Red Dead Redemption 2 is a video game. The visuals, story, and dialog are so good, you may have to repeatedly tell yourself that as you play through the massive open world and experience this western tale.
With a story this solid and lifelike, it’s natural (at least for me) to imagine it becoming a live-action feature film. As my wheels spun around with that concept for a couple of days, I began to cast this fictitious film.
As usual, when I go off on these tangents, I’m not hindered by budgets or any other practical restrictions. The result of my brainstorm is a pretty impressive ensemble cast that could help bring RDR to the silver screen almost as well as Rockstar has delivered it to gamers.
As you can see, I have cast Christian Bale as Arthur Morgan in the lead role. Bale is one of my favorite actors and he’s played almost every kind of role there is in the business. Aside from his prototypical protagonist qualities, I hearkened back to his role in 3:10 to Yuma as Dan Evans, and he seemed like an even better fit for the role of Arthur.
Don’t worry, there are no spoilers for RDR 2 in this article so you can scroll through the choices without ruining any part of the story. Check out all of my casting choices.
Daniel Day-Lewis or Josh Brolin as Dutch Van Der Linde
I really couldn’t make up my mind with this one. I try to work Josh Brolin into every movie. It could be a remake of Steel Magnolias, and I’d try to find a role for him.
That said, his ability to play a grizzled veteran of the Western Frontier is seemingly ideal for the role of Dutch. Check out Brolin in No Country For Old Men or go even further back to 2010 to see him in his role as Jonah Hex. Brolin could be Dutch or Arthur.
However, let’s not sleep on Daniel Day-Lewis. Hopefully, you’re familiar with his work, specifically The Gangs of New York. His portrayal of Bill “The Butcher” Cutting strongly suggests Day-Lewis could slay the role of Dutch.
Zooey Deschanel as Abigail Roberts
You may only know Zooey Deschanel for her role on The New Girl, but she’s already been in a western alongside some pretty heavy hitters. She co-starred in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.
Drop her into the role of Abigail Roberts and watch her bring the conflicted character to life.
Jeff Bridges as Bill Williamson
Who better to bring the cantankerous Bill Williamson into reality than the legendary Jeff Bridges?
He’d need some makeup to lose the hair, but we’ve already seen him bald in Iron Man. He’s appeared in a number of westerns and played similar characters in the past on both sides of the law.
This should be a natural fit for him.
Zahn McClarnon as Charles Smith
Charles Smith is part Native American and part African-American. The character is integral to a number of pieces of the story. Zahn McClarnon is a veteran actor who has played a variety of roles in settings similar to Red Dead Redemption 2.
I love his presence on camera and can see him shining as Smith.
Michael Pena as Javier Escuella
You may not realize the amount of work Michael Pena has done over the past 10 years, but it has been plentiful and most of it very good. Like many of the actors and actresses on this list, Pena has played all kinds of roles.
He was in an underrated drama about a falsely accused Mexican immigrant called Frontera that also starred veteran actor Ed Harris. Pena’s character was much different than Javier Escuella in that film, but that along with a mixture of his portrayal of Paco Hernandez in American Hustle and Enrique Camarena in Narcos makes me believe he’s the right guy for this part.
Christina Hendricks as Karen Jones
The Karen Jones character has to be cunning, conniving and charming. Christina Hendricks has already proved she can handle those characteristics in a role. She’s been the Seductress in Zoolander 2 and a housewife turned armed-robber in the series Good Girls.
She has a presence on the screen and the live-action Karen Jones needs that quality.
Mahershala Ali as Lenny Summers
Having already dipped his toe in the virtual waters of video game cinematics with Madden’s Longshot, Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali could deliver an excellent depiction of Lenny Summers.
As one of the more well-rounded characters in the story, Summers needs a man like Ali to do him justice in a live-action film.
Sarah Silverman as Mary-Beth Gaskil
Can Sarah Silverman play a character who is supposed to dupe targets into believing she is kind and innocent while she plots to rob and take advantage of them? I’d love to see her try.
While her portrayal of Ruth in the awful A Million Ways To Die In The West might be forgettable because of the low quality of the film, there’s imagery there that convinces me Silverman can be believable in a western.
The grit and grime Silverman showed in I Smile Back creates a balance that suggests she’s ready to be an outlaw.
Amy Adams as Molly O’Shea
Dutch’s love interest in Red Dead Redemption 2 needs to be a woman of distinction in the live-action version of the story. Amy Adams is distinct enough to have played Lois Lane in three different Superman movies. I think she can handle the role of Molly O’Shea as well.
Also, there is something about the eyes and hair that match the O’Shea character very well.
Paul Giamatti as Pearson
While the Pearson character looks to be pretty tall, his look and demeanor have some similarities to Paul Giamatti and characters he’s played in the past.
Mix Giamatti’s Miles’ character from Sideways with his portrayal of John Adams in a TV series back in 2008, and you can see him playing the Pearson character.
William H. Macy as Reverend Swanson
No one plays drunken and hysterical quite like William H. Macy. From his role on Shameless as Frank Gallagher to his breakout performance in Fargo as Jerry Lundegaard, Macy has already played characters with Reverend Swanson’s most prominent traits.
The fact that he looks similar to the character’s artistic design only makes him an even more perfect choice.
Scarlett Johansson as Sadie Adler
Strong, defiant and independent after the murder of her husband, the Sadie Adler character needs a real-life actress with the ability to pull off a more action-oriented role. Scarlett Johansson has played The Black Widow in a number of Marvel Comics movies including an upcoming film solely about the character.
Like Brolin, Johansson is one of those people I try to work into every movie idea. That said, she really does align with Adler.
Domhnall Gleeson as Sean Maguire
The resemblance between the Maguire character and Domhnall Gleeson is obvious. Gleeson has racked up some monumental roles in the past seven years, but his ability to play Maguire is clear to me based on his work in The Revenant as Captain Andrew Henry and the Harry Potter films.
Maguire is more of a wiseguy than Gleeson has played regularly, but he’s so talented, there is no doubt he could pull it off.
Jennifer Garner as Susan Grimshaw
She’ll need makeup to age and weather her face, but otherwise, Jennifer Garner has the moxie to play Susan Grimshaw. The role would be a departure from what we normally associate with Garner, but that’s why it’s interesting.
It’s fun to see actors and actresses play roles outside of their usual. Playing Grimshaw would give Garner an opportunity to show another layer.
Zoe Saldana as Tilly Jackson
Between playing Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers Infinity War and Neytiri in the original Avatar and the upcoming four sequels, Zoe Saldana has been busy and productive.
She’s established herself as a top-notch choice in an action film. Tilly Jackson’s character is spunky and a survivor. It seems like a natural fit and branch for Saldana.
Bill Murray as Uncle
You’ve got to have some comic relief, and just thinking of Bill Murray reciting Uncle’s lines while applying his shtick made me laugh. Murray is a veteran who can do a little more than make you laugh, which he proved in Lost in Translation back in 2003, so the seriousness of the film isn’t something he can’t handle.
Alas, taking Murray on a bank robbery might be as fun as playing Red Dead Redemption 2.
