Ever since I was a little boy I have adored magic from Charmed to Harry Potter. Its leaked into every aspect of my entertainment interests from movies and tv shows to books and comics. When it comes to comics I’ve always loved the magic sides of both DC and Marvel, they’ve always held such a special place in my heart especially DC. When WB and DC announced that Doug Liman would direct Justice League Dark, I began to fancast. I’ve held on to this fancast for quite awhile now and its something I hold near and dear to me because I adore these characters and DC’s take on the mystic arts. So gather round ladies and gents and lets take a look at the things that go bump in the night and the people who bump back.

1.Ruth Negga as Johanna “John” Constantine

When you think of magic in comics the very first name that should come to your mind is that of DCs resident demonologist master of the arcane John Constantine. When you’re casting for John you need someone who can give you cocky, sensual, sarcastic, and full of life and Ruth Negga definitely gives me that. When I saw her as Tulip O’Hare in AMC’s hit show Preacher, I instantly wanted to see her as Constantine. She seriously gave me all kinds of John vibes. Ruth has this ability to perfectly balance being dark and creepy with being lighthearted and funny which in my opinion is absolutely perfect.

2.Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Zatanna 

When it comes to magic users in comics Zatanna is at the top of the list, I mean she’s definitely at the top of my list. Lets be honest a powerful sorceress who works as a popular stage magician and who speaks backwards definitely sounds like my kind of fun. Zatanna is insanely gorgeous, talented, funny, confident, focused, and committed to those she loves and considers to be her friend. When I think of Zatanna for the longest I’ve imagined Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the top hat, tux coat, and fishnets uttering spells backwards in gibberish. Gugu has this immense beauty rivaled only by her immense talent and presence. She has this life about her that definitely feels like Zatanna. The character she plays in the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror reminded me alot of Zatanna in that she held on to all this pain and loss, but still maintained a happy, energetic, and vibrant life and personality.

3. Daniel Gillies as Jason Blood

I chose to split Jason Blood and Etrigan up in terms of fancasting because they really are two completely different beings. Jason and Etrigan are sort of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of DC. When casting for Jason you need someone thats cool and debonair someone that seems cultured, like an old soul. When you cast for Jason Blood you need someone who can convince you that they’ve been alive since the days of knights and wizards, Daniel Gillies is just that. I first became familiar with Daniel when he appeared on The CW show Vampire Diaries and then on the spin off show The Original’s where he plays one of the original Vampires, Elijah Mikaelson. On the show I’ve seen Daniel masterfully play stoic and cultured with not so subtle undertones of rage and arrogance.

4. Andy Serkis as Etrigan

If I have to choose between Jason Blood and Etrigan its going to be Etrigan every single time. I mean seriously how can you not adore Etrigan he’s the demon half brother of the Arthurian wizard Merlin who speaks completely in rhythm and whose bound to the soul of  a moral man…whats not to love. I believe that Etrigan should be motion capture because it allows you a freedom that prosthetics just doesn’t afford you. When you talk about motion capture its hard not to think about the king of mo cap himself Mr. Andy Serkis. Andy Serkis is a fantastic actor that could breath life into Etrigan completely crafting the way he moves and interacts with the world in a way that very few other actors could. Andy is quite the multifaceted actor in that he is pretty good at playing different types of characters and not really pigeon holding himself.

5. Joe Gilgun as Boston “Deadman” Brand

I firmly believe that Joe Gilgun might be one of the most insanely talented actors ever. Gilgun is the type of actor that can give you nutty as a fruit cake, terrifying, brooding, and hilarious all in the same role. I chose Joe as Deadman because he not only has the slender body type, but Joe also has a youthful childishness to him and he is able to hilariously portray immaturity. Deadman is quite immature, hot headed, impulsive, and sarcastic and these are all things that we know Joe Gilgun can do and do it well.

6. Zoe Kravitz as Raven

Let me preface this by saying I adore Zoe Kravitz to say I have a crush on her would be a complete understatement. Raven happens to be one of my favorite members of the Titans because I always really found her backstory and her character motivations to be really cool. Zoe Kravitz as Raven has been an idea that I’ve had for quite awhile now. When it comes to Raven you need someone who is good at playing the silent loner type. She’s got to be good at being distant and reserved until its time to let loose. Zoe just gives me Raven feels because I could totally see her rocking the classic black leotard and blue cloak with the forehead jewel. I can hear Zoe whispering “Azarath Metrion Zinthos”.

7. Thandie Newton as Nimue “Madam Xanadu” Inwudu

Madam Xanadu might quite possibly be one of the most interesting Justice League Dark characters. Madam Xanadu is like Jason/Etrigan, she has lived through the Arthurian age of knights, wizards, and castles. Madam Xanadu is the sister of Arthurian legend, Morgan Le Fay. I’ve recently been converted to the fandom of Thandie Newton and let me just say that I have seen the light and don’t intend on turning back. I chose Thandie for Madam Xanadu because she just gives me that mystic ancient soul feel. Thandie’s eyes tell a thousand mystic tales and trust me I am here to hear every single one of them. I think Thandie could definitely make us feel the weight of Nimue being an immortal, losing her magic, and her making some of the decisions that she has. Thandie would fit perfectly as Justice League Dark’s resident immortal, seer, and sorceress.

8. Ron Perlman as Alec “Swamp Thing” Holland

Ron Perlman is another master of transformation having played countless characters through prosthetics and absolutely killing it. I chose Ron Perlman to play Swamp Thing with the transformation in mind more than Alec. Ron, as large and intimidating as he can be, is also very good at playing the lovable giant and thats what I want to see from Swamp Thing. I’d love to see Swamp Thing played as this large and intimidating creature that happens to be extremely sweet and kind when the need arises, but a complete ass kicker as well.

9. Michael C. Hall as Jim “The Spectre” Corrigan 

Michael C. Hall is very good at giving you the proper mixture of scary, insane, and all around creepy, which is everything I think encapsulates the Spectre character. The Spectre is the embodiment of the wrath of God meaning homeboy displays some pretty weird and creepy skills. He of course has to be intimidating and scary because lets be honest you don’t imagine the wrath of God being all sunshine and rainbows. Anyone who has seen Dexter has seen Michael display some facial expressions that make you wonder what he is thinking while also creeping you out.

10. Shaun Toub as Kent “Dr. Fate” Nelson

I really wanted a MoC for Kent Nelson like that was really important to me and I instantly thought of Shaun Toub. I know he appeared in the first Iron Man movie, but that doesn’t mean Shaun shouldn’t get his own shot at being a superhero too. Kent Nelson is the protector and user of the magical helmet of Nabu, which imbues him with the powers of the lord of order Nabu. I chose Shaun to play Ken Nelson because I’ve seen him portray immense patience, passion, and wisdom everything that I believe embodies Kent Nelson as a character. Kent is a powerful sorcerer, but he is not cocky or egotistical in terms of his abilities.

11. Gina Rodriguez as Alba “Black Orchid” Garcia 

Gina Rodriguez has come to be one of everyones favorite actresses because not only is she an amazing actress, but she is also such a beautiful soul and kind person. I chose Gina for Black Orchid because it would be pretty dope seeing her play a headstrong determined badass superhero with cool shape shifting and plant powers. Gina Rodriguez as a kick ass ex military soldier who gets mixed up with Justice League Dark’s shenanigans because of what happened to her sounds like my kind of party.

12. Ian McKellen as The Phantom Stranger

Ian McKellen as the Phantom Stranger might quite possibly be one of the greatest things I’ve ever personally come up with. We all know that Ian McKellen is a chameleon when it comes to acting because he can literally put on the skin of any character and completely become them. The Phantom Stranger is very stoic and grim with a very otherworldly feel to him, something that Sir Ian McKellen pulls off fantastically. The Phantom Stranger is a thorn in the magical communities side quite often showing up to the party just to throw a wrench into someones plans.

13. Billy Brown as Trigon

A huge part of Raven’s story and her character motivations has to deal with her father Trigon and trying to get away from him and often times trying to defeat him and stop him from exerting his demonic will over the Earth. I figured since she is a character that I really want to see on the Justice League Dark team and in the film that it would only make sense for her father to also make an appearance either in the first film or in a sequel. Trigon would of course be CGI and Motion Capture but you’d still need an actor behind that and with someone like him you need someone with stature and an amazing voice. I chose Billy Brown because the man is a great actor, he is tall and built like Hercules himself, and his voice is deep and intimidating all you’d need to do is add some effects to give it that demon lord feel and voila you got yourself a demon king of hell.

14. Alan Tudyk as The Gentlemen Ghost Jim Craddock

I’ve been interested in this character for a while because lets be real a sophisticated sassy ghost who can be seen simply because he still wears a white top hat, a freaking monocle, a suit, and a cloak? Sign me the hell up. I chose Alan Tudyk for this role because the character has a lot of potential to not only be some real comedic relief, but he could also present himself to be a real threat and Alan Tudyk is another one of those fantastic actors that can handle both comedy and drama extremely well a switch back and forth between the two at the drop of a hat.

15. Mads Mikkelson as Felix Faust

I know Felix is usually portrayed as an older gentleman, but I would love to see Mads play a more physically capable and youthful Felix. Felix Faust is definitely one of the most recognizable DC magic users because of his time on Justice League the Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited. Felix Faust is selfish, greedy, motivated by anger and jealousy and I think Mads could not only work with that but add other layers to fully flesh out a live action Felix.

Published by Tevin Murphy

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