We’ve previously reported on plans to remake the classic 1980 sci-fi romance, Starman. The original film was directed by John Carpenter and is seen as one of the few films to successfully merge both sci-fi and romance genres. It also had a strong cast and in particular, featured Jeff Bridges who played a truly remarkable alien in the film and received an Oscar nomination as well for his incredible performance. If a remake is to work, it will require another talented actor to be able to capture that essence of alien awkwardness mixed with human emotion. And it’s the casting of that very role which is creating a lot of interest.
You can view the trailer of the original film below:
The remake’s director, Shawn Levy, who is also one of the producers of the recently launched 1980’s inspired sci-fi Netflix series Stranger Things, got to speak to Comingsoon while promoting the show to discuss some things about the Starman remake:
I have to say, I was really inspired by this show. I haven’t done television in a long time, the movies have kept me really busy. I hadn’t done this genre or this tone. It came to me really organically and it’s definitely something I want to keep doing and ‘Starman’ is a very rich opportunity to do that.
I do [have casting ideas], but they would kill me at Sony if I mentioned it. I’ll just very enigmatically say that some of my top ideas are people I’ve worked with before either as a director or a producer.
No surprise that the director is keeping the details under wrap, but that last setting opens up quite a few possibilities. If we look back at the director’s filmography and top actors he has worked with in both film and television, it leaves us with quite a list of extraordinary talent:
Hugh Jackman (Real Steel), Mark Ruffalo (Date Night), Adam Driver (This is Where I Leave You), Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now), Anthony Mackie (Real Steel), Bradley Cooper (The Rocker), Steve Carrell (Date Night), Mark Wahlberg (Date Night), Corey Stoll (This is Where I Leave You), Jeremy Renner (Arrival), Rami Malek(Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb), Dan Stevens (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb), James Franco (Date Night, Why Him?), Wyatt Russell (Table 19), Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum trilogy, The Watch), Owen Wilson (The Internship, Night at the Museum trilogy), Jason Bateman (This is Where I Leave You), Vince Vaughn (The Internship, The Watch).
A lot will depend on the tone that Levy looks to pursue for the remake and whether he will try and keep the feel of the original Starman or try and do something completely different. Being that he is a huge fan of the original, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t stray too much from the formula though:
To me, I think it’s brilliant. It was an Oscar nomination for Jeff Bridges, it’s thick with ideas and incredibly rich with romantic feelings, and those are the things I’m going to carry over into this updated version. I don’t know why it’s kind of separate in the canon of Carpenter, but I think it’s magnificent. The premise is filled with ideas that are interesting to revisit in a different way in 2016. It fits less neatly in his genre legacy, but I think it’s absolutely one of his finest films. I am going to try to be faithful to the romantic spine to the story but also the fish-out-of-water humor which is genuinely charming and winning in a way that Carpenter and Bridges filmed it.
He certainly has the right amount of passion to pursue the project. If the tone of the film does remain the same, the names which most likely stand out for me on the above list are Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Jackman, Mark Wahlberg or Rami Malek. These actors certainly offer more in terms of dramatic acting, though that’s not to say the others could not play the role fantastically as well. It certainly is quite a list of contenders though.
Which actor would you pick to play the lead role of Starman?
Last Updated: July 19, 2016
