3. Philip Winchester
I’m a consistent supporter of underdogs and I really quite like this outside bet.
Philip Winchester is certainly a presence on both the small and big screen. His performances in the King Lear TV adaptation, as Frank Stanton in Fringe and particularly for my money, Leontes in Camelot provide much inspiration.
Winchester would certainly perform convincingly as a warrior with that strategic awareness that one would expect from a ruler of all beneath the waves. He’s certainly a strong candidate when it comes to addressing the regality that I would be gratified to see as part of Aquaman’s make-up.
Arthur Curry also has a big heart and Winchester could potentially excel in projecting the requisite emotion.
2. Tom Hardy
Bane! Yes, I know. Yet Tom Hardy is an able actor of the highest calibre. His ability to transform amazes. He’s a dramatist of real power. I can certainly envisage him standing alongside giants.
Key performances that I would choose to highlight are his roles in Bronson, Warrior, Lawless, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and to a lesser degree The Dark Knight Rises. He really does tick an awful lot of the boxes. No nonsense? Yes. A leader of men? Yes. Mighty? Absolutely! I would expect any actor cast as the next Mad Max to be worthy of attention.
The role of Aquaman in a JLA movie would be relatively minor, considering the room required for plot, set pieces and the Big Three. Tom is an adept at making potentially limited screen minutes count.
1. Alexander Skarsgard
Age before beauty. Is there a suggestion of that here? It would certainly do no harm to this potential franchise to cast a heart-throb or two. Alexander Skarsgard qualifies utterly in that arena.
Still, it is his performances to date that I think justify his inclusion in this list. He’s not just a pretty face.
His role as Eric in True Blood is not a template for any kind of Aquaman interpretation, but it does provide a sense of what Skarsgard could achieve, given the right tools. There are other recent roles which beyond professional delivery aren’t particularly worth mentioning (cough . Persistent rumours do abound of his casting as the next Tarzan to hit the silver screen. Surely, food for thought.
I can quite effortlessly see him play a figure of some majesty, authority and conviction. A sense of threat would also be an intriguing aspect which this actor would certainly provide in spades, if asked. Nicely. For some unknown reason, I can see Skarsgard being a most convincing telepath.
I hereby humbly submit my propositions to the court. I hope that they will be judged with the fairness and wisdom that one might expect from a King of the Seven Seas.
