Martin Henderson's name has come up a few times when my wife and I have discussed the whole "who should play Jack" thing. He was the male lead in "the Ring". He might be a little young for the role (he strikes me as late 20's), but he has an interesting look and from an acting perspective, he could probably pull off both the charming side and the determined machine of retribution side of Jack.

--Matthew

He's got a very young face, and an ability to just melt into different character modes- a must for anyone trying to be Jack. He's also got the physical ability to play the role. You look at him and you underestimate him from minute one- this guy can do some damage if he wants.
That's Jack.
I can even look past the hair-n-eyes thing for Cusack.

If we can't have Viggo or Hugh,then my vote is for John.

I believe John Cusack is FPW's choice too.

I love Cusack, but he doesn't have that "hotness" factor I look for.

Susan

He's got a very young face, and an ability to just melt into different character modes- a must for anyone trying to be Jack. He's also got the physical ability to play the role. You look at him and you underestimate him from minute one- this guy can do some damage if he wants.
That's Jack.
I can even look past the hair-n-eyes thing for Cusack.

If we can't have Viggo or Hugh,then my vote is for John.

Since the overwhelming number want Cusack as Jack, let me just say this

What other dynamics of the character will be altered? If its true that Vicki is going to be a teenager in this purported first film, how does that change
her relationship to Jack? Does that make Gia older as well? Do you cast a Mischa Barton or a Lindsay Lohan type as Vicki? For myself, I was thinking more of a Dakota Fanning for Vicki.

Given the fact that Cusack is already in his late 30's (Nearly 38, I believe) and to me, he looks exactly his age, how many of these films can he legitimately appear in before he's rendered too old for the character by Hollywood's standards ? Or do you foresee Jack evolving into a James Bond type with differing actors essaying the role every few years?

Or will he (Cusack) grow tired of being Jack forcing the studio to look for someone else say in the next installment?

If Viggo were to consider this (and based on his body of work, this certainly doesn't seem likely), he's already in his mid forties and might be a bit long in the tooth. Jackman is easily recognizable as Wolverine and Van Helsing but could easily meld into Jack. And at 35, he could conceivably essay Jack in two films given the general interim of 2 to 3 years per sequel, particularly if filming begins by late 2004 for a 2005 release.

Working at a local studio, I have a bit of insight as to how a studio might approach this. Does the actor have international box office clout? The international marketplace is quickly becoming the more accurate factor in determing if a studio will have a return on its investment. What is the budget to be assigned and will the actor ask for or seek profit participation? What is being sold here? A prepackaged concept? An actor whose name appears above title? Since this is a recurring literary character, is this to filmed as one long 4 to 5 hour film and then arbitarily sliced in 2 ala Kill Bill, or filmed back to back in the same manner as LOTR. What's its DVD prospects?
Is the Jack on the screen more of an action/adventure hero or more character driven with action secondary?

A few years ago, if Jack had been made, Johnny Depp would have been a good fit. If I were a casting director and had read the books (remember the casting director may not have a clue about who Jack is and is basing her/his choices on what is written in the actual screenplay), I would want either James Caviezel, or the little known Johnny Messner. I would also get the script to Depp to see if he might be interested.

Studios are always looking for a character that is easily spun off, thereby creating a franchise and a safe harbor for returning profits.

Just a thought

I believe John Cusack is FPW's choice too.

I love Cusack, but he doesn't have that "hotness" factor I look for.

Susan

Jack is supposed to be invisible, not a stand out hottie. I've got lists and lists of hotties I'd love to see stripped down to the waist in a battle to the death...but none of them are Jack.
Cusack does it for me, and he does have box office value...Runaway Jury did a nice peice of business with him starring. He just strikes me as capable of the part on a subconcious level- I just KNOW he will be right, ya know?

Do not meddle in the affairs of Akitas, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup

Akitas like ketchup?

Ken V.

Who is going to play Jack in the movie?


Sorry, I just had to do it!!!

Generally, it seems John Cusack is the overwhelming favorite
with honorable mention going to Hugh Jackman or Viggo Mortensen

and since height doesn't seem to be an issue - For myself, working at a local studio, my preference would be the following;

Johnny Depp, Johnny Messner (an up and coming actor who fits Jack's description as written) or Jim Caviezel.


A friend of mine who is a film critic suggested Josh Hartnett because as she said he is bland e.g. easily malleable

Ryan Phillipe, any one?

Jack is supposed to be invisible, not a stand out hottie. I've got lists and lists of hotties I'd love to see stripped down to the waist in a battle to the death...but none of them are Jack.
Cusack does it for me, and he does have box office value...Runaway Jury did a nice peice of business with him starring. He just strikes me as capable of the part on a subconcious level- I just KNOW he will be right, ya know?

Just so you know, Runaway Jury cost $60 million to produce (I'm not sure what Cusack's asking price is or what prints and ads cost) but it earned an
underwhelming $49 million in domestic box office. It only played in 2 international territories and grossed approximately a 1 million US dollars. Box office performance abroad is key to the releasing studio's ability to turn a profit. And if Cusack essays the role, will his salary be too steep for a studio's investment?

Jury opened to a dismal $11 million. In the film business, the opening weekend is paramount to a film's success. And if you are looking to spin off a character, a guy who has only one movie gross over $ 100 million during its domestic run, doesn't exactly sound like good business sense to me.

My girlfriend and I discuss this often, and will cast the entire series of books from time to time. Yes, we're geeky about Jack.

Personally, I'd like to see someone like Tom Welling from Smallville play Jack. He's very plain, kind of slim, but muscular. He's a pretty good actor, in addition. A little young, maybe, but then, they'll obviously want to skew younger, especially if they want to franchise the character. There's a lot of others fit for the role, but he's my latest choice.

As for other characters, of course there's always Judd Hirsch as Abe, Arnold Vosloo or Gerard Butler as Kusum (Gerard Butler? you ask. Yes. Give him a beard, darken him a bit, and I think he could pull it off), and, surprisingly, I like Charisma Carpenter as Kolabhati. As for Gia? Well, I'm not so sure. But I like Raymond Cruz for Julio.

[QUOTE=nijimeijer]
Personally, I'd like to see someone like Tom Welling from Smallville play Jack. He's very plain, kind of slim, but muscular. He's a pretty good actor, in addition. A little young, maybe, but then, they'll obviously want to skew younger, especially if they want to franchise the character. There's a lot of others fit for the role, but he's my latest choice.

QUOTE]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919991/

Hmmm... A little swarthy compared to how I see Jack. But yeah, not far off the mark. Personally, after seeing Susan's link to Edward Burns, my vote is already in.

Cusack would be a decent choice, though it's been mentioned that Jack isn't supposed to stand out and Cusack is fairly recognizable. But now I'm just being nitpicky. Obviously avid RJ fans would see it as important, but since this is going to be a movie in an entirely different medium, the actor might need more presence. The other characters in the movie, as characters, might not notice him, but the audience- the viewers- would need a little more distinction.

Maybe it just doesn't matter to me since I wouldn't notice Tom Hanks in the street if he was doing a jig naked. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the point.

Generally, it seems John Cusack is the overwhelming favorite
with honorable mention going to Hugh Jackman or Viggo Mortensen

and since height doesn't seem to be an issue - For myself, working at a local studio, my preference would be the following;

Johnny Depp, Johnny Messner (an up and coming actor who fits Jack's description as written) or Jim Caviezel.


A friend of mine who is a film critic suggested Josh Hartnett because as she said he is bland e.g. easily malleable

Ryan Phillipe, any one?

Josh Hartnett does look really plain, but I have a hard time picturing him speaking "Jersey".