Cast a live-action Legend of Galactic Heroes

[Vympel]

I'll edit this post with a universal list as people make suggestions.

Lohengramm / Galactic Empire

Initial thoughts:-

Karl Gustav Kempf: Gerard Butler

August Samuel Wahlen: Thomas Kretschmann

Willibald Joachim von Merkatz: Jurgen Prochnow

[Commander 598]

I'm not sure there's enough actors or a big enough budget to pay for them all.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Like the original, LotGH would be best as a TV series, Ironical (or perhaps not) I could it see it working best on HBO, a big budget, epic, long running show.

[Uraniun235]

It's going to sound cheesy as hell, but I think Merkatz would be best played by Edward James Olmos; seems to me like he's the closest we've got to Charles Bronson, who Merkatz looked suspiciously alike. Olmos might even go with it as there are no space aliens in LOGH; it's a very human story. (Okay, it's not likely as he wouldn't want to be typecast as the grizzled space admiral; but then an actual live LOGH production is itself extremely unlikely.)


James Earl Jones as FPA Admiral Sitolet

[Gunhead]

Are we going for likeness or ability to act like the original character?

We'll, taking the middle route I'd say Hugh Jackman: Walter Von Schenkopp
Ralph Fiennes: Oberstein
Charlie Hunnam: Mittermeyer

-Gunhead

[Stark]

You guys know actors are people who can pretend to be someone else, right?

Any bunch of professionals would be fine in LoGH, particularly sine the 'acting' in the source is so poor and isn't the trust of the show anyway.

'Stare vacantly and smile idly sometimes' is hardly a big ask for an actor. Even Nicholas Cage can do it.

[Marcus Aurelius]

You guys know actors are people who can pretend to be someone else, right?

Any bunch of professionals would be fine in LoGH, particularly sine the 'acting' in the source is so poor and isn't the trust of the show anyway.

'Stare vacantly and smile idly sometimes' is hardly a big ask for an actor. Even Nicholas Cage can do it.

Of course, once you go to live action you need better portrayed characters. 'Stare vacantly and smile idly sometimes' is American style soap opera acting1 and I don't think people want to see Days of our Lives or The Young and the Restless in spaaace.

1 British soaps like Coronation Street tend to have somewhat more realistic portrayal of characters than American ones.

[Vympel]

Are we going for likeness or ability to act like the original character?

We'll, taking the middle route I'd say Hugh Jackman: Walter Von Schenkopp
Ralph Fiennes: Oberstein
Charlie Hunnam: Mittermeyer

-Gunhead

Crap, those are all good picks. Nice one. But yeah, likeness is a plus, where possible. I chose Jurgen Prochnow for Merkatz because he's German and awesome, and Thomas Kretschmann because he's a German officer in nearly everything he's ever been in since the beginning of time.

Actually, the latter could be a stand in for all manner of Imperial officers.