SinceRed Dead Redemptionis one of the most popular game franchises out there. And since it’s based on one of the most quintessential movie genres in American cinema – the western – it’s pretty well-primed for a film adaptation.Movies based on video gamesusually end up disappointing fans of both the games they’re based on and movies in general, but aRed Deadmovie could be the video game movie world’s diamond in the rough.
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The key to making aRed Dead Redemptionmovie work would be casting the perfect actor to playthe game’s grizzled antihero John Marstonin live-action.
10Christian Bale
InAmerican Psycho,The Fighter, andFord v Ferrari, Christian Bale has more than proven thathe’s one of the finest actors working today. Whether he’s playing John Connor or Dick Cheney, Balealways brings nuance to every performance.
He’s also one of the few actors who still stars in westerns, having appeared in3:10 to YumaandHostiles. If Bale can play Batman, he can play John Marston.
9Josh Holloway
Best known for playing Sawyer inLost, Josh Holloway’s career as a leading man has been a long time coming. Outside of a minor role inMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Holloway wasconsidered for the role of Hawkeye in the MCU, but didn’t clinch it.
Holloway has the cool charisma to bring Marston to life. His guest spot onCommunityas a cowboy showed that he looks even more awesome in western attire.
8Justin Theroux
Although the show suffered from weak ratings during its three-season run on HBO,The Leftoversmakes a good case for Justin Theroux as a casting choice for John Marston in aRed Deadmovie.
His lead character inThe Leftovers, disturbed police chief Kevin Garvey, is just as competent, badass, and world-weary as Marston. Theroux has also given delightfully enigmatic supporting turns in thrillers likeMulholland DriveandThe Girl on the Train.
7Anson Mount
There’s no actor in the world who looks more likehow John Marston is animatedthan Anson Mount. He’s primarily a TV actor, but aRed Deadmovie could help him cross over onto the big screen.
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Mount has already played one cool-as-ice cowboy, Cullen Bohannon, in AMC’s underrated revisionist western seriesHell on Wheels. He can do it again.
6Jon Bernthal
Jon Bernthal has made a career out of playing characters that dance around the line between law and order and violence and chaos. He played a brutal vigilante inThe Punisherand a sheriff’s deputy-turned-unhinged psychopath inThe Walking Dead.
Bernthal has a way of making gruff, violent characters seem lovable and there’s no doubt that he’d make fora captivating John Marston.
5Karl Urban
Although his performance is majorly underrated compared to that of his co-stars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock, Karl Urban’s turn as Bones in theStar Trekreboot series proved that the actor is more than capable of satisfying fans of a beloved character with a new take.
And that’s before mentioning Urban’s greatest role. The actor gave Judge Dredd fansthe movie they’d always wanted to seewith 2012’sDredd, an ultraviolent ride that doesn’t sanitize its source material any more than aRed Deadmovie should.
4Keanu Reeves
Since he’s one of the most popular actors in the world as well as one of the most committed action movie stars,Keanu Reeveshas become a popular fan casting for a live-action incarnation ofRed Dead Redemption’s John Marston.
Reeves could bring the same dedication and intensity to the action scenes of aRed Deadmovie that he continues to bring to theJohn Wickfranchise with each successive sequel.
3Norman Reedus
The first name in “rough around the edges” types, Norman Reedus would be perfect for the role of John Marston. Renowned for playingDaryl Dixon onThe Walking Dead, Reedus has been in need of another iconic role for a while.
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Replace Daryl’s motorcycle with a horse and replace his crossbow with a Winchester Repeater and you’ve pretty much got Marston already.
2Josh Brolin
Having gotten his start as a teenager inThe Goonies, Josh Brolin is one of the few child actors to shake his image as a child actor and find success as an adult. And not only that; he’s made a name for himself as one of the greatest actors working today.
Based onthe brooding intensity that he brought to the role of Llewelyn Mossin the Coen brothers’ masterpieceNo Country for Old Men, Brolin would probably give a terrific performance as John Marston in aRed Deadmovie.
1Viggo Mortensen
Although he might be getting a little old to do the part justice, Viggo Mortensen could make for a fantastic John Marston. He’s well-versed in playing grizzled antiheroes, thanks to his underrated gemsA History of ViolenceandEastern Promises.
Mortensen has already played one iconic badass on horseback, Aragorn inThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy, and it’s about time he played another one.
