Yeah, this is pretty getting old, what with trying to bring back something from the past and rebooting/filming it, but like almost any idea I think of, it is dumb and doesn’t die easily. I like ToTJ since it tells such an interesting story with Jedi lore and ancient Jedi characters, like Nomi Sunrider (who’s my favorite), Exar Kun, etc. So, how would you retell ToTJ as a film (this includes characters-cast, if you want-production, directors, etc)?
I’d have ToTJ films be a trilogy (“The Nadd Uprising,” “Dark Lords of the Sith,” and “The Sith War”), with Nomi Sunrider as the main character, since she’s the one the audience would more likely relate to (NO political agenda in this, swear it). She’d be the young widow taken into the Jedi and taught their ways, while getting to know Ulic, the dashing hero, and his bro, Cay, the quiet Jedi techie. Exar Kun fills the Vader role (of course) as the fallen Jedi who’s looking for Sith knowledge and is consumed by it, turning himself into the Dark Lord of the Sith.
As for casting, direction, or production, I have no idea. It would be difficult to recreate some of the scenes from the comics, but if Kenneth Branagh could get Asgard in Thor, then I guess anything’s possible.
Screw lightsabers, I’ll stick with regular swords. At least they won’t blow up in my face like this franchise has.
To make certain the look of the sets and props match the imagery of the comics as closely as possible, I’d bring Chris Gossett on as a concept artist.
In terms of music, I’d move away from a John Williams-inspired classical score and instead go for something ambient and electronic – something similar to Tangerine Dream’s score for the American cut of Legend.
Unfortunately, when it comes to actors I can only picture ones who are now too old to play the parts.
If it was 1990s or 2000s, I would have gone with James Marsden and Famke Janssen (Cyclopes and Jean Greay in Singer’s X-Men movies) as Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider. Marsden does have that dashing, cocky look for Ulic Qel-Droma, while Famke certainly has that powerful yet beautiful look, which works with her role as Jean Grey. Plus, given their roles in the X-men movies (Jean Grey and Cyclops being a couple), I think that could work as Ulic and Nomi grow to like each other.
But since this is the 2010s, and if someone wants younger actors, I’m going along some of the actors from BBC’s Merlin. For Ulic and Aleema Keto, Bradley James’ Arthur from a cocky, brash fighter/prince to a noble king, while Katie McGrath’s Morgana Pendragon plays into the beautiful witch role that tempts the brave hero. Colin Morgan (the titular hero of Merlin) has worked alongside James in Merlin, giving plenty of banter that makes them feel like good friends (maybe even brothers), which makes him perfect for the humble, yet a bit mischievous, Cay Qel-Droma.
As for Nomi, the main hero, that’s a tough one. You need someone who can act a motherly and somewhat timid woman who is forced into a role not meant for her, yet grows into a strong and powerful warrior nonetheless. You could go with someone like Tamla Kari, Constance in the BBC’s Musketeers, whose character went from an obeying wife to a somewhat strong and willful person (albeit while stuck in the role of love interest for the main lead).
Screw lightsabers, I’ll stick with regular swords. At least they won’t blow up in my face like this franchise has.