Mos Def as Windshear. Hey if he can pull off playing an alien from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuce he could pull off this role.
Mos Def as Windshear. Hey if he can pull off playing an alien from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuce he could pull off this role.
I've just been re-reading Alpha, and in his one appearance 'sans mask' (the illusion, #15) I thought The Master looked exactly like Donald Sutherland.
He can't pull off playing an alien from somewhere in the vicinity of Betelguese. (Sorry, I didn't buy any of the actors in the movie version. Not even Allan Rickman. Who'd also make a good Master.)
- Le Messor
"Don’t wrestle a pig in a mud hole. You both get all dirty, and the pig enjoys it."
Hi. My first posting here. I think it will be memorable.
The only woman I can see as Heather is Estella Warren. She's Canadian, beautiful, and she's got an athlete's build.
Her acting in Planet of the Apes was lousy, but she was fantastic on a recent episode of Law & Order. She played the heartless daughter in a mother-daughter con-artist team. Her mother was played by Linda Carter! If that's not an omen, I don't know what is! I haven't seen her in any other movies, though.
[/img]
I could also see Robert Beltram (Chekotay from Voyager) as Shaman.
Wanda would need to be an exotic looking woman, with mixed ethnic features to reflect Narya's white/Inuit mix. Kristin Kruek is a good example, but I think she's too short. Narya needs to be close to 6 ft. Uma Thurman?
In terms of time-frame, I think an Alpha Flight movie would only work if they kept the cast small. Think small (like Fantastic Four). I would prefer the main characters as: Heather/Vindicator, Shaman, and the white Sasquatch. There is only one worthy villian: Nemesis.
The events would take place:
1) After Mac died (the first time).
2) After Walter returned in Snowbird's body, and he is still very uncomfortable in Narya's body. Because of his discomfort, he spends most of his time as Sasquatch.
The main story could be: the Canadian gov't reforming AF with just these three members, to deal with a specific task, with the intent of growing larger later if they are successful.
A key theme would be: dealing with death. Obviously, Heather is struggling with leading a new AF after Mac's death. Shaman is troubled, having bound Walter in Narya's body. He speaks with Narya still, and we see her advising him on camera. (Thus, a dual-role for the actress playing Sasquatch.) Of course, Walter/Wanda has had the closest brush with death, but isn't sure he's ready to live life as a completely different person. Nemesis is the agent of death, and brings out the worst fears in our heroes.
Another key theme: Alpha Flight are not vigilantes, like Batman or Spiderman or Punisher. They represent law & order, not personal vendettas. The members struggle to keep personal goals secondary to their offical purpose. They arrest, not kill. They seek truth, not cover-up secrets. Nemesis represents vigilantism, personal vendetta, and supressing the truth. (Whether Dept H has the same intentions as AF, well...)
A final theme: intelligence. Unlike other muscle-bound (but dim-witted) heroes, the main members of Alpha Flight embody genuis. Mac, Micheal, and Walter are all scientists first, heroes second. Unlike other heroes, they actually are smarter than their opponents. Nemesis is a villain of pure rage, while Alpha Flight are pure genius.
Some sexual tension between Heather and Micheal would work, too (though not very "canon").
And Walther/Wanda is clearly having trouble dealing with life, and having a humorous identity crisis, too! (I can think of many funny gags with a man trapped in a woman's body.)
I can't see a big role for Puck or the twins. Maybe in future movies.
Not bad Snowsquatch (like your picks for the actors), but I think you would have to have Mac and the twins in the first movie. I see Mac dying at the end so Heather can take over in the sequel. IMO the first villain should be the Master and AF should include Guardian (Mac), Sas, Shaman, and the twins with Heather as Mac's 2nd-in-command and Marrina as a Beta.
At the end Mac is (supposedly) killed by the Master, Marrina is accepted onto the team and Heather is offered the job as team leader.
Welcome to the boards Snowsquatch!
I think that the Master would infact be a great first villian, but I was watching a trailer for Mission Impossible 3 and even though I don't care for tom cruise flicks, there was one line in the trailer that Phillip Seamour(?) Hoffman said to Tom, and that was. I will kill you in front of you're lovely wife and it made me think of Omega Flight. I think that would be a great group to go up against
OH YES! Welcome Sasquatch! Mind the mold in the cupboard, it's just from some of the more senior members
We could see Mac in a flashback; several flashbacks, really. And the twins could be seen in passing, but I think their psychological complexes are too heavy for an "intro" movie. Maybe movie 2? (Besides, hasn't NorthStar joined the X-Men?)Originally Posted by Legerd
Think of it like StarWars: the Byrne material is the prequel stuff, and we are dumped into the middle of the action with plenty of "backstory" established for Heather, Micheal, and Walter.
But that would violate "canon." The way I see it, "canon" is everything John Bynre did. All the movie events would have to follow John's contributions. Mac was killed by Jaxxon/Box, but that story arc is too long for a movie, I think.Originally Posted by Legerd
As for "the Master" I think the whole Marrina/Master/Plodex story is way too big for a movie.
Nemesis is the perfect movie villain because:
a) we still know so little about her,
b) leaving lots for a movie writer to fill in,
c) without violating John Byrne's canon.
She also looks cool. Can you see her sneaking around in a Mountie uniform, with her sword hiding in place of a Mountie's normal sword?
I also see her beating Vindicator and getting away with her geothermal suit. (Girls Fighting = Very Cool) Heather is (reluctantly) forced to don the electromagnetic Guardian suit to face Nemesis a second time. Just imagine Nemesis in the Vindicator suit!
Why, thank you!Originally Posted by Legerd
I also think Graham Greene could be a great Shaman, but that would require seeing him as a much older character.
It would also require changing him from an "action" type to a "Gandalf/Yoda/Xavier" type. That would be ok with me!
And, he's Canadian!
Ok, now we need a Canadian gal to play Narya and Wanda/Sasquatch.
Is Kim Cattrall too old? I don't think so.
Natasha Henstridge?
Sarah Polley?
Elisha Cuthbert?
But all these women are very "white" and not exotic looking enough (except for Natasha, I suppose). Sigh, I wish Kristin Kruek was taller.
Ok, I think I have someone "exotic" enough for Narya:
Yasmeen Ghauri is Canadian, grew up in Montreal. She's 5'10". Ethnic background: German/Pakistani. Born 1971.
Obviously, she'll need a platinum dye job.
But she was a model, not an actress.
Mac is too major a player in Alpha history to be shown only in flashbacks, it would like not having Prof. X in the X-men movies because he's no longer in the X-men comics.Originally Posted by Snowsquatch
I don't think there's been a single movie adaptation that maintained a comic's continuity exactly. In the Punisher Frank Castle is an FBI officer instead of a Viet Nam vet; in X-men Magneto's first appearance is when he tries to mutate normal humans unlike his attempt to steal nuclear missles as in the comic. In The Hulk Bruce Banner isn't a scientist developing a gamma bomb for the military, in fact he's the exact opposite.Originally Posted by Snowsquatch
As long as Mac "dies" it matters little if it's at the hands of Jaxxon or the Master.
Ah that's where you tell most of it in flashbacks as far as the plodex/Master history goes. All the heroes need to know is he wants to kill Marrina because he believes her to be a threat to "his" world.Originally Posted by Snowsquatch
Granted Nemesis is cool (both in looks and skills) but she isn't really a villain. At best she's an anti-hero, at worst a violent vigilante. And I pray the geothermal suit is NEVER brought into an Alpha film! UGH! I hate that bit of nonsensical imagination by Seagle. However, a cat fight between Nemesis and Heather would be... nice. By the way why would Nemesis be wearing a mountie uniform? (Oh, and mounties don't normally carry swords except for ceremonies, and then only the officers.)Originally Posted by Snowsquatch
You're quite welcome.Originally Posted by Snowsquatch
Hi, Snowsquatch, welcome aboard.
Now to tear you apart! Mwahahahaha!
But Sas in Snowbird's body isn't?Originally Posted by Snowsquatch
Nemesis isn't villainous enough to make a good villain. Or even an evil villain. And Heather wasn't in the geo-thermal suit yet.
Ooh, and the name's spelled 'Michael'. I'm very sensetive about that.
- Le Messor
"Drive defensively, buy a tank."
But it would be incredibly funny, too!Originally Posted by Le Messor
For me, the time-sensitive issues aren't too important, except for Byrne's stuff.Originally Posted by Le Messor
okey dokeyOriginally Posted by Le Messor
You're right, of course. I just prefer - if there is to be a "canon" - it should be all of Byrne's work.Originally Posted by Legerd
And I find having both Guardian and Vindicator together strange and cramped. The storyline of her regretfully taking on his role in AF is one of my favorite parts of AF. The fact that he keeps "coming back" (but not really, as robot/clone/timetravel) is also an interesting storyline.
Your point about Xavier is interesting, but notice he's "in it" but "not in it" also. In both movies Xavier is "unavailable" for a large part, because if he was there would be no stress for the other X-Men. So it is with AF: the absence of Mac is a hard stressor for everyone to handle.
OK, I'll compromise: Mac is in the movie prologue, where the origins of AF are (briefly) explained. Mac dies in that scene, at the hands of Jaxxon in the Box suit. (Hmm, that's a good contrast to Nemesis in the Vindicator suit at the end. ).
(Jaxxon in the Box. Is that a 20 year old joke nobody got until now?)
Originally Posted by SnowsquatchI also forgot to mention: the Plodex subplot isn't my favourite part of AF, and Marrina isn't my favourite character. So I'd prefer it was all avoided in a movie.Originally Posted by Legerd
The thermal suit powers provide differentiation from Guardian. I hate the green/yellow/white colors, though.Originally Posted by Legerd
I can imagine red/white uniforms for Guardian and Vindicator that are different, though. Guardian would closely resemble the "flag suit" while Vindicator would be all white, with red armor pads. She could emit flame from her hands and feet (the source of her flight, not electro-levitation), and she could completely cover herself in flame (a la Human Torch).
Nemesis would be wearing a Mountie uniform as disguise (for 1 scene, at most). Yes, I know about the ceremonies. Lots of ceremonies happen in Ottawa, every day.
Nemesis (in the thermal suit) would prefer to cloak completely in flame, and cover her sword in flame, too. Just imagine that!
Oh, I disagree!Originally Posted by Le Messor
What motivates a great villan? The belief she is really doing good!
(Anakin Skywalker, who came to believe the Jedi are liars and betrayers. Or Angel, after he fell under the influence of Apocalyspe. A fallen hero is the best kind villan.)
How's this for a plotline: Nemesis sought to destroy Deadly Earnest because she's an agent of Death, sent to retrive those who have escaped him. And who has escaped him lately? Sasquatch? Mac?
And how does Death do this: though the sword Skell. When the sword is touched by someone who knows of one sought by Death, the sword possesses that person (ie becomes Nemesis).
When Deadly Earnest's daughter touched Skell, she became Nemesis. In the movie, a plot element could be "Who is Nemesis now? Who is she looking to kill?"
(None of that is consistent with Nemesis in AF version III, but very consistent with Byrne's AF.)
There is so much we don't know about her, a really creative writer could make her explicable, yet still sinister.
I think the distiction between Nemesis (murder, secrecy, vigilatism) and AF (capture, truth, peace-keeping) makes for a good "moral of the story."