"Remake of the Waterloo Movie" Topic

OK, I've got a bazillion dollars to spend so I can have anything and anyone in my planned remake of the Waterloo movie that starred Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer.

I've got Daniel Day-Lewis as Wellington and Russell Crowe has signed on as Napoleon. Now I just have to fill out the rest of the cast, but I need your help, so give me your ideas for who should fill some of the other prominent roles in my remake of Waterloo.

Sir Ian Mckellern as Blucher

Patrick Stewart as Davout

I weould find someone else to do Napoleon. Use Russel Crowe in the role of Ney. Armand Assante for Nap but I think he might be too old right now. Rutger Hauer for Blucher.

Mel Gibson as Ney. A good Anglophobe to lead those charges.

Why not have Russel Crowe play everybody?

Danny de Vito as Napoleon!

If you got a bazlilion dollars, why not just clone all the main players, a clone Boney, Clone Nosey, Clone blucher, clone ney ect.

Then you get 200 000 britsh, german and french people, pay them 1 million dollars each, and then give them live ammo and weapons, and let them fight it out for real. and film it. sure many of them will die, but their familiy will still get to enjoy the million dollars.

I'd go with unknowns. that way I could spend more on the Extras

I'd go with unknowns. that way I could spend more on the Extras

Good thinking…

My first choice for Napoleon: Joaquin Phoenix. I noticed in Gladiator how much he looks like him.

De Niro as Napoleon,

I would have Andy Serkis play Napoleon and just CGI him in.

Jim Carrey as Napoleon and Arnie as Blucher. I think Mike Myers would make an excellent Wellington with possibly Samuel L Jackson as Uxbridge.

David Tennant as the lucky Irish soldier who bluffs his way out of stealing a pig.

Shergar as Uxbridge's horse and Lord Lucan as the rider. Then all the half a million CGI infantry from "Troy" or "Lord of the Rings" to represent d'Erlon's lads heading up that ridge. I know, you'd all moan they are in the wrong formation, however they are shown. Blucher? Was he there…….?

I surrender. Tin hat beat all suggestions so far.

Peter Dinklage as Naploleon.
Hugh Laurie as Wellington.

Can't you just re-edit Pellinore Fields from LotR, and CGI the real faces/uniforms over the top?

Russell Crowe is a natural for Napoleon.

Paul Bettany as Uxbridge

Benedict Cummerbatch as Wellington

Kenneth Branagh as Blucher

Richard Roxburgh as Ney

I reckon they would go well.

If it was my money I would leave Waterloo alone and do something else- A movie starting off with Aspern Essling and ending with Wagram would be a good choice

^ what he said ^

Regards
James

If we go with Tin Hat's suggestion, Justin Beiber can do the soundtrack and a cameo as a French Grenadier of the Old Guard.

Liam Neeson is perfect for Picton, as is Daniel Day Lewis for Wellington. I thought Hugh Grant would make a dashing Uxbridge.

Napoleon is the hard one. I lean towards Anthony Hopkins as best for the role. Sir Ian McKellen for Blucher would be awesome and a red-haired Mel Gibson would be good for Ney also.

The hard part will be where to slot in Cuba Goodings Jnr.

There will be no CGI since I have a bazillion dollars, remember? So I'll have 200,000 extras and correct period costumes and weapons.

And nobody outside of the historical wargaming sector as heard of Aspern-Essling or Wagram, so forget that idea.

If I have the money I'd rather do a proper Trafalgar movie with reconstructed ships.

Now let's see the casting choice for Nelson, Collingwood, Hardy, Villeneuve, Gravina and Dumanoir!

Re-hire the Russian army for th battle scenes, those lads did great work on the first movie. Why, I be they've spent the intervening years rehearsing , just waiting for the remake.

And nobody outside of the historical wargaming sector as heard of Aspern-Essling or Wagram, so forget that idea.

There wines, aren't they? Or is it cheeses…?

You're contradicting yourself there, Fritz. May I call a bazillionaire "Fritz"?
You don't need anyone else to know what it's about. You're paying for it, and don't give a hoot about making a profit. Unless your bazillionaire's ego is so immense that it must be a popular movie. Don't worry about that. We, your flunkeys will pay people to go see it, and yon need never know. We are your loyal flunkies, and we love you. Or, your bazillions.

^what OFM said^

Yes Alte Fritz. It is called an art-studio film. Just an epic art studio film :p

Nah, the script should be changed, for making the battle more appealing to the general public. I would say that Napoleon was a bore: he should be replaced by Josephine, played by Sophie Marceau; Ney could be played either by Emma Stone or Jessica Chastain; Uxbridge could be Scarlett Johansson, and Picton Angelina Jolie; for Wellington's part the choice is a no brainer: Hellen Mirren. And Blucher would be played by Meryl Streep, so she can daze us again with her dominion of odd accents.

The costumes are very important: I suggest you to look at Fantasy heroines iconography.

I'd go for stage actors and avoid the cinema.

partly, they want too much money and expect the lines and screen time to justify it.

partly they all overact when given 'epic' roles.

but the most important thing would be the director.

Ridley is out – he would insist on exploding shot.

most of the other CGI superstars would totally re write it for their own ending.

Peter Weir would be a good early choice.

sadly, most of the really good european directors would not want to make it because the personal drama is almost invisible and there are no female roles worth speaking of.

but if we could get one, I would look for a German director and a European production team.

the director will make the film, the actors will just sell the tickets, so my money would first go on a director

Duplicate

I'd go for a cartoon in the style of the Simpsons.

Having everyone in yellow would look more historical.

Homer as Napoleon (blames everyone else for his mistakes) and obviously Marge as Josephine

Lisa would be Wellington (beating her dad)
Bart would be Uxbridge
Mo would be Picton
Barney the Drunk could be CGI'd as the entire British Army

Krusty as Ney
Chief Wigham as Grouchy
Dr Hibbert as Surgeon Larrey treating Boney's piles
Monty Burns as Blucher
Smithers as Gneisau

I'd keep John Savident as Muffling though – still gives me a laugh after all these years.

Get Peter Jackson to do it then Grouchy can arrive in time to save the day (the British are always the baddies !)

I reckon Jason Statham would make a good Wellington.

And Sean Bean should be in it too…

Cheers,

A musical, with "Carrot Top" as Ney.

peter jackson would be the only one who could pull it off with that epic "flair" lots ands lots of flair-------------casting? I'd get Germans to do Prussians, French actors to do French, British and dutch and germans to do allies. and for god sakes, subtitles,,,,,,,, nothing is more annoying than a "belief suspension" regarding spoken languages ln film to me. number one culprit? english speaking Japanese in Midway. (with California accents)

With Groundskeeper Willie as the Colonel of the Gordon Highlanders.

here's a role for Cuba Gooding:

link

OK, he wasn't there in 1815, but…

DANGER!

but if we could get one, I would look for a German director and a European production team

This sounds lile a job for Uwe Boll!

Following the excellent Simpsons idea:

Principal Skinner as Wellington,
Mayor Quimby as Soult,
Duffman as Ney,
Ned Flanders as Ponsonby,
Milhouse as the Prince of Orange,
Grandpa Simpson as an Old Guard grenadier
And Itchy and Sratchy as opposing artillery crew…

Oh, and Kent Brockman could pass as Muffling, i think..

It isn't the actors you need to care about. You need a script that can offer the audience an understanding of what the heck is going on and WHY – even if the whay is because the French are not following the battle plan.

The original movie was horendous because they did not – even once – show the disposions or the armies on a map, let alone the many times they should have to let the audience understand wht/why was going on.

I remember seeing something like "Hougoumont – 11 AM" followed by "Hougoumont – 1 PM" then "Hougoumont – 3 PM" -- and nobody in the audience that was not scholar of the battle had a clue of where, what, or why the French were attacking there. The same went for every other spot on the field.

Without scenes wherein Napoleon and Wellingto go over maps of the field a that explain the defense and positions and why they are important – even if they are only talking to themselves and their immediate staff – the movie will be another epic failure.

You need a strong female lead nowadays.

How about Cate Blanchett as the wise and Experienced-But-Still-Milfy vivandiere Fran็oise, and Emma Stone as her precocious daughter Mirabelle, who single-handedly saves Napoleon by flying through the air and karate-kicking an entire troop of Prussian Uhlans in the throat, while landing, a bit scuffed, in front of her wounded love-interest, Sergeant Demidur (played by Shia Labeouf.)

"My first choice for Napoleon: Joaquin Phoenix. I noticed in Gladiator how much he looks like him."

vtsaogames – you only have to look at Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher to realise how mistaken that kind of thinking is in Hollywood…

"David Tennant as the lucky Irish soldier who bluffs his way out of stealing a pig."

Not David Tennant, please, I beg you.

I rather like the idea of Samuel L Jackson though – he adds a bit of class to anything he appears in. A lot of the other suggestions I'd never heard of before – Emma Stone? Helen Miien and Dame Judy Dench should be mandatory for the scenes at the ball though.

Ok, here goes.

Napoleon – Russel Crowe, plays the moody really well.
Or Possibly Anthony Hopkins, maybe too old?
Wellington – Danial Day Lewis, the nose and gets into role
Blucher – Max Von Sydow
Ney – Michael Weatherly
Von Bulow – Christoph Waltz
D'Erlon – Alain Delon
Cambronne – Jean Reno
Uxbridge – Robert Downey Jr.
Ponsonby – Hugh Jackman
De Lancy – Eric Bana
Duchess of Richmond – Nicole Kidman

JMHO…

Jason Statham as the British Lt Col Macdonell with help who close the Gate of Hougoumont.

Wishful thinking, but good to day dream about it!

How about a cast of comedians?

Dara O'Briain as Wellington
Eddie Izzard as Uxbridge
Rob Brydon as Picton
Jim Davidson as Colonel Gordon

Milton Jones as Napoleon
Frankie Boyle as Marshal Ney
Rich Hall as Blucher

and featuring….

Reginald D Hunter as Muffling
("Maaaan, did YOU git yosself humbugged!")

Most important: some chaps who have studied the drill regulations of the nations involved, and who can teach the troops to move historically correct.

While you have a bazillion dollars, would you buy the rights to Battle of the Bulge, CGI in Panthers, 251's and Shermans instead of M26 and M24's, and edit out that stupid scene with them blowing up the train? Otherwise it's a fairly good movie…

Otherwise it's a fairly good movie…

No. No, it isn't.

Actually Eddie Izzard can play serious roles as well. I would watch him in a Napoleonic film.