S.H.I.E.L.D.

Announced last week was that Joss Whedon is working on a TV show S.H.I.E.L.D. and that they were opening up casting. There's a whole lot of interesting things going on here. The roles being cast appear to be built specifically for a couple Whedon alums. With the description of Grant seemingly tailor made for Adam Baldwin and the two nerdy agents conjuring images of Felicia Day and Fran Kranz. It's at a very early stage but the concept and the people involved are bound to make people pretty happy. It's fun to play casting agent a bit and Whedon certainly has a habit of recasting people in various roles. In fact, the Joss Whedon wikipedia page, has a whole table devoted to repeat castings (side note, Clark Gregg probably will never hurt for a job again having been involved in Aaron Sorkin AND Joss Whedon projects thereby locking him in to two of the biggest serial casters in the business).

Here's my thoughts on who should play what role

Skye: The key here is "confident" and "wit and charm". Those two items don't come across without good chemistry between writer and actor. Eliza Dushku sometimes pulls this off but for various reasons, I think she's unlikely. Ditto Sarah Michelle Gellar. I'd expect someone who Whedon knows from recent projects but hasn't played a starring role in anything "Whedon" yet. He's also been pulling in people related to his various circles (HIMYM brought him Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris, for instance). Who this might be is anyone's guess because I think it'll be very difficult to predict (by design). Yvonne Strahovski is getting some buzz online but I actually think Sarah Lancaster (also from Chuck) would be better here. She exudes much more confidence and charm then Yvonne does. Kristen Bell would be interesting here but doesn't feel quite right. For something truly off the wall, what about Emma Watson? Can we get Kate Beckinsale to do TV?

Grant: While I'm okay with Adam Baldwin, it might be better to go a little outside the box. Tom Welling might work but he might be more good natured than the roll calls for. I also thought of Thomas Everett Scott from that thing you do was someone I thought of as well. "quiet with a temper" and "botches interpersonal relations" along with "physical specimen" provide for a narrow range. A really interesting choice, though far fetched, I fear, would be Jason Statham. Tahmoh Penikett would seem like a distinct possibility. Given Felicia Day's involvement in Eureka, I would think that any of the main men from Eureka could fit this (Colin Ferguson, Niall Matter or even Ed Quinn) depending on whether he's envisioning dangerous (Ed Quinn), humorous (Colin Ferguson) or younger and a bit of both (Niall Matter). What about Jack Coleman (Horned Rimmed Glasses from Heroes)? This one wasn't clear what the age envisioned was so it's a bit difficult to narrow it down without knowing more. David Hasselhoff? Just kidding ;)

Althea: "crazy skills when it comes to weapons" but "quiet and a little damaged". This is hard to predict because alot of it depends on the vision that's in Whedon's head. The buzz on the various websites seems to point towards someone like Amy Acker but it's hard for me to see her as having "crazy weapons skills". And is "quiet" code for shy? Or is code for laconic? Summer Glau is getting a lot of mention because she played a very similar role in Firefly. But, again, while Whedon recasts people, he tends to do it in different ways. Dichen Lachman seems like something of a possibility though. For someone a bit off the beaten path, I like Rena Sofer here too. Whoever it is will have to be able to credibly pull of a fight scene so they better polish up their kickboxing resume.

Leo: The male nerd (weapons tech). Needs to have chemistry with Jemma. I instantly thought of Neil Grayston but if the goal is for them to also be credible field agents, this one falls apart. Fran Kranz would be very good in this role, I think. Either Masi Oka or Greg Grunberg (both from Heroes) could pull this roll of depending on the vision. As could Zacharcy Levi (unlikely) or Joshua Gomez, both from Chuck. If Fringe ends, as everyone expects, Joshua Jackson would be interesting here.

Jemma: Felicia Day is the obvious choice here. But I think she's better supporting a cast and not as a main-line member. Kristen Bell probably goes the other way and needs to be more central. Michelle Trachtenberg has a Whedon tie-in and seems possible. Ashley Johnson as well. If you want "classic" then what about Danica McKellar? Olivia Munn maybe? There wasn't a lot actually spelled out with either Jemma or Leo but their chemistry together was emphasized. I guess that means joint auditions? Not sure how that's typically done in Hollywood (maybe an initial wide net casting and then a call-back to test for chemistry).

Maria Hill: Not on the casting list because she's already locked up by Cobie Smulders. How I Met Your Mother is likely to end this season so this would be a fantastic role for her to slide in to. It would allow a touch point to the movies without requiring Samuel L Jackson to show up 10+ times a season plus voice appearances.