A Mass Effect movie franchise should have been created yesterday probably. As the years go by and further advancements are made in film with regards to special effects, a Mass Effect movie would be incredibly amazing and fun to watch come to fruition. Courtesy of BioWare, Mass Effect is a video game franchise that has seen great acclaim for its characters, story, and gameplay. The series itself centers around one Commander Shepard who is tasked with saving the galaxy and all its living inhabitants from a destructive race of mechanical creatures known as the Reapers and those who work for them.

If a movie were to be made about the series, the second installment, Mass Effect 2, would be the best place to start. The game follows Commander Shepard and her squad as they attempt to stop an alien race known as the Collectors from kidnapping entire human colonies. This particular game is revered among fans as the best game of the whole franchise due to the amazing characters, gameplay, and storyline. As such, this is the game that will be used for this fancast. As there are so many amazing characters in the game, I chose only to fancast the squad members of the game.

Although players have the ability to choose the gender of their Commander Shepard and how they may look, I have always played the Mass Effect games with a black woman as my Shepard. As such, it has become difficult for me to imagine any other kind of person portraying Commander Shephard in a movie. So, without further ado, I would like to kick off this fancast with my choice for Shepard: Tessa Thompson.

Tessa Thompson as Commander Shepard

Commander Shephard needs to be a woman, plain and simple. The idea of Shephard being a black woman makes me happier than I am able to express. In sci-fi films (particularly those set in space), when black women have appeared they are often relegated to supporting roles. In a game that certainly contains some social messages and pushes the notion of exploration, it is only logical that the savior of the universe be the amazing Tessa Thompson. As an actress, Thompson is more than capable of being the lead in this sci-fi masterpiece. Her role in Thor: Ragnarok ensures that she is highly prepared to do more work in the sci-fi genre and portraying the cool confidence that comes with Commander Shepard.

Wes Bentley as Garrus Vakarian

Garrus Vakarian is a Turian and former C-Sec (Citadel Security) officer with military training as is custom of his people. He is a staple of Shepard’s squad. In Mass Effect 2, Garrus is also known by the name Archangel for his role in disrupting several crime syndicates and mercenary groups. His disillusionment with the limits of bureacracy with regards to helping rid the galaxy of the threat of Reapers turns into full blown cynicism and possible anarchist behavior in Mass Effect 2, though it is very clear that Garrus operates on his own understanding of justice. Wes Bentley is certainly capable of portraying Garrus on the big screen. Though he would be under some serious makeup, his experience in Underworld: Awakening, Interstellar, and The Hunger Games show that Bentley is certainly no stranger to the sci-fi world and would be a solid choice for Garrus.

Dave Bautista as Grunt

Grunt is a battle-loving Krogan member of Shepard’s squad. In Mass Effect 2, Grunt is a genetically created Krogan whom Shepard found in bred in a tank. As such, Grunt has all the greatest characteristics of the Krogan, including their natural inclinations toward violence. Dave Bautista would be perfect for Grunt given his experience as Drax in Guardians of The Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Playing Grunt could give him the chance to play a serious role while still having fun.

Danai Gurira as Jack

Jack, a notorious criminal whose acts include but are not limited to murder and kidnapping, is an extremely powerful biotic (a person with the power to manipulate gravity and create mass effect fields). Kidnapped at the age of 4 by the shady research group Cerberus, Jack was mercilessly tortured and experimented on due to her exposure to element zero while her mother was still pregnant with her. Her personality is such that she is incredibly reluctant to trust others, frequently uses profane language, and has a thirst for violence that is probably on par with a Krogan. Danai Gurira’s past experience as Michonne in AMC’s The Walking Dead as well as her role in Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther prove that she is beyond ready to play Jack in a Mass Effect 2 movie.

Sterling K. Brown as Jacob Taylor

Jacob Taylor is a former marine for the Alliance as well as a human biotic who left the Alliance after the geth attack of Eden Prime in the first Mass Effect game. He is also a colleague of Miranda Lawson, an operative of Cerberus. Sterling K. Brown has gained great notoriety in his time on the NBC hit show This Is Us and is sure to gain even more due to his upcoming role in Marvel’s Black Panther. The role in the latter film would provide the action experience needed to play Jacob Taylor.

John Cho as Legion

Legion is an amalgamation of over 1,100 geth (an artificially intelligent machine race that assisted Saren and Sovereign in the first Mass Effect game) in a mobile body that is specifically meant to interact with organic beings. Legion was created after the events of the first Mass Effect game and sports an N7 patch that is later revealed to be a salvaged piece of Shepard’s old armor. Legion thinks of itself as a collective entity of more than one geth. They are very direct and concise in their speech. John Cho is ideal for this role due to his experience in the most recent Star Trek film franchise, making him no stranger to the world of sci-fi and movies oriented around space exploration.

Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson

Miranda Lawson is an agent of Cerberus, a research group with ambiguous ethics and shady experiments as well as the group that saved Shepard after she was spaced during a ship battle at the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Lawson is incredibly well connected throughout the galaxy and is often able to provide extremely useful information based on her extensive contacts. The daughter of an incredibly wealthy man. Miranda Lawson was genetically engineered to be the perfect human, meaning she has a range of abilities which include powerful biotic abilities. For this fancast, we did not have to look far for the perfect person to play Miranda. Yvonne Strahovski, who already served as Lawson’s voice and likeness in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, is the only logical option for this role.

Steve Buscemi as Mordin Solus

Mordin Solus is a Salarian and former Special Tasks Group operative who operates primarily on logic rather than emotions. His work as a genticist is what brings Shepard to recruit him for the mission to find the Collectors and stop them from abducting human colonies. Steve Buscemi would be great for this role as his voice sounds much like the Salarians in the Mass Effect game franchise. It would also be a great opportunity for him to venture into new territory with regards to his acting.

Carmen Ejogo as Samara

Samara is an Asari justicar, an ancient monastic order, whose age is put at nearly a thousand years old. Like most Asari, Samara possesses powerful biotic abilities. Though most Asari justicars do not venture far from Asari territory, Shepard meets Samara on Illium while she is hunting down her murder-obsessed daughter Morinth. After being briefly held in custody, Samara joins Shepard’s mission. Carmen Ejogo, whose previous roles include Selma, The Purge: Anarchy, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, and Alien: Covenant is more than capable of portraying Samara.

Sofia Boutella as Tali’Zorah vas Neema

Tali’Zorah vas Neema is a Quarian, a nomadic race that specializes in mechanics. Tali was a member of Shepard’s squad as an engineer in the first Mass Effect game and becomes a member of her squad again in Mass Effect 2. Tali’s abilities as an engineer give her excellent skills for AI hacking amongst other technical abilities. Sofia Boutella is no stranger to sci-fi and fantasy. Her acting experience includes The Mummy and Star Trek Beyond and she would be a great fit for Tali due to her voice overall stature.

Javier Bardem as Thane Krios

Thane Krios is a highly skilled and incredibly spiritual assassin. His methods are unique in that he kills his targets up close rather than from a distance as most assassins do. He prays often both for positive outcomes of his missions and even for forgiveness after a kill. Thane is also a considerably powerful biotic and lives with a terminal disease known as Kepral’s syndrome. Javier Bardem is ideal for this role as, like Thane Krios, he has a very distinctive voice and can bring a unique touch to the role.

Erina Mizuno as Kasumi Goto

Kasumi Goto is possibly the highest skilled thief in the entire galaxy, boasting mastery in infiltration and stealth. Few know who she is, though she has made a lot of enemies in her line of work.  Goto is also incredibly observant which provides Shepard with valuable information on her crew and other things. Kasumi joins Shepard on her mission after being contacted by Cerberus. Though Erina Mizuno is not widely known in the U.S,she would be a great fit because she is a relatively new face and would be interesting to watch. Much like Kasumi, Erina is also Japanese.

Ayman Samman as Zaeed Massani

Zaeed Massani is an extremely powerful and well respected bounty hunter and mercenary. Shepard seeks him out for her mission after being informed of his skillset by Cerberus. Though some of the other members of Sherpard’s squad joined the mission to stop the Collectors for moral reasons, Massani is unique in that he joins specifically because working for Cerberus pays well. Ayman Samman, whose previous roles include American Sniper and Scandal, would be a fresh face in this role and also bears a striking resemblance to Zaeed Massani.

This concludes the fancast for Mass Effect 2. This game is probably the most diverse in the whole series and provides the opportunity to showcase new actors we may not already be familiar with. Who else would you like to see if they made a film based on this game? Who would direct it? Let us know what you think!

Published by J'Neia S.

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