Progressive Ruin casts (partially) the 1980s X-Men movie!
So at the shop on Thursday, I was filing away a copy of this issue of Alter Ego, which contained an extensive overview of Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway’s proposed and unproduced X-Men movie script from the mid-1980s. (Three words regarding that non-production: “dodged a bullet.”)
Anyway, employees Nathan and Aaron were unaware that an X-flick was being contemplated that early on, and we all briefly wondered which of the popular actors of that time could have been cast in this theoretical film.
Initially, I tried to stick to folks who popped up in John Hughes films:
First, I saw Jon Cryer as Cyclops…not for any particular reason other than it amused me to consider it. Plus, he’d probably be used to playing characters that have women troubles. (That whole Duckie/Pretty in Pink thing still burns, all these years later.)
For Nightcrawler, Anthony Michael Hall. You pretty much would just need to paint him blue, and he’d be ready to go.
As Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix…Molly Ringwald. Okay, it’s primarily because she’s a redhead…I never said I was going to put a lot of thought into this. Besides, as employee Nathan pointed out, there are probably countless X-fans out there who would be overly pleased at seeing her in a Phoenix costume.
But then I started thinking about Wolverine? Who could be cast as that gruff ‘n’ surly clawed Canadian? Judd Nelson? Andrew McCarthy? No…neither of them felt right.
Suddenly, it came to me. I’d have to go outside the John Hughes oeuvre, but really, only one man in the ’80s could have pulled off Wolverine to absolute perfection, could have so fully conveyed the character’s conflict between his feral nature and his heroic impulses.
And that man…
…is Curtis Armstrong.
Yes, that’s right. Charles from Better Off Dead. Herbert from Moonlighting. And, most importantly, Booger from the Revenge of the Nerds saga.
Don’t deny it. You know I’m right.
So, do any of you folks have your own casting ideas for an ’80s-style X-Men movie? Feel free to leave them in the comments (EDIT 6/27/11: link goes to old Haloscan comments, which is why you’re not seein’ any down below).
But don’t bother trying to cast Wolverine. You ain’t gonna improve on my idea.
EDIT: Commenter Steven gives us some extra info about the ’80s X-Men project.
