Recasting Buffy the Vampire Slayer - BtVS

Interesting to think about, even though it is hard to consider who I'd want to play those characters other than who has already played them. Also interesting to think about: potential plot for a 2 hour Buffy movie that includes all those characters. (Spike and Dru AND the mayor? Who is working for who?)

LadyJay | July 12, 15:05 CET

Hmmm... Over all, not bad! I think I would switch Garfield and Glover, I'd love to se Danny Glover take on Xander. And I'm kinda pumped at the idea of Tom Hiddleston as Giles. The only ones I'm not big on are the castings for Buffy, Faith & Spike. I like Jennifer Lawrence, but she always seems so dour (though that could be just the roles she's cast as). Where as Buffy, even when being yanked out of Heaven had some great one liners and some pep to her. I'm not really familiar with that woman who was almost Wonder Woman. All I know is that the leaked clip of her was awful. And Dominic Monaghan is awesome, but he's also so cute and lovable, I have a hard time believing him as our favorite rebel.

Ciella | July 12, 15:26 CET

I don't think some of the choices especially the male ones are good.(cranston and glover are the exceptions) Garfield would make a better Wesley than a Xander. I tried doing one of my own to see if I could do better than them but I gave up.

Heres what I had before I gave up though
Drusilla
Aubrey Plaza
Buffy
Brittany Snow
Dawn
Analeigh Tipton
Willow
Jane Levy? Felicia Day?

Lockescythe | July 12, 15:26 CET

He so got Spike wrong. But since a million people already told him that on his site I will not add to the pile.

I can't really think of anyone who could play the internal multitudes that comprise Spike. Except James.

But Hayden Panatierre was my choice for Buffy. Is she too old now?

Xane | July 12, 15:27 CET

And for random bad suggestions on Faith and Cordelia.

Krysten Ritter
Cordelia
Kat Dennings
Faith

Lockescythe | July 12, 15:33 CET

Overall the picks are pretty good, Snyder, Giles, Mayor & Cordelia roles are dead on. I don't think Glover would work as OZ. Glover would make a much better Xander.

garyyager | July 12, 15:36 CET

i really dont think anyone can do justice to what the original cast

hallow | July 12, 16:10 CET

Carey Mulligan as Buffy
Chloe Moretz as Faith
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Ripper
Chord Overstreet as Xander
Ellen Page as Jenny Calender
Adam Sandler as Angel _{(just kidding)}

alexreager | July 12, 16:21 CET

Gary Oldman for Giles. I was goung to suggest Chloe Moertz for Buffy and Ellen Page for Willow! Tim Roth for Spike.

[ edited by Dana5140 on 2012-07-12 16:26 ]

Dana5140 | July 12, 16:26 CET

I think Tim Roth would have been perfect when he was younger, but at 50+, I'm not seeing him as Spike anymore. I do think Chloe would be a great Buffy. I would want Donald Glover to be Xander instead of Oz, mostly because that would give him more screen time.

Jelly | July 12, 16:43 CET

This is gross and I would contemplate suicide if I had to watch it

RichiePalmer | July 12, 16:46 CET

I would prefer Tom Hiddleston play Wesley, of course. Or Martin Freeman.

LOVE Jennifer Lawrence for Buffy. Channing Tatum may be able to pull off the dramatic chops for Angel, although I've never seen him brood, and also he's Channing Tatum - a little overexposed to pull of the mysterious angle that David Boreanaz had in spades by being a newcomer.

Donald Glover would be a brilliant Oz... I never pictured him as Xander but he could definitely do it, that would be interesting.

Dominic Monaghan as SPIKE!? No. How about Benedict Cumberbatch? Although he couldn't do the Billy Idol 'do without looking ridiculous, he'd nail the complexity, humor, sexuality, and darkness of Spike. Or Tom Hiddleston. I seriously think he has the range that he could do Wesley or Spike brilliantly.

WhatsAStevedore | July 12, 16:49 CET

I wonder to what extent the Buffy cast worked because most of cast were relatively unheard of. As an audience I think being unable to project our own expectations onto the characters was a huge benefit.

That is definitely how I feel about Buffy herself at least.

I think some of the older cast members could be well known people; Hiddleston as Giles would be great. I also think Radcliffe as Weasley would be hilarious.

ALSO: Young Aziz Ansari as Xander? He is too old now, but I want to see him in a more dramatic role because I think he would be brilliant. Also, watching The Newsroom, I want Dev Patel to be in everything.

[ edited by insistondoubt on 2012-07-12 18:26 ]

insistondoubt | July 12, 16:50 CET

And I forgot to add Hailee Steinfeld somewhere in the mix. She fell off the radar after stealing the movie (IMO) in True Grit. Maybe as Willow.

alexreager | July 12, 17:17 CET

These choices are all over the board when it comes to ages and stuff, but there are some interesting choices.

Jenifer Lawrence, as much as I like her, probably can't pull off the Buffy speak.

I really like Jena Malone and I could see her pull off Willow. Just watch her in Donnie Darko(also, please watch Donnie Darko) and I bet you could see her do Willow well. Still differently, but well.

Andrew Garfield... I adore him and I'm sure he could play a Xander-esque character well, but I don't think he could do Xander well. Stiles on Teen Wolf, yes. Xander... I don't know if I buy it. This guy is insanely adorable though. I never much liked Xander (the constant Angel hating and his sabotaging as a result always irked me... But I never forgave him for leaving Anya at the altar), and because Andrew Garfield is just so damn likeable, I don't see him as a Xander. Maybe he could be a good Oz to Jena Malone's Willow though. Oh, my mind is racing with how cool that would be.

I DO think Donald Glover would be a great, great Xander, but I don't buy him as Oz.

Tom Hiddleston is great. Tom Hiddleston is also much too young to play Giles.

Mitholas | July 12, 17:44 CET

@insistondoubt I'm with you.

@alexreager I do love chord overstreet but can't see him as Xander

@lockscythe I know Felicia Day was Vi in the original but she could certainly pull off Willow

I'm going to think about if I had to totally recast who I would go with and get back to you all!

Wait! I got one! Andrew Lincoln as Giles!!

thesadeianwoman | July 12, 17:52 CET

Well, hey, Billy Idol could do Spike... :-)

Dana5140 | July 12, 18:30 CET

I agree that Felicia Day would make a great Willow, but she's too old to be Dawson's cast as a High School student, and if you are having the characters older you might as well have the original cast.

Unless it was a musical.

mr_waterproof | July 12, 18:53 CET

@mr_waterproof yes, this would be the perfect way to do a reboot movie - "Buffy: The Musical".

And if they do that then you could also cast Amber Benson as Jenny Calendar ('cos of, you know, the singing).

alittlebitbison | July 12, 19:56 CET

I would cast Amber Benson as Tara.... :-)

Dana5140 | July 12, 20:12 CET

Well yes, if you bring back the original cast (which I would also love to see); but I meant if you recast with younger actors then it would be nice if some original cast members could come back in different roles. (For instance, ASH always wanted to play a villain on Buffy, how about recasting him as the Mayor?)

alittlebitbison | July 12, 21:08 CET

It's always fun reading articles like this to see who people would pick to replace the original Buffy crew, but honestly the problem always remains the same. Everyone picks actors who are well known (in varying degrees). For a Buffy reboot to work I think the only way to go is with a cast of fresh faced, unknown actors. I can see an argument of the roles of Giles and any number of Buffy villains, but if this movie is to capture the joy of the original series, then it needs some new blood.

Jaci | July 12, 21:47 CET

Alternatively, Anna Torv could just be cast to play every role.

insistondoubt | July 12, 22:00 CET

Channing Tatnum as Angel? I think I just tasted bile.

Just, no. His blank stare and just . . . I really dislike him. He would not be on my list to play Angel at all.

. . . You know, I think Chris Evans would rock Angel.

Tom Hiddleston as Wes,not Giles. He would so rock the arguably best character arc in the Buffyverse.

Elf | July 12, 23:07 CET

Nobody's gonna agree with every possible choice, but just because I can't help myself:

Buffy: Brie Larson, Spike: Tom Hiddleston, Joyce: Katie Finneran, Wesley: Brian McElhaney, Faith: Naya Rivera and while I love Bryan Cranston as the mayor, I could also see Harry Anderson in the role.

Other actors to consider: Erin Karpluk, Paget Brewster, Craig Ferguson…

But all these were just first shot names.

MoonRose | July 12, 23:11 CET

Well, one thing it looks like we all agree on is that Tom Hiddleston needs to be in the movie.

Because ManPretty.

Elf | July 12, 23:14 CET

^^^ This. Also… ManTalented.

MoonRose | July 12, 23:16 CET

Tom Hiddleston is just ManAwesome.

Elf | July 12, 23:46 CET

I just realized that for me, I could feasibly see new actors in all of the roles except Willow and Spike. The other suggestions they made in the article seemed like they might work pretty well, but when they mentioned those two characters, my mind went "nope, not happening." Alyson Hannigan and James Marsters embodied those two so well, I just can't seen anyone else as remotely living up to their portrayals.

ETA: Also, Tom Hiddleston as Giles made me lose I.Q. points. Words can't describe how awesome that would be. :)

[ edited by deepgirl187 on 2012-07-12 23:53 ]

deepgirl187 | July 12, 23:52 CET

I was with him for the first casting suggestion, then not so much.

Craig Oxbrow | July 13, 00:03 CET

Since I've always thought Giles and Spike were very similiar I love the idea of Tom Hiddleston playing both equally.

And I second the Chloe Moretz as Buffy role. Hayden too, I feel she would do Whedon dialogue awesome and she's just the right height range to play Buffy.

eddy | July 13, 00:27 CET

Blech.

redeem147 | July 13, 00:29 CET

Jennifer Lawrence as Buffy - maybe
Channing Tatum as Angel - NO
Tom Hiddleston as Giles - Yes
Jena Malone as Willow - YES
Andrew Garfield as Xander - maybe...but leaning towards no.
Donald Glover as Oz - YES
Elisabeth Shue as Joyce - YES
Bradley Whitford as Snyder - Yes
Natalie Tena as Dru - maybe
Dominic Monaghan as Spike - no
Adrienne Palicki as Faith - no
Daniel Radcliffe as Wes - NO
Not going to acknowledge the last one...don't think he'd ever be in a Buffy movie.

His casting choices for Giles, Willow, Oz and Joyce are great. I am one who has always said any further incarnation of the Buffy characters has to be the same actors. BUT...if Hollywood HAD to reboot/remake it...I could definitely live with those.

Lawrence as Buffy and Garfield as Xander...decent but very mainstream and gimmicky choices. Lawrence could maybe pull it off...I don't think Garfield could. Whitford could probably do Snyder.

The hands down WORST choices here are Channing Tatum and Dan Radcliffe as Angel and Wes. Oh my gosh NO. I think Tatum is a horrible actor and Radcliffe is far too young and gimmicky. Palicki can't be BA enough for Faith.

Dru, maybe. But still...I don't think ANYONE could EVER play Spike besides James Marsters. EVER. If someone did, he'd have to be someone I've never heard of, because everyone I'm aware of couldn't do it.

Chris Oz | July 13, 02:17 CET

I'd still say Chris Evans as Angel, and I know it's an odd choice, but I'd think he'd be able to play a man out of time. Plus, if his role in "Scott Pilgrim" was any indication, he could probably do an awesome Angelus.

Another choice I'd like to see for Angel would be Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Tom Huddleston I'd like to see either be Spike or Wes. I'd think he'd nail them both, but he is too young for Giles. This maybe gimmicky, but David Tennent as Giles could be rather wicked. Or Hugh Laurie actually playing his own nationality for once.

Or Micheal Fassbender, because there always should be more Fassbender in the world.

Elf | July 13, 03:07 CET

Or Micheal Fassbender, because there always should be more Fassbender in the world.

This.. Full stop. :)

deepgirl187 | July 13, 03:24 CET

Like, once I wrote David Tennent then Fassbender I realized that Fassbender would be a much more amazing Giles. He can be smooth talking (Inglorious Bastards), Bad assed (Magneto, Centurion), have a dark side (Magneto), and be a stuffy know it all (Prometheus). Plus he's good looking, not too young but not too old, and he's just got this intensity to him.

I'd think he'd make a fantastic Giles.

Elf | July 13, 03:31 CET

Danny Trejo as Buffy.
(Casting should be race and gender blind. I think he has the acting chops to portray a blonde teenage girl...)

OneTeV | July 13, 04:11 CET

Read the list and I have to say that I disagree with a lot of it. My recasting would look more like:

Buffy: Emma Stone
Xander: Donald Glover
Angel: Jensen Ackles
Willow: Alison Brie
Cordelia: Adrienne Palicki
Giles: Michale Fassbender
Wesley: David Tennant
Spike: James Callis
Drusilla: Summer Glau
Oz: Martin Starr
Faith: Katee Sackoff
Joyce: Anna Gunn

comfortador | July 13, 04:13 CET

comfortador FTW - great bunch of suggestions.

steverogers | July 13, 04:37 CET

Comfortador, I would kiss you for suggesting Jensen Ackles as Angel. I'd think he'd do an excellent job. (And he's someone else who's VERY ManPretty.)

And I think Emma Stone would be a good Buffy.

Elf | July 13, 05:51 CET

Eh . . . I really like J-Law in general, but I don't see her as Buffy. Maybe darker seasons 5-7 Buffy, but not high school Buffy. And another name I've seen mentioned elsewhere, Diana Agron, would only fit for high school Buffy.

For both Buffys I could see Alison Brie going blonde - she has the range from Community and Mad Men to play both the comedy and the drama, and she was actually a Buffy knock-off in some canceled teen TV show, so she could pull off the slayer-ness.

I also adore Dominic, but I don't think anyone who could also play a hobbit could really get down and dirty with all the nuances of the Spike character.

I don't care if he's Xander or Oz, but Donald Glover should be involved in every fan cast of everything.

If you've seen Jena Malone in Saved!, you know she could play high school Willow, but I don't know if she could do badass wicca lesbian Willow very well.

And while we're naming Hiddleston as every other character, how about him for Buffy? I'm sure he could pull it off!

eilowyn | July 13, 06:21 CET

David Tennant as Wes, I got nothing after that.

Simon | July 13, 07:52 CET

Dream casting is dream, as they (don't really actually ever) say. As a Season 1 feature film, basically, Lawrence would be a great choice, she is more than equal to it, although probably too close to type-casting at this point.

When I saw the.. yeah... "Fright Night" remake, one of my few happy takeaways is that I thought Imogen Poots would make a good Buffy. Relative unknown to popcorn movie audiences, which a movie Buffy could use. Although, whoever mentioned her, I agree -- if we wait another few years to make the flick, the search starts and ends at Chloe Moretz.

This article did its best job with the more adult characters, i.e. Hiddleston, Shue. I'm also not really there with Channing Tatum at all. No mention of Enver Gjokaj for Angel, eh? Hmm.

Not seeing the anti-Dominic argument, not really for or against, but I'd be intrigued to see a scene test. Although eilowyn, wouldn't it inversely hold that James Marsters couldn't have played a Hobbit?

Forced to disagree with Summer Glau as Drusilla, if only because the poor woman deserves to play someone that isn't capital K 'crazy' in some form or another ("I don't get people nearly well enough" robot counts). Even "The Cape", sigh. She can be Jenny Calender, though :)

KingofCretins | July 13, 12:19 CET

Okay, I agree with Danny Trejo as Buffy.

redeem147 | July 13, 12:24 CET

I can see James Callis rocking the humour and darkness of Spike. But maybe that's just because I have a partiality towards his work.

cardea | July 13, 12:27 CET

I don't see it being done, at least, in our current line of thinking.

Nor should it. Better give it another 10 years or so to settle first.

Madhatter | July 13, 13:41 CET

"Star Trek" went less than 10 years from show to movie, and then about 10 years from movie franchise-start to entirely revamped, new show. In general, the sense of continuity of experience and tone were well maintained.

"Star Wars" went 16 years between new trilogies and managed to leave a pretty much complete chasm between two generations of fans.

(I'm not counting various cartoons and books and such as having the same weight in the whole "public consciousness" thing as having live action content -- to this extent, even the canonical "Buffy" comics aren't helpful, just as the canonical post-"Jedi" SW books weren't. They just don't have the reach)

I honestly don't care if we get --

-- a movie by 20th under the TV license with the same actors told in the existing canon, later on.
-- a movie by 20th under the TV license with all new actors rebooting the existing canon.
-- a movie by Warner under the sequel rights.

-- as long as it's good, fun, and makes people want to go check out the DVDs and comics for context and perspective.

It be time for some live action "Buffy".

KingofCretins | July 13, 13:54 CET

I am probably the only person in the world that did not like SMG's Buffy. I thought Kristen Bell would have been perfect, but I did love the series Buffy and Spike was my first vampire love. I could never see anyone else but James playing Spike.

Jensen Ackles would be great as Angel, he can play tormented soul better than anyone I know and let a tear fall and I am hooked. Thinking about it, I would not throw rocks at him as Spike, either. Can we let him play all the parts. lol

rehabber | July 13, 14:36 CET

I don't think it needs to be Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence has reaped so much acknowledgement of her range from Winters Bone though. There just aren't that many roles for teenage girls (I think she was a teenager at the time but I could be wrong) that are frankly that meaty. It was a hard role to watch, but it was great. I'm not sure Buffy's energy is a Katniss/Ree energy though.

azzers | July 13, 21:24 CET

I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I really don't see her as Buffy. Not if we're going with a high school story, anyway--she looks like she's in her twenties. Also, I think SMG's physicality (as a very small person who does not look intimidating) was an important part of the character. Like Jenny Calendar said: "Buffy's the Slayer? She's so ... little. To me, that's an important part of the character and the audience's reaction to her. (I don't think she was right for Katniss, either ... but that's another story.)

Also, Buffy's an iconic character, and if someone else is going to play her, I'd much prefer someone less well-known.

I like the idea of Alison Brie. She's a little old for it, but has a very young face and is hilarious. And maybe this hypothetical Buffy-movie could start when Buffy's a little older (junior or senior year of high school) so the age gap with the actors isn't too extreme.

erendis | July 14, 01:13 CET

July 12 2012