Remaking the Classic Musical Xanadu

Xanadu

Recent movie history shows that remakes are all the rage. If you didn’t get it quite right the first time, let’s do a remake. If it’s a legendary classic, then we can remake it bigger and better than before. But how many times does that really need to happen. The old saying “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” should apply in these kind of instances, right? Well, that may be the case, but every once in a while it can be fun to just play casting agent and movie producer out of the sheer love of just seeing what other people think.

Olivia Newton-John and Michael Beck

With that thought in mind, and after seeing countless movies remade year after year, I thought it was time to remake a movie – the musical Xanadu – that made an impression on me before I was even a teenager, just on the cusp of becoming the TV-, movie-, book- and music-loving grown up (I’m a grown-up?) that I have become.

Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly

And while many may think it is crazy to remake a 1980 film that basically failed at the box office, earning a whopping $22 million at the time, and was nominated for a number of Golden Raspberry Awards there is just something about Xanadu that puts it on the top of my list for a remake.

Jeremy Jordan

Before I get into the whole casting process, let’s take a look at the basic breakdown of the 1980 musical Xanadu:

Hayden Panettiere

Sonny Malone (actor Michael Beck) is a talented artist who dreams of fame beyond the uncreative task of painting larger versions of album covers on record-store window advertisements [remember this was 1980]. One day he has an encounter with a mysterious girl outside an art deco auditorium; and later that day he is told to paint an album cover for a group called The Nine Sisters. Of course, one of the girls on the album cover resembles the mysterious girl, for whom Sonny soon becomes obsessed.

Hugh Jackman

He goes back to the auditorium and finds the mysterious girl there – Kira (actress-singer Olivia Newton-John), but she won’t tell him anything about herself. As it turns out, Kira was one of nine mysterious and beautiful women who literally “sprang to life” from a local mural.

Billy Zane

Sonny soon befriends a former big-band orchestra leader, now a construction mogul named Danny McGuire (legendary actor Gene Kelly), who lost his muse (a woman who resembles Kira) in 1940. Danny and Sonny soon form a partnership, through the encouragement of Kira, and they open a nightclub in the auditorium where Sonny first met Kira.

Melina Kanakaredes

Soon enough, Kira and Sonny fall in love, but there is a problem: she is actually an Olympian Muse and the other eight women who came out of the mural with her are actually her sisters and fellow goddesses. They visit Earth often to help inspire others to pursue their dreams and desires, but they are not permitted to get involved with the people for whom they help. Because of their love, Kira is called back to the realm of the Gods with Sonny following her. They are permitted one final night together to see the success of the nightclub come true; but Kira and her sisters return to the realm of the Gods while Sonny meets a doppleganger for Kira, presumably starting a whole new relationship.

Amanda Seyfried

In my 2013 remake, though, the premise would be focused on young street artist Sam Morgan (actor Jeremy Jordan from Smash) who is dreaming of becoming an artist in residence at the “in” gallery in the city known as the Auditorium. In what seems an accident of fate, Sam meets Kira (actress Hayden Panettiere from Nashville) – as well as eight other girls who Kira introduces as her best friends, all of whom are teachers or aides at several small nursery schools – near one of the abandoned buildings where Sam was putting up his most recent piece of street art; and they quickly form a close relationship that, of course, turns into love.

Anna Kendrick

Soon enough, thanks to Kira, Sam’s art starts to get attention from various gallery owners (some of whom are benefactors at the nursery schools where Kira and her friends work) especially the owner of the Auditorium, Doug McBride (actor Hugh Jackman), who is looking to expand his thriving business into the world of nightclubs. His new nightclub will be different, though, combining the worlds of fashion, music and art, featuring Sam’s artwork as the cornerstone pieces.

But, as quickly as their relationship blossoms and Sam’s success begins to take off, trouble looms in the form of a mysterious guy named Zack (actor Billy Zane) who seems to have a strange connection to Kira and her best friends not to mention a controlling interest in the property where Doug plans to build his new nightclub.

Janel Parrish

Just as things start to fall apart, Kira reveals that she is one of Zeus’ (aka Zack) daughters (the Muse of Dance) and her best friends are actually her sisters (the Muses of Poetry, History, Music, Comedy, Tragedy, Love, Religion and Astronomy). They have been told, in no uncertain terms, to return home to the Realm of the Gods or daddy dearest will destroy all the dreams held by Doug and Sam. Kira, of course, gives in because she truly loves Sam and wants all of his dreams to come true.

In the end, Kira is able to watch from the Realm of the Gods that the nightclub has become a success and Doug and Sam have achieved their goal. And, in a twist on the tale, Kira’s mother – Mnemosyne, known as Sienna, (actress Melina Kanakaredes) – overrules Zeus, allowing Kira to return to Sam’s side as he launches his own gallery.

Melissa Benoist

And eventually the rest of her sisters are permitted to leave the Realm of the Gods to create lives with the men they have fallen in love with during their time in the human world. This part of the story would play out while the extended ending credits would roll out.

The rest of the cast would include the following, who are listed in the order of birth according to the characters for which they would play in the film:

Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserable, Red Riding Hood and Veronica Mars) as Phoebe, the Muse of Religion, who is a Zen-like physical education teacher who also has a strong passion for saving the environment.

Lucy Hale

Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect and the Twilight franchise) as Callie, the Muse of Poetry, who is an enthusiastic teacher specializing in reading and writing, sharing her love of books with all of her students.

Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars) as Melanie, the Muse of Tragedy aka the Muse of Singing, who is the music teacher at one of the nursery schools, teaching the students the intricacies of song and speech therapy.

Melissa Benoist (Glee) as Ursula, the Muse of Astronomy, who teaches basic-level science to her young charges, focusing on the weather, the planets and stars patterns.

Allie Gonino

Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) as Emma, the Muse of Music who works alongside Melanie as a music teacher, sharing her love of all musical instruments with her students. She specializes in playing guitar, piano and the drums.

Allie Gonino (The Lying Game) as Erica, the Muse of Love, who serves as the registered nurse for the neighborhood nursery schools dispensing advice to her best friends even when they don’t want to hear what she has to say.

Bailey Buntain

Bailey Buntain (Bunheads) as Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, who teaches dramatic arts to the nursery school students in the form of finger painting, arts and crafts and coordinating the various school plays.

Cassi Thomson (Switched at Birth) as Cleo, the Muse of History who attempts to teach her young students about the world in which they live, making history as fun as exciting as possible, which isn’t easy where children under the age of 5 are concerned.

Cassi Thomson

This remake would also feature new original music from Adele, Sarah McLachlan, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Muse, Sara Bareilles, Daughtry, Christina Perri, Imagine Dragons and Lifehouse as well as original songs from cast members Jeremy Jordan, Hayden Panettiere, Janel Parrish, Lucy Hale and Allie Gonino.

So, what do you think? Would you want to see a remake of Xanadu featuring these actors and actresses? Please share your comments below.

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Casting Additions for Dating in LA and Other Urban Myths

Additions to the cast of the proposed web series Dating in LA and Other Urban Myths will certainly make TV fans sit up and take notice.

Who are the new cast members, you ask?

None other than actor Kristoffer Polaha – best known for his recent work on Ringer and Life Unexpected – as well as actress Tamara Taylor, who has been appearing on Bones since its second season way back in 2006.

Kristoffer will play the character Alex, an intelligent, handsome man who is incredibly supportive of his long-term, live-in girlfriend, Penelope (Lesley Fera). He is a psychology professor who finds himself taking on the role of big brother for Penelope’s friends—in particular Kate (Patricia Steffy), as she stumbles her way into re-entering the dating world after a lengthy relationship (no small feat given that Los Angeles is where dating comes to die). Alex is often the voice of reason, but finds himself in the frustrating position of having to defend modern dating customs even though he doesn’t practice them himself.

Meanwhile, Tamara will play Sadie, a waitress/wannabe celebrity, who has a certain moral flexibility and is very matter of fact about what (and who) she wants in life. The fact that she has passed the optimal ‘It Girl’ age has not put a damper on her enthusiasm for the task. She finds Kate’s reluctance to join the Los Angeles social scene puzzling and her attitudes toward sex archaic — and isn’t afraid to tell her just that.

You can learn more about Dating in LA and Other Ubran Myths at their IndieGogo fund-raising page here.

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Dream Casting for New ABC Family Drama Ravenswood

Last week, the folks over at ABC Family announced they have greenlit a spin-off series to their successful teen soap opera Pretty Little Liars that will called Ravenswood. The new series is set to debut this October after the annual Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars.

Ravenswood will center on a town, not far from Rosewood, Pennsylvania (the home base of ‘Pretty Little Liars’), which has suffered under a deadly curse for generations. Five strangers suddenly find themselves connected by this fatal curse and need to dig into the town’s mysterious and terrible history before it’s too late for each of them.

Then just two days ago, the folks over at TV Line provided a short synopsis on a few of the characters who will reside in Ravenswood.

The following are the casting descriptions:

Sammi Hanratty

MIRANDA: She’s a feisty, disarming and unconventionally attractive 17-year-old. As a fiercely independent foster kid, she has tons of confidence, but it was hard-won. She uses her wits to cover her emotional scars. If you can break through the tough exterior, you’ve got a fearless, loyal friend for life.

ABEL: Hottie alert: The 17-year-old is a lone wolf and old soul with brooding intensity. He may have something dangerous lurking inside him — or maybe he’s just wounded and trying to hide it. His trust is hard to earn, but once you’ve got it, he’ll never let you down.

OLIVIA: Abel’s twin sister is a former prom queen who is struggling with a recent fall from grace. She used to be a carefree, happy teenager, but recent events have her questioning what’s important, what’s not and who her real friends are now that they’ve suddenly turned their backs on her.

With that thought in mind, I did a little bit of digging to find who I thought might be good actors to play these roles. Please keep in mind these are only my ideas on who could possibly play the roles listed above; and in no one reflects who the network will actually decide to select. And, if you have your own thoughts on who should play the parts listed, please let me know your thoughts!

Stephen Lunsford (Copyright: Paley Center for Media/Kevin Parry)

In the role of Miranda, I think former Pushing Daisies actress Sammi Hanratty might be a good choice. The young actress, who rose to fame as young Chuck on the Bryan Fuller series about a pie maker who with one touch could bring someone back to life for 30 seconds only to have them either remain alive (at the cost of someone else’s life) or be returned to the dead by his second touch, is now a brisk 18 years of age; and could easily pull off this role. Besides appearing in Pushing Daisies, Sammi also had recurring roles on The Unit and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. She also appeared in the box office film A Christmas Carol and has a role in the upcoming back-door pilot/TV movie The Saint.

For the part of Abel, I think Teen Wolf hunk Stephen Lunsford just might be the right fit. While Stephen is in his early 20′s, he has been able to pull himself off as a teenager in both Teen Wolf and Switched at Birth. He has also appeared in episodes of Private Practice and the box office film Bratz.

Elise Gatien

Lastly, the role of Olivia could be portrayed by actress Elise Gatien, who TV viewers will recognize for her roles in the Cartoon Network series Tower Prep and Smallville. She has also made guest appearances in TV shows like Supernatural, Eureka and The Secret Circle. Her movie roles include Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and In the Land of Women as well as the recent Lifetime movie Restless Virgins.

Again, these are just my suggestions on who could be considered for the currently known roles on Ravenswood. I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Casting Announcement for Web Series Dating Rules From My Future Self

Actress Candice Accola (The Vampire Diaries) and actor Reid Ewing (Modern Family) have joined the cast of Alloy Entertainment’s popular web series Dating Rules From My Future Self, which stars Shiri Appleby (Life Unexpected and Roswell), as a twenty-something looking for love with the help of her two best friends and secret texts from her future self.

Accola will play Chloe Cunningham, a 26-year-old who receives a visit from her older, wiser self via face time who texts her advice from 10 years in the future, thanks to an app provided by Appleby’s character. Details on Ewing’s role are, as yet, unavailable.

The six-episode second season begins production in Los Angeles this week and is expected to premiere online in August.

The first season of Dating Rules From My Future Self received nearly 14 million views and ranks as the best-performing short-form series on Hulu to date. During its first week it served as the No. 1 most-watched show and No. 6 most popular video on YouTube. It stands as the company’s most successful web property to date.

Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter for the intel.

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Once Upon a Time – Dream Casting for Henry’s Dad

Just a few weeks ago, the new fairytale drama Once Upon a Time debuted on ABC, pulling in the highest ratings out of any new series this fall. In a very short amount of time, this series has also become a favorite among TV viewers with fans trying to determine who is who between the real world and the enchanted forest realm.

But, one character that is being seriously whispered about is the birth father of young Henry (Jared Gilmore), the biological son of Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) and the adopted son of Storybrooke’s (evil) mayor Regina (Lana Parrilla).

Will he ever be introduced in the show? If so, when will that fateful day be? And more importantly, which actor will play the role?

Well, I decided to compile my own wish list of actors who could play Henry’s biological dad and here they are in no particular order:

Jason Dohring

Jason Dohring – Best known for his role on the critically acclaimed series Veronica Mars as well as the fan favorite Moonlight, Jason could easily pull off this character depending on whether TPTB behind the show decide to make him the bad boy with a golden heart or the not-completely-evil (but close enough) rapscallion who took Emma’s innocence, leaving her alone and pregnant with a child she could not take care of on her own.

Brendan Fehr

Brendan Fehr – It has been awhile since Brendan has been in the forefront of a TV series the way he was on the cult favorite Roswell. Viewers of that show know he can easily play the bad boy; but wouldn’t it be great to see him play the romantic lead. What if he turned out to be Emma’s soul mate, but they were simply too young at the time of Henry’s conception to be together and were, regretfully, pulled apart by the foster system.

Craig Horner

Craig Horner – Call me crazy, but Australian Craig, best known for his lead role in the syndicated series Legend of the Seeker, would make a great dual character from the fairytale world. Perhaps it turns out he is the only one, besides Emma, from the enchanted forest to somehow have slipped through the curse, ending up in the foster system the same way as she. And they fall in love, conceive Henry; but then something horrible happens and he disappears only to show up in Storybrooke just when he is needed most.

Noah Bean

Noah Bean – He is best known for his recent, recurring role on Nikita as CIA analyst Ryan Fletcher, but he also played ill-fated David Connor to Rose Bryne’s Ellen on Damages. Wouldn’t it be great to see him play a character that doesn’t face an untimely demise and maybe even play the bad boy who stayed the bad boy until he learned that his biological son lives the good life in Storybrooke, Maine? Maybe he learns about Henry via devious Mr. Gold – aka Rumplestilskin (Robert Carlyle) and comes to the trapped-in-time town to see what havoc he can wreak.

Logan Bartholomew

Logan Bartholomew – He may not be that recognizable except to the viewers who watched the Hallmark Channel movies Love’s Enduring Promise, Love’s Long Journey and Love’s Abiding Joy (based on the book series by Janette Oke); but in each movie he was the good man, good husband and good father. In playing Henry’s dad, he could shed those lofty monikers and be a bit more of a hell-raiser; someone that Emma regrets having been involved with and someone she doesn’t want knowing about Henry. But, being the borderline genius that he is – never fall for the really smart (and rich) guy, Emma? – he finally figures out where she is after all these years and comes to claim what he believes is rightfully his: Henry.

What do you think the creators of the show will do about Henry’s dad? Do you like any of these casting suggestions? Or, do you have an actor or two in mind? Please share.

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Beauty and the Beast Remake Dream Casting

Back in 1987 CBS introduced an updated version of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast that focused on two worlds: the “World Above” where savvy New York assistant District attorney Catherine Chandler lived and the “World Below” where mythic, man-beast Vincent roamed freely in a secret Utopian community consisting of social outcasts living in a subterranean sanctuary.

After being attacked and left for dead, Catherine is found by Vincent and taken to his underground home to heal. This is where they form a strong empathetic bond with Vincent becoming her guardian once she returns to her home in the “World Above”.

Unlike the original fairy tale, Vincent does not transform from the beast into a beauty after gaining Catherine’s love rather his inner beauty remains the focus. It is actually Catherine’s life that is transformed because of her relationship with him.

On September 15, sources confirmed with the folks over at TV Line that The CW is developing a reboot of this CBS classic. There aren’t many details on this new version except that it will be modernized, the love story will be CW-friendly and will have a procedural twist.

While I cannot say that I agree with the procedural twist (don’t we have enough of those already?), I can accept the rest. But since there are no specific details, I have been working on my own idea and my own dream casting for the project.

So, here is what I came up:

Miracle Laurie

Catherine Chandler – Miracle Laurie (Dollhouse) will play the new version of Catherine who is one of the top attorneys at her father’s prestigious law firm – Chandler, Holmes and Crosby – until she is brutally attacked while riding the subway. Months later, after being rescued by Vincent and treated by Father in the “World Below,” she receives surgery to correct the scars she sustained. She eventually leaves her father’s firm, opening her own practice where she represents the less fortunate who were brutalized the same as she was.

Kevin Durand

Vincent – Kevin Durand (Dark Angel) will play Vincent, the man-beast who happens upon Catherine in the subway after she is attacked. He takes her to his subterranean world where Father treats her and they quickly form a bond. He spent nearly his entire life with Father underground, only visiting the “World Above” under the cover of darkness until his fateful meeting with Catherine.

Sam Anderson

Father – Sam Anderson (Lost) is Father, a former doctor and college professor who sought asylum in the underground after the unsolved murder of his wife and daughter over 25 years earlier. He found Vincent hiding underground when he was about 10 years old and raised him as his own son, educating him and making him the “man” he is now.

Alan Dale

Charles Chandler – Alan Dale (Lost) is Charles, father of Catherine and legendary New York attorney who is the founding member of Chandler and Associates, which is now Chandler, Holmes and Crosby, the most prestigious law firm in all of New York City. He is devastated by the attack on his daughter and is crushed when she leaves the firm. He pays for her medical care in a bid to win her back to his side but turns his back on her when she opens her own firm.

Bianca Lawson

Josephine “Jo” Maxwell – Bianca Lawson (Pretty Little Liars) is Jo, Catherine’s best friend and associate at Catherine’s new firm. They have been friends since grade school and is the closest thing to a sister that Catherine has ever known. She is also the only one Catherine has trusted with her secret about Vincent.

Erica Hubbard

Evangeline “Evie” Shaw – Erica Hubbard (Lincoln Heights) is Evie, Catherine’s neighbor who is also a landscape photographer who spends more time on the road than at home. She and Catherine have become good friends, but Evie knows there is more to Catherine than meets the eye.

Devon Sawa

Jake McCallister – Devon Sawa (Nikita) is Jake, a member of the underground society who grew up alongside Vincent; in fact, they were almost like brothers until a tragic accident took place causing the society to exile Jake. He finds solace with other underground dwellers not part of the society Father created and ends up becoming Vincent’s nemesis.

Terrell Tilford

Detective Frank Sterling – Terrell Tilford (The Protector) is the lead detective who was in charge of investigating the attack on Catherine and has continued to have a watchful eye on her because of all the mysterious occurrences that seem to circle her life.

Malese Jow

Maggie Magraw – Malese Jow (The Vampire Diaries) is Maggie, an up-and-coming writer for an online tabloid website who has dreams of being a top-notch reporter. She is slowly starting to put the pieces together of Catherine’s secret life after witnessing Vincent rescuing her from an altercation. Maggie isn’t really sure what she saw, but she isn’t going to stop until she finds out the truth, using that story as her way to climb the ladder.

I am sure the writers of the actual pilot – Jennifer Levin (Without a Trace) and Sherri Cooper (Brothers & Sisters) – have their own ideas and that the casting process for the potential pilot will lead the powers that be in very different directions from my own; but this is my dream team.

What are your thoughts on the Beauty and the Beast remake? Please share.

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Dream Casting for Lifetime’s Steel Magnolias

An announcement was made last week that Lifetime is planning a contemporary remake of the 1989 classic film Steel Magnolias this time around with an all-black cast. Because of that announcement, of course, my mind started spinning on casting possibilities.

But first, let’s review the story of the original movie.  Sally Field and Julia Roberts starred as mother and daughter (M’Lynn and Shelby Eatenton) in a story about a young woman on the day of her wedding who we soon learn is a diabetic. A few months after the wedding, Shelby and her husband Jackson (Dylan McDermott) announce they are going to have a baby. This is wonderful news to everyone, except her concerned mother. While Shelby gives birth to a healthy baby, she begins to show signs of kidney failure a few months later; which prompts M’Lynn to donate a kidney to save her daughter. Unfortunately, several months after the transplant, Shelby’s body begins to reject the new kidney and she soon falls into a coma. The decision is then made to take the daughter off life support. Surrounded by her friends from the local beauty salon, M’Lynn is comforted and helped through this difficult time. A number of months later, Annelle Dupuy (Daryl Hannah), the young beauty salon assistant, asks M’Lynn if she can name her unborn baby after Shelby.

Among the cast of this classic film were actresses Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLaine, widow patrons of the beauty salon and Dolly Parton as the beauty salon owner [all three are friends of M'Lynn] as well as Kevin J. O’Connor as Annelle’s husband and Tom Skerritt as M’Lynn’s husband and father of Shelby.

And so, here are my choices for the cast of the Lifetime remake:

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett (in the Sally Field role) – Angela is best known for her film work in movies like Boyz in the Hood, Malcolm X, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Jumping the Broom. She has also appeared in TV shows like Alias and ER.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (in the Julia Roberts role) – Gugu first got the attention of American audiences in the short-lived J.J. Abrams series Undercover, but she has appeared in episodes of Doctor Who, the UK shows Bonekickers, MI-5 and Vital Signs as well as the mini-series Lost in Austen and the box office film Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks. She will soon be seen in the mid-season series Touch with Kiefer Sutherland.

Brandon Jay McLaren

Brandon Jay McLaren (in the Dylan McDermott role) – Brandon had a recurring role in the AMC series The Killing, but he has also appeared in the Canadian hit Being Erica, the short-lived thriller Harper’s Island and episodes of Smallville. He will next be seen in a recurring role on the TNT alien invasion series Falling Skies.

Rocky Carroll

Rocky Carroll (in the Tom Skerritt role) – Rocky is best known for his role on the powerhouse CBS drama NCIS, but he has a long resume that includes roles in the TV series The Agency, Chicago Hope and Roc as well as roles in the box office films Yes Man, Crimson Tide and Prelude to a Kiss.

Jasmine Guy

Jasmine Guy (in the Dolly Parton role) – Jasmine is, obviously best known for her role in the Cosby Show spin-off A Different World, but more recently she has appeared on The Vampire Diaries and Dead Like Me. She also had roles in the box office films School Daze and Harlem Nights as well as the TV mini-series Queen.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington (in the Darryl Hannah role) – Kerry has appeared in films like Save the Last Dance, Ray, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fantastic Four, The Last King of Scotland and For Colored Girls. She will soon be seen in the mid-season series Scandal.

Dule Hill

Dule Hill (in the Kevin J. O’Connor role) – Dule, of course, is best known for his role in the long-running dramedy Psych, but he was also part of the impressive cast of the critically acclaimed series The West Wing. He also appeared in the films She’s All That, Men of Honor and Holes as well as the made-for-TV movie 10.5.

Loretta Devine

Loretta Devine (in the Olympia Dukakis role) – Loretta is a legend in the film and TV world, appearing in the fan and critic favorite Eli Stone as well as roles on the TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and Boston Public. Her film roles include I Am Sam, Crash, Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife, Woman Thou Art Loosed and Madea’s Big Family.

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad (in the Shirley McLaine role) – Phylicia, of course, is best known for her role on the perennial classic comedy The Cosby Show, but she has also appeared in the TV adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun and the films Frankie & Alice, Just Wright and For Colored Girls.

Now that you’ve read through my dream cast, please provide your own. I would love to hear who you think should play these characters.

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BREAKING NEWS for CHUCK: Sarah’s Mom Has Been Cast

Cheryl Ladd

The folks at ChuckTV.net via TV Line have announced that actress Cheryl Ladd – best known for her role as Kris Munroe on the original Charlie’s Angels – will play Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) mom on Chuck!

Here is my original article on which actresses I thought might work in the role.

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Chuck Casting: Who Should Play Sarah’s Mom?

It’s been buzzed about on Twitter and talked about at numerous fans sites as well as being reportrf on at various entertainment news sources today that the folks over at the NBC series Chuck are looking to cast Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) mom. I’ve seen a handful of actresses’ names thrown around as to who should play the part; and I was pleasantly surprised to find a few that I thought up on my own PRIOR to visiting their sites as some of the top contenders.

Lindsay Wagner

As I have done in the past, I am throwing my own list and those will follow below. First, here is the short description of Sarah’s mom. Her name is Emma and she is described as a beautiful blonde who is, in essence, a walking hug. This could potentially be a recurring character in the final season of the fan-favorite series.

Here is my list (in no particular order):

Erin Gray

Lindsay Wagner – Lindsay starred as Jamie Summers in the original Bionic Woman and is an icon in the genre world, which would fit right into the world of Chuck.

Erin Gray – Appearing in the early 80′s cult classic Buck Rogers as Wilma Deering, Erin would be any geek’s dream-come-true mother-in-law.

Cheryl Ladd

Cheryl Ladd – Cheryl was Kris Munroe in the 1970′s perennial series Charlie’s Angels and could be considered the precursor for Sarah Walker, right?

Anne Lockart

Anne Lockart – Anne may not be as well known as the aforementioned actresses, but she was Sheba in the original Battlestar Galactica and that should count for something. Shouldn’t it?

Wendy Kilbourne

Wendy Kilbourne – Wendy hasn’t really done any acting since the 90′s [she married former North & South co-star James Read and has been a devoted wife and mother since then], but she has history with actor Gary Cole, who, as any faithful Chuck viewer knows, plays Sarah’s dad. Wendy appeared on Cole’s Midnight Caller TV series and her casting would be a unique casting choice to have these two reunited on screen.

Who do you think should be cast as Sarah’s mom. Please share your thoughts.

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My Take on the Remake of Romancing the Stone

There has been a lot of talk, especially recently, about a remake of the 1984 box office film Romancing the Stone. For quite some time there had been talk about remaking it on the big screen with Grey’s Anatomy alum Katherine Heigl and Phantom of the Opera actor Gerard Butler rumored to be considered for the lead roles. But now the most recent news is that NBC has picked it up with plans to make it into a weekly TV series.

Romancing the Stone Poster

As many will remember, the original film starred Kathleen Turner as romance writer Joan Wilder who sets off to Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, soon finding herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure alongside a swashbuckling American bird exporter played by Michael Douglas.

Ryan Sypek

The network’s plan for the TV adaptation is to have the story follow a successful but unfulfilled woman who teams with a risk-taking adventurer to take on weekly missions while on a larger quest to find her missing brother.

Angela Sarafyan

Now that sounds all fine and well to me, but the keys to this adaptation succeeding will be the right casting, the right creative team and making the show an action-packed, fun and interesting series that TV viewers will want to watch every week. Without those key components, the show will crash and burn like so many other TV shows before it.

Paul Blackthorne

But I have to admit that I have been tossing around an idea for a Romancing the Stone remake of my own for about the last 9 months or so. And with the news of the NBC pick-up breaking last week, I just had to get my own idea down in print. It won’t make any difference in the long run, but it sure will, at the very least, make me feel better, knowing that my idea is out there for anyone interested in reading about it.

Arielle Kebbel

So, without further ado, here is my idea for my Romancing the Stone remake:

In the world of gaming, Maggie Harding and Jake Wood, who have been step-brother and step-sister since Maggie’s mom and Jake’s dad married when they were little kids, are the new dynamic duo; Maggie creates the fantastic worlds contained within their international hit video game Phantasma while Jake is not only the mastermind behind the development of the game but also the entire business end of their worldwide enterprise. Maggie serves as the face of the business because of her outgoing personality and vivacious (often out of control) nature while Jake tends to be the wallflower, struggling with personal insecurities and phobias as well as an enormous clumsy streak. But when Maggie gets in deep trouble with Zane Randall, an incredibly powerful businessman, who actually turns out to be a deadly drug lord in Japan, Jake has to overcome all of his phobias in order to save his “little sister’s” life.

Ken Watanabe

After receiving an encrypted text from Maggie, Jake sets out for Kobe, Japan to retrieve a valuable ‘family heirloom’ which Randall alleges Maggie swiped (she’s a klepto, by the way) from one of his luxurious hotels during a high-profile video game conference. But once Jake gets there, he makes a fateful mistake, taking the wrong mountain road and running smack dap into the stalled jeep owned by Jacqueline “Ace” Calder, a former Marine drill sergeant and current international bounty hunter.

Ken Leung

Ace is on the trail of Jun Yamaguchi, a Wakagashira [the loose translation for a First Lieutenant, which is second only to the boss within the Yamaguchi family] one of the deadliest members of the Yakuza, the organized crime syndicate in Japan which is based out of Kobe. Jun is wanted in connection with a number of grizzly and unsolved murders in the United States and Mexico. Jake is now thrown into her hunt in exchange for her help getting him to the center of the city to retrieve the heirloom and save Maggie.

Miracle Laurie

Their hunt for Jun takes them across most of the wards within the city of Kobe, putting Ace and Jake through adventures for which neither of them are prepared. Jake starts to overcome his phobias and Ace starts to let down her barriers in order to survive; and in doing so, they unexpectedly find common ground and slowly begin to fall for each other. But, can they track down the heirloom, which turns out to contain a zip drive of all Randall’s illegal deals, that will eventually save Maggie’s life and catch Jun before he kills again?

The main cast of characters would include the following:

Actor Ryan Sypek would play Jake Wood. Ryan is best known for his role on the ABC Family series Wildfire, he has also appeared in How I Met Your Mother, Greek, The Nine Lives of Chloe King and the made-for-TV movie Christmas Cupid.

Actress Arielle Kebbel would play Jacqueline “Ace” Calder. Arielle has appeared in episodes of Gilmore Girls, Life Unexpected, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.

Actress Angela Sarafyan would play Maggie Harding. Angela has been seen in episodes of The Good Guys, In Plain Sight, The Shield, 24 and Lincoln Heights.

Patrick Fabian

Actor Paul Blackthorne would play Zane Randall. Paul has appeared in The Gates, The Dresden Files, 24, Lipstick Jungle, Big Shots, ER and Presidio Med.

Actor Ken Watanabe would play Jun Yamaguchi. Ken is best known in the US for his roles in the box office films The Last Samurai, Batman Begins and Inception.

Other members of the cast (not referenced in the description above) would include:

Jennifer Beals

Actor Ken Leung would play Zane Randall’s right-hand man, Seung Lee, a Korean master of martial arts.  He also holds a Master’s degree in Business, allowing him to make Randall’s business enterprise look 100 percent legitimate. He is tasked to meet Jake upon arrival at Kobe, but Jake’s clumsy streak not to mention his lack of directional skill, fouls that plan. He tracks Jake and Ace during their adventures, reporting all details back to Randall.

Actress Miracle Laurie would play Cassie Grant, the on-again off-again girlfriend of Jake, who is unsuccessful in convincing Jake not to go to Kobe. She works for Jake and Maggie’s enterprise in Research and Development. She will appear in the beginning in various scenes at the company’s office and in several flashbacks as Jake and Ace share stories of their past.

Jonathan Silverman

Actor Patrick Fabian would play Hank Todd, the man who discovered Maggie and Jack’s talent, molding them into the dynamic duo and providing the initial capital to get them started. Hank was also unable to keep Jake from going to Kobe.

Actress Jennifer Beals would play Sarah Harding-Wood, Maggie’s mom and Jake’s step-mom, who will appear in flashbacks in the beginning of the film showing Maggie’s and Jake’s younger days and will be featured briefly in the final scenes.

Enver Gjokaj

Actor Jonathan Silverman would play Gregory Wood, Jake’s dad and Maggie’s step-dad, who will also appear in the same flashbacks at the beginning and briefly in the final scenes.

Actor Enver Gjokaj would play Marine Captain Barry “Moose” Walinski, the only guy Ace ever got close to while in the service. He will appear in flashbacks as Jake and Ace share stories of their past and he will appear in an unexpected twist ending.

So, there you have it my version of Romancing the Stone the remake for the big screen, for better or worse. I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you like the storyline? Like the casting? Or, maybe you have a better idea for either the storyline or casting. Please share.

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