I’m very excited for the upcoming DC Comics movie, New Gods. Directed by A Wrinkle In Time and When They See Us director Ava DuVernay and co-written by all-star comic book writer Tom King, the movie is set to adapt Jack Kirby’s Fourth World saga, a sprawling space epic about two planets of superhumans using Earth as a battleground for their eternal war. The Fourth World comics are some of Kirby’s most inventive characters and some of his best work. I really love the comics, so in anticipation of the upcoming movie, I decided to make a fancast of who I’d like to see playing some of the New Gods. I should note that these aren’t predictions for who I think will be cast in the movie, as basically no information has been released about it yet. This is just for fun.
Daniel Radcliffe as Mister Miracle
One of the main plot points of the Fourth World comics is that in a failed attempt to prevent war, Highfather and Darkseid, the leaders of the planets New Genesis and Apokolips, exchanged sons as hostages. Scott Free, later known as Mister Miracle, is the son of Highfather, raised in torment on Apokolips. In order to survive, Scott is trained in combat and ends up a master escape artist.
Mister Miracle will likely be one of the central stars of the movie, and I think Daniel Radcliffe would do a great job in the role. Since the Harry Potter series ended, Radcliffe has mostly taken roles in smaller, independent movies, so he might be hesitant to accept a role in a big budget superhero movie. However, I think there is a lot of depth to Mister Miracle that might entice Radcliffe to take the role. In Tom King’s Mister Miracle series, the character deals with depression and posttraumatic stress, subjects Radcliffe is adept at portraying. I think he would provide a nuanced, powerful star turn that would serve as the emotional center of New Gods.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Orion
Another of the central heroes of New Gods, Orion is the son of Darkseid and Mister Miracle’s counterpart in the hostage exchange. Raised in paradise on New Genesis, Orion is a rage-filled warrior who fights against his father to protect his adopted home. O’Shea Jackson Jr., who became famous after portraying his father, Ice Cube, in Straight Outta Compton, would be great at capturing Orion’s trademark intensity and providing the DCEU movies with a young star to build around. Jackson is an engaging actor, and DC would do well to get him in one of their movies before Marvel does.
Michael Ironside as Darkseid
Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips and the embodiment of pure evil. He’s one of DC’s most powerful and iconic villains, and for his voice (assuming the character will be CGI) I’m sticking with what works. Michael Ironside leant his deep, imposing voice to the character of Darkseid in the Superman and Justice League animated series. His voice sounds perfect for the ancient, evil tyrant without sounding too over-the-top or cheesy. It’s perfect for a serious, compelling villain for the upcoming movie.
Gwendolyn Christie as Big Barda
Barda is one of the Female Furies, Darkseid’s elite warrior task force. After meeting Scott Free, the two of them defect to Earth and get married. While Gwendolyn Christie doesn’t look exactly like the Barda of the comics, we know from Game of Thrones that she has the presence necessary to handle the role. Despite being one of the toughest fighters in the universe, Barda has been traumatized and often feels out of place, too big and too powerful for her surroundings. Gwendolyn Christie would be great at portraying Barda’s repressed emotional depth.
David Warner as Metron
Metron wanders the cosmos in his Mobius chair in an eternal search for knowledge. He is mysterious, sometimes remaining neutral in the New Gods’ war, and other times lending help to the heroes of New Genesis. Kirby based Metron off the character of Mr. Spock from Star Trek, so I would definitely cast Leonard Nimoy if he was still alive. Because he is not, I’ve gone with another Star Trek actor with Shakespearean training and a striking voice and profile, David Warner. I don’t know where it came from, but I when I thought of David Warner as Metron I had a pretty cool image in my head of him playing chess against Darkseid.
Walton Goggins as Desaad
Desaad is Darkseid’s top henchman and torturer, delighting in inflicting pain on his enemies. The character has a lot of potential to be one-dimensional and cartoony, so I picked Walton Goggins, most famous for his role in Justified, because I know he has the capacity to make Desaad legitimately unsettling and genuinely creepy, even to an adult audience.
Kathy Bates as Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness runs Darkseid’s “Orphanages” where children, including young Scott and Barda, are abused, tortured, and trained to fight and die for Darkseid. She’s maybe Kirby’s most evil and terrifying villain. Kathy Bates has an affinity for playing terrifying women, such as Annie Wilkes in Misery and her roles in American Horror Story. I think she’d be great at putting on the facade of a nice old lady that barely masks the depravity underneath.
Sung Kang as Lightray
Lightray is a solar-powered New God and Orion’s closest confidant. He acts as a calm, cool contrast to Orion’s fury. In his role as Han in the Fast & Furious movies, Sung Kang has shown that he can do a lot with a little and lend depth and importance to supporting roles. I think he would be great acting as a mentor and friend to Orion in New Gods.
Sir Derek Jacobi as Highfather
Sir Derek Jacobi is an excellent Shakespearean actor, famous for Gladiator and the Brother Cadfael series. I have him cast in the small but important part of Izaya the Highfather, leader of New Genesis and Scott’s father. Highfather is the one that made the decision to abandon his own son to live in a literal hell, and Jacobi would do a great job portraying the kind of emotion that goes into making that decision.
Tony Cox as Oberon
Oberon is a little person from Earth and Scott’s closest friend. He’s often a comedic character, and I think Tony Cox, of Bad Santa fame, would do great in that role. The role of Oberon would also give Cox a chance to expand beyond what he normally does in movies when things get serious and Oberon has to help Scott and Barda fight Darkseid.
James Spader as Glorious Godfrey
Not all of Kirby’s New Gods will be featured in the movie. One I think fits really well in a modern adaption of the comics is Glorious Godfrey, the manipulative preacher and TV personality acting as a covert operative for Darkseid. The theme of the media lying and being co-opted for evil purposes is very common today, and I think James Spader would do a great job as an incendiary news-host version of Glorious Godfrey. Yes I know he already played Ultron in Avengers 2. Ultron’s not coming back to the MCU anytime soon, so Spader should be free.
No One as Funky Flashman
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee did not always get along, which is why when Kirby left Lee and Marvel to create the New Gods for DC, he made the character of Funky Flashman, an immoral con man and thinly-veiled character assassination satire of Lee. Because Lee is such a revered figure in the comic book industry, Flashman has been used very, very infrequently.. Tom King’s Mister Miracle series turned the character into a tribute to Lee. However, because of Lee’s beloved appearances in Marvel movies, I have to think Flashman won’t be showing up in New Gods.