Sean Bean Must Needs Beware the Ides of March?

How dangerous can playing Julius Caesar be? This article and IMDB page about the upcoming Caesar had me squeeing hard enough to crack my monitor. Is this for real? It reads like a fancast and I noticed a discrepancy regarding the casting of Antony. There’s supposed to be a supernatural bent too. Shakespeare shares a writing credit with Kira Madallo Sesay, so I’m guessing it’s not a straight read-through.

The comparison that jumps to my mind before the 1953 Mankiewicz film with Marlon Brando is HBO’s Rome, in part because of the cast. Rome was a gorgeous look at Caesar and company as complex people with conflicting hearts and heads. I hope it doesn’t die in development hell, but for now let’s have fun and frolic in the fiery pit. With these hotties. Here are some of the main cast.

Caesar
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”

Sean Bean rocks in almost everything, Here’s to hoping they balance Caesar’s charisma with his ambition and capriciousness. Soo much potential for epic speechmaking.

 

 

Mark Antony
“Blood and destruction shall be so in use, and dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war…

“ François Arnaud rocked mercurial nobility in The Borgias. Most likely there will be comparisons to James Purefoy‘s beguiling role on Rome. Schade! We’ve seen snarky selfish Antonys and bro-tastic jockstrap Antonys; it’s time for something new. Antony’s famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen” speech is hilarious, chilling, and badass all at once.

Calpurnia
“The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”

Indira Varma has the amazing ability to go from soft and mothering to smoldering and dangerous in a heartbeat. Not that Calpurnia needs to be either of those. Calpurnia is a fun character to explore some Shakespearean gender politics, if one is in the mood.

Brutus
“As he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him.”

Tom Weston-Jones…didn’t see that one coming. He was one of the better aspects of squeaky-clean Copper. Rock it, dude. Lucky ducky gets to act out a tragic bromance with Sean Bean! Brutus is the play’s most complex character, but these complexities don’t necessarily make him compelling. More a Hamlet than a Macbeth. The challenge lies in making the audience believe he was torn between two loves. Or, for the more contrary productions, that Brutus is a self-deluded hypocrite. Or maybe he’s both. This is what makes Shakespeare so delicious, aside from the sex jokes and put-downs.

Portia
“I have made strong proof of my constancy…”

Samantha Barks, who theater fans will remember from Les Miserables. Like Calpurnia, Portia is downgraded in stage time because the menfolk think she’s weak. Portia, however, is pissed Brutus doesn’t take her into her confidence. Always a great start for relationship conflict.

Octavius
“For we are at the stake,
And bay’d about with many enemies;
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear, millions of mischiefs.”

Isaac Hempstead Wright is boyishly handsome no matter how tall he gets, but the only thing I’ve seen him in, Game of Thrones, shows he can balance youthfulness with wise-beyond-his-years. Max Pirkis‘ Octavian was cherubic shepherd boy who’d shank you in the kidney if it advanced his politics. I’m curious to see how Wright will play him; Shakespeare’s Octavius needs a good actor to keep him from slipping into one-note frigid ambition.

Casca
“It is the part of men to fear and tremble…”

John Bradley is adorable. Casca is a balls-out nutter conspiracy theorist who flies at Caesar like a Tea Party-aligned squirrel. Dear frackin’ lord is this the Game of Thrones reunion?

 

 

 

Cassius
“I know he would not be a wolf, but that he sees the Romans are but sheep.
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.”

Mackenzie Crook can certainly pull off a lean and hungry look. If this isn’t a fancast, hats off to this lovely actor for landing this fun role. Cassius, Caesar, and Antony get all the best lines.