Alexander Payne's next project is an adaptation of Daniel Clowes' 'Wilson'. Clowes is, of course, known for 'Ghost Worl
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Alexander Payne
BrunswickGreen — 12 years ago(March 07, 2014 02:40 AM)
Alexander Payne's next project is an adaptation of Daniel Clowes' 'Wilson'. Clowes is, of course, known for 'Ghost World' and numerous other comics/graphic novels. A quick online search will turn up plenty about the book (Wilson) if you're curious about it, but I'm interested to hear whom you think should be cast as Wilson in the film adaption.
As an admirer of Payne's work, it's easy to underscore how generally well-cast his films are, especially with such unexpected casting choices as Thomas Hayden Church, Will Forte, and Bruce Dern.
There are countless approaches to filming 'Wilson'. Each page of the book has a different drawing style, color scheme, etc, b1c84ut the themes Payne often incorporates (isolation, longing for meaning, wandering, fatherhood, broken families, unwelcome changes, etc) are well interwoven in the book. Obviously, Payne could cast several Wilsons, one for each scene or perhaps reusing various Wilsons, maybe even having an animated scene as well. But I see it more as a singular Wilson, as his motivations and actions are seemingly pretty consistent throughout the book.
So the question remains, whom should Payne cast as Wilson?
It's easy to come up with names such as Paul Giamatti, Louis CK, Zach Galifianakis, Nick Offerman, Simon Pegg, or even Matt Damon. Those seem too obvious.
You also could cast an stellar, upcoming actor who can easily fit the look of Wilson with a beard, glasses, some weight, and thinned out hair. Actors like Josh Lawson or Jason Clarke.
But, I think we need someone a little more like Albert Brooks meets Christopher Guest meets Vic Reeves.
My suggestion for Wilson is Rick Moranis. He essentially retired from acting earlier this millennium, but would make an AMAZING Wilson. Moranis brings an interesting mix of affability and high-strung/uptight energy to the screen. His comedic timing and general aloofness would play well into matching the pacing of the 'Wilson' book. The only big problems I see (beyond the fact that he's retired) are his age (he's 60, and to pull off the various ages, the actor would probably need to be in his 40s), his tendency toward nervous characters rather than existentially paranoid/self-absorbed characters (but I see this as an evolution for Moranis, a chance to show off his deeper, dramatic side rather than his 'aww-shucks'-dopey-nerd side), and his career choices which never really delved into truly adult territory. Although, he's really good in 'Parenthood' if you want to see him in a more serious, darker role.
Here's an article about his retirement
http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/07/rick-moranis-the-best-celebrity-dad-o f-all-time-opens-up-about-his-retirement-from-acting/
Which other actors do you think would be a good choice for Wilson? I'm absurdly interested in this film and am curious to see how it all plays out. Wish I could be a part of it.
Edit: Here's another recent interview with Moranis
http://heebmagazine.com/exclusive-rick-moranis-on-spaceballs-2-ghostbu sters-3-and-my-mothers-brisket/45895
And the two recent pictures of him from the interview
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com:443/data.filmboards/images/upload/cCTlGub.jpg
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com:443/data.filmboards/images/upload/jI6D2Pb.jpg
Add some weight and a patchy beard, and you have Wilson. -
FosterBreadford — 12 years ago(March 21, 2014 10:37 AM)
Payne does not appear to be moving forward with Wilson at this point. He has stated that his next project is something original that he's writing with Jim Taylor right now. To my knowledge he has not officially dropped out of Wilson or anything, though.
