blad? What the heck? Any way, don't know who she is, but I'm with you on the wanting to submit headshots.

Hmm....maybe I should update my info with Image 1. Especially if Johnny Depp actually does film that Derringer movie in my neck of the woods. I mean...The Hideaway's only about twenty minutes from here.

Nebula1400 And if I'd seen Season Five (Or, ya know, most of "Angel" for that matter) I'd be able to agree (Or possibly dis) with you.

hacksaway LOL and ouch! So not going to that visual place....not....going....damn. Too late.

ShadowQuest | February 29, 23:44 CET

Tracy Turnblad - wikipedia is your friend!

crossoverman | March 01, 00:36 CET

ShadowQuest if your agent can give you the much needed info of a time and place I will go with you, I can also house you here in LA if you want.

ShadyLane | March 01, 00:59 CET

I would definitely love some of those casting sides, if someone would be kind enough to send me them.

Racoon Boy | March 01, 01:24 CET

Mirage: And seeing as I am not admitting to Dollhouse’s existence until my powers of jinx hold no claim over the workings of the universe

See what happens when you don't isolate your bad luck variables ? It could be a black cat or not crossing fingers or ... We may never know ;).

My heart remains inconsolably broken that she didn't continue on in the role of Ro Laren.

Yeah barboo, Laren rocked, hard. And I hate to break it to you but your private universe ain't so private (along with Larry surviving but with a broken back) i've always seen Thom Riker as living through that Cardie prison (maybe with Ro's help) and going on to do some cool shit.

(if you - and Razor ;) - have the means, check out the ill-fated 'Global Frequency' pilot where Michelle Forbes plays Miranda Zero. It was a never picked up show based on a brilliant Warren Ellis comic and she's great in it. The comic is basically an anarchistic call to arms dressed up as mass entertainment with a healthy dollop of metaphysical mystery thrown in and the show (written by John 'Kung Fu Monkey' Rogers), though not flawless, had elements of the gist of the core of the idea - basically, he did his best considering it was for network TV ;)

ETA: and hacksaway ? Were I drinking that'd have been a stuff out of nose moment ;).

[ edited by Saje on 2008-03-01 02:25 ]

Saje | March 01, 02:23 CET

Andre Braugher could be interesting choice for the father figure role, Boyd Langton.

Ooooh. What an excellent idea. Andre with Joss material to perform would be positively amazing.

swanjun | March 01, 02:48 CET

My heart remains inconsolably broken that she didn't continue on in the role of Ro Laren. There could never be enough Ro Laren. And speaking of ignoble deaths, I thought her final appearance in STNG sucked. In my own private Star Trekverse, she survived the final Bajoran/Cardassian conflict, and is somewhere out there roaming the galaxy with Number 1.2 who she rescued from Cardassian prison, hopefully to show up someday in a better Star Trek movie.

Barboo, you should check out the DS9 relaunch novels (there's a full list on Wikipedia), which continue the story from where the seventh season left off. Ro's the new security chief on DS9 in them. The characterization isn't bad.

swanjun | March 01, 02:53 CET

If anyone has the casting sides would it be possible for them to send me a copy? I'm dying to see them!

vampmogs | March 01, 07:06 CET

All you folks that want the sides, just e-mail me. Click on my user name, and you can get my e-mail.

Harmalicious | March 01, 07:07 CET

Thanks, I'll email you now.

So excited about Dollhouse!

vampmogs | March 01, 07:24 CET

Thanks, Harm, for them there casting sides. The profuse sweating has ended. (For now.)

Those were absolutely brilliant, and I dearly hope I haven't spoiled myself too much!

UnpluggedCrazy | March 01, 07:41 CET

JENSEN FREAKIN' ACKLES. Nuff said.

kerfuffle | March 01, 07:52 CET

JENSEN FREAKIN' ACKLES. Nuff said.

Yeah... they are still making "Supernatural" - at least four more episodes to finish off the third season. Doubtful he'll be free for "Dollhouse".

crossoverman | March 01, 10:04 CET

I'm not sure I could cope with the.... intensity from some of Jensen's fans.

gossi | March 01, 11:57 CET

"I'm not sure I could cope with the.... intensity from some of Jensen's fans.
gossi | March 01, 11:57 CET"

Yeah, because this being a Whedon show, intense fans of one of the actors or characters will stick out like a sore thumb.

All together now, ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

;-)

newcj | March 01, 12:21 CET

DR. CLAIRE SANDERS = Maura Tierney.... please?

Leaf | March 01, 13:07 CET

Those actors I do know, I would be very excited to see in the show. As much as I love Tony Head, I gasped out loud at the notion of Mitch Pileggi playing the father-figure role. It just seems too obvious to recast Head in more or less the same role. And after seeing him in Doctor Who, I hope that if he does show up, he'll play a villain.

alpha5099 | March 01, 15:54 CET

Wow, I have been so tempted by spoilers on this site lately! First the cover to issue #16 and now the casting sides.

I wants them! But... I'm sure I'll ultimately be happier if I steer clear and get to experience the surprises as they happen.

swanjun | March 01, 18:54 CET

Taylor Kitsch, who played Riggins on Friday Night Lights, would be great as the handsome doll. And Kyle Chandler as Echo's mentor. Deadwood's Calamity Jane, Robin Weigert, is Michelle Forbes equal as far as I'm concerned. I'd love to see her involved.

shambleau | March 01, 19:27 CET

Wow, Robin Weigert is one of the few suggestions here I really, really agree with. Good one, shambleau.

UnpluggedCrazy | March 02, 02:47 CET

February 28 2008