I just came across this article by accident today … looking for pics of Charles Bronson on net.

I DID NOT know about it before. (This kind of thing has happened to be a time or two in the past – and people think I’m copying other people’s stuff. I DON”T DO THAT)

Coincidentally, (INCREDIBLY), the writer, Kevin Fraser, casts 2 actors that I had also cast in The Magnificent Seven remake: Viggo Mortensen and Guy Pearce. (great Western minds think alike? ‘cough’)

Fraser casts Guy Pearce in Charles Bronson‘s part (Bernardo O’Reilly). I had cast Guy Pearce in James Coburn‘s role (Britt).

Fraser casts Viggo Mortensen in James Coburn’s part (Britt). I had cast Viggo in Steve Mcqueen’s part as Vin. 

Confused yet? (I am).

Amazing stuff.

I am still working on Bronson‘s role and haven’t quite decided who I’m going to suggest …

For your interest:

Article by Kevin Fraser

http://www.cityoffilms.com/reel-news/recast-this-the-magnificent-seven/

Recast This: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

When Graham and I wrote about our twelve favourite Westerns (check it out if you haven’t already) I starting thinking about The Magnificent Seven.  Not only is it one of the best Westerns ever in my opinion…it also had a pretty amazing all-star cast.  You’ve got Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen headlining which is already amazing, but you also have Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Eli Wallach.  I began pondering on who they would cast if there was ever a remake of The Magnificent Seven.  Given the star studded cast of the original, I think it would be neat to put together a band of equally big names.

So here we go, these are my picks for the completely hypothetical remake of…The Magnificent Seven.

Chris Adams played by Daniel Day Lewis

Originally played by Yul Brynner, I feel that Daniel Day Lewis can portray the same sort of easy going quality that Yul put into the character.  Plus it would be fascinating to see  what he’d do with this fairly straight forward role.

Vin played by Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender is still a relatively new actor in the grand scheme of things but he’s proven himself as a extremely talented and capable actor whose mere presence on screen demands attention.  Just as Steve McQueen was great partner for Yul Brynner, I feel like Michael would be that for Daniel Day Lewis.

Chico played by Casey Affleck

The underrated Affleck brother isn’t quite so underrated anymore, with a string of powerful roles in some great films I think he’d be perfect for the youngest member of the seven originally played by Horst Buchholz.  He seems to have that charming yet somewhat annoying thing down pat.

Bernardo O’Reilly played by Guy Pearce

Charles Bronson is a tough act to follow but I think Guy Pearce is up to the challenge.  The man has a lot of chameleon qualities and I can imagine him bringing something different to the role, something a little grittier and darker.

Lee played by Tom Hardy

Robert Vaughn (who coincidentally is the only member of the seven still alive) portrayed what was easily the suavest character of the bunch and Tom Hardy can totally give off that sort of smarmy yet amiable quality that I think this character needs.

Britt played by Viggo Mortensen

Originally played by James Coburn, Britt is a character of few words, he doesn’t need to brag or prove himself, he just happens to be the best there is at what he does.  This may be typecasting I suppose, but Viggo Mortensen plays a great strong silent type and I’m almost certain he’d be as good with a knife as he is with deflecting them.

Harry Luck played by Sam Rockwell

Harry Luck is the fast talking slightly sleazy member of the group, but you just can’t help but love him anyway.  Brad Dexter always seems to come up last when the seven actors are mentioned but I think his is a great role plus he gets that wonderful hero moment at the end.  Sam Rockwell is one of the best and most compelling actors of the last few years, he’s been in several of my all time favourite films and I think he’d be a great choice for the final member of the seven.

Calvera played by Javier Bardem

Now we come to the villain.  A hero is only as good as the villain they say, and Eli Wallach was a doozy.  He was hilarious yet dangerous, a guy you could see yourself hanging out with…just so long as you didn’t get on his bad side.  Javier Bardem has played some wonderful bad guys over the years, but I think this role would give him something a bit different to play around with.

The Old Man played by Eli Wallach

You know how every remake tries to shove in some of the original actors as a half assed tribute to the original movie?  Yea, we hate it but here I am…doing it.  However, I feel as though this would be a tribute people would be okay with.  Not only is Eli Wallach still alive (he’s 97!) but he’s still acting!  The role of The Old Man is a small but important one, and Eli would be a perfect fit.

There we go folks, this has been fun and I’m sure I’ll see you in a future edition of…Recast This.