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Keep Benedict Cumberbatch away from SW 7

Discussion in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' started by markdeez, Oct 25, 2014.

  1. markdeez

    markdeez Rebel Commander

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    I don't know if I should've made a thread about this, but I seriously needed to vent, and I wanted to do so on this forum, where people seem to actually possess brains inside of their skulls! The folks over TheForce.Net Jedi Council Forums are in love with this guy, and ever since 2012 when the ST was announced, they have lobbied for him time and time again. It's ridiculously annoying to me. Now there's another rumor running around that he's possibly in Ep. 7 (or will show up in Ep. 8/Ep. 9 some how/some way).

    I think he would be a mediocre villain. He was a mediocre villain in Star Trek: Into Darkness (as much as I liked that film).Hell, his best villainous role is in The Hobbit trilogy, and he just plays the voice and did a little mo-cap for a dragon!!!! So essentially the CGI guys really made his performance legendary.... And the ONLY role that I genuinely liked his character was in 12 Years A Slave, but I felt like he was vastly outclassed by the majority of that cast.

    Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy, I just don't have the affinity for him that the majority of SW fans seem to have for him. I really can't comprehend why everyone is so high on him..... His characters are generally very boring, bland, sterile, and non-threatening. He's literally done nothing in any film I've ever seen that absolutely captivated me and made me say "Now THAT guy is a brilliant actor!". I find him mediocre and very forgettable.I just don't think he has the presence that you want from a villain for Star Wars!

    James Earl Jones had the VOICE, David Prowse had the SUIT. Ian McDiarmid put on THE BEST performance in the SW prequels and was absolutely terrifying to me as a kid in the OT. Ray Park had his physical gifts, his martial arts background, and the coolest look of any villain in SW history. Christopher Lee is a cinema LEGEND, and even in the twilight of his career, he had more presence and gravitas in the prequels than I've ever seen Cumberbatch exude. I don't honestly think he's capable of a performance that would triumph over any of those characters. If anything, he could outdo General Grievous (who was extremely unforgettable). And I'm sure he could out-act Temeura Morrison, but that's about it. Peter Cushing? HAHA, BC couldn't shine his shoes. But to be truthfully honest, Cumberbatch's best chance to have a somewhat memorable character would be as a Tarkin-like character. He would've been adequate to play Admiral Thrawn (But I'd still take Hugo Weaving over him ANY day of the week).

    I understand that tastes in characters and actors are subjective, but I'm just not feeling Cumberbatch as the MAIN Star Wars villain. Could he work as a secondary villain who has 10-15 minutes of screen-time? Sure, he could. But I could probably name 50 actors off the top of my head that I would rather see as a villain in SW 7 than BC.

    Sorry friends, but I'd prefer BC to stay away from the ST. Anybody else have thoughts on this or did I just wait 10 minutes of my life in an uber rant? LOL

    MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALL!
     
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  2. TheFettMan

    TheFettMan Rebel Official

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    I agree 100%!
    BC made 0 sense as Khan in Star Trek. Granted being compared to the epic performance of Ricardo Montoban(a Hispanic actor playing a Indian character) was difficult. But, Cumberbach is NOT a smart casting role for a lead Star Wars film villian. He'd be ideal for a Imperial Gov or maybe some wealthy snot who makes the audiance boo & hiss like the PT baddies; Nute Gunray & what's his name....(I never liked either of those dip-#+=%s :) ).
    JJ & Lucas should do what's best for the productions not dump their buds or actors they "like" in BS roles to mug for the cameras or chew up the scenery.
     
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  3. antanicus

    antanicus Clone Trooper

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    Do you guys realise that since production is basically ended (one more week I reckon), this is completely pointless, right?
    If BC is not in SW7, this is clearly pointless. If he is, well, it's not like some nerd rant (no offense) is going to overturn such a huge movie production decision, especially considering BC is at the highest point in his career. Sometimes we should remember Star Wars franchise is first and foremost a HUGE business.
     
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  4. SWToyscapes

    SWToyscapes Rebel Commander

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    I'm not bothered which actors feature, so long as they are good at their craft, properly directed, and have been carefully matched to the part they play.
     
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  5. Echo-07

    Echo-07 Rebel Official

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    Honestly, I think you're wayyy off base on this BC bashing namely because you (op) have failed to mention his greatest role -- SHERLOCK! He is absolutely magnificent in that role which is exactly why he's getting all these marquee opportunities. Also, he was fantastic as the voice of Smaug, you can barely tell its even him so I don't know what it matters that he was in The Hobbit or not. Lastly, I guess you are fair to dislike Kahn. I didn't, nor did I dislike the movie as alot of people do, BUT that's not a BC problem that's a writing problem. He was great in the role as it was written.

    I believe that IF BC if in Episode VII he will be great.
     
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  6. Rebo

    Rebo Nearsighted Whill Guardian
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    Everything Echo just said. You can't judge Cumberbatch until you watch Sherlock. He is genius in it. Into Darkness was a bland movie, so it doesn't surprise me that he was a bland villain. That being said, he was probably my favorite part of the movie. He brought gravitas to a ridiculous and unnecessary story.

    I would be thrilled if it turns out that he is the grave robber.
     
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  7. Viral Hide

    Viral Hide Elite Guard from Yinchorr
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    I absolutely agree with Echo and Max. If someone doesn't like Benedict, then he surely hasn't seen Sherlock. Exceptional British TV series with 3 seasons so far, with only 3 episodes in each season. So if anyone still hasn't seen the show, please do so. There are only 9 episodes. You will thank us later. :)
     
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  8. Marc Camel

    Marc Camel Rebel Official

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    I think it comes down to this for me...

    As long as he isn’t the main villain. You can’t have any of the same main characters in both Star Wars and Star Trek. It would kind burst the fantasy bubble a bit.

    Same goes for Simon Pegg.
     
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  9. Legend Knight

    Legend Knight Force Sensitive

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    I like Cumberbatch he is a fantastic actor with a lot of gravitas and he would only make the trilogy better. Its kind of silly to write a thread just to trash a guy just because other people enjoy him. That's just me though.
     
    #9 Legend Knight, Oct 25, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2014
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  10. Bluestreaking

    Bluestreaking Imperial Grand Admiral with Bluish skin

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    I adore Cumberbatch, but if he was to ever have a role in Star Wars it should be as a voice. Sherlock is so iconic it's hard to see him as other things, which I feel kind of hurt him in ST: Wrath of Khan remix, I actually liked that performance quite a bit.

    One of his lesser known, but incredible, roles is as the Angel Islington in the radio performance of Neverwhere. His voice alone is better then most actors.



    The clip is less then a minute and I highly recommend it
     
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  11. Marc Camel

    Marc Camel Rebel Official

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    Just watched the first one and yes; it's awesome! Aparently there are 12 episodes on Netflix.
    But I still stand my ground - "Kahn" cannot be a major villain in Ep7. That's like Christian Bale. Playing Superman...
     
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  12. TheFettMan

    TheFettMan Rebel Official

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    I was going to bring up Pegg. He reportedly "visited" the EP7 film set in London. Who knows what he may of saw or if he will be in EP7.
    Simon Pegg said in many interviews & press events in the past how much he enjoyed Star Wars so him doing a "cameo" or maybe being a character in make-up wouldn't be bad.
     
  13. Viral Hide

    Viral Hide Elite Guard from Yinchorr
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    Yes, I definitely agree with you about this. Although I think the wars Star Trek vs. Star Wars is something from the past, I doubt that a major villain from one will be also villain in the other.
     
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  14. Echo-07

    Echo-07 Rebel Official

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    I disagree. What IF BC plays a major villain who happens to be, say, a Sith Lord of the Sith race or a Kel Dorrian? Would it matter that he was playing a lead villain as an alien under prosthetics or CGI? You still know it's him. I think IN BC's case this is taking the "don't cross streams" argument too literally. We shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water -- BC is a great actor and would benefit SW immensely. I think it applies more to the iconic actors and personalities such as the new Trek crew or the old Trek crew etc...
     
  15. RBanks

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    BC is an outstanding actor, and I've enjoyed many of his roles. I think he would be a great addition to the Star Wars cast, but not as a major villain, and not in a major role in Episode VII. Forgetting the villain character idea for a moment, I think Introducing him at the end of Ep VII as say, a sly politician, and a character who will have a major role in the following films, would be awesome.

    However, for me, his portrayal of a major villain in Ep VII would simply be too soon on the heels of Into Darkness (which I loved) and Khan, for comfort. Hope that makes sense. Love to see him in SW, just not in that capacity.
     
    #15 RBanks, Oct 26, 2014
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  16. Marc Camel

    Marc Camel Rebel Official

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    Heavy make up wouldn't be as bad
     
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  17. DEKKA129

    DEKKA129 Professional Slinger of Balderdash

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    Viral, I couldn't agree more.

    I am a huge fan of the Jeremy Brett versions of the Sherlock Holmes stories, broadcast during the 1980s by the BBC. and for me Brett IS Holmes and always will be. Therefore, I resisted watching the new Cumberbatch series until about this time last year. When I finally gave it a shot and watched the first episode, I was caught up in it almost immediately. It isn't the straight-out adaptation of Holmes that we saw in the Brett series, but as a reworking of the stories it's incredibly clever and engaging.

    And Cumberbatch plays an exceptionally good Holmes. He has the prodigy thing down, and the way he does it is (IMHO) a perfect fit for this version of the Holmes character. He is a fine actor indeed, and I think he's got some truly memorable roles ahead of him.

    That being said, I would rather not see him in Star Wars. At the moment, he's got Sherlock and The Hobbit, and he's also only very recently taken a turn as a classic old Star Trek villain (which I thought just missed hitting the ol' thermal exhaust port, to be honest.) IMHO, it would just be too distracting to have to get past all of his current roles were we to see him in the new Star Wars series.

    I think that he probably just visited the Episode 7 set, as have a number of others. I'm not buying the idea that he's actually in the film.
     
  18. markdeez

    markdeez Rebel Commander

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    Just so everyone is clear on this, I wasn't attempting to troll anyone. I realize that for whatever reason, BC seems to be universally loved. Unfortunately, I do not share those same sentiments, and I really hope he stays away from the ST at all costs.

    However, I would absolutely love it if John Noble showed up somewhere in this trilogy, as an Imperial Commander or some sort of villain. He was simply marvelous in Fringe, and would bring extra gravitas to the trilogy.

    I wouldn't be surprised if Simon Pegg has a cameo somewhere in Ep.7 and as much as I have been annoyed by him in recent times, I would welcome him over BC any day

    And yes I understand that BC has received ton of critical praise for his work as Sherlock, but I'll stick to my old school Basil Rathbone VHS instead of feeding into the BC hoopla! I thought Cumberbatch was decent as Sherlock, but I just don't find him as a compelling villain. Honestly, I'd find him more believable (and tolerable) as a Jedi Knight than as a Sith Lord (or Imperial). Just my personal preference.

    Carry on!

    He still could theoretically pop up in Ep 8/9. Hell, I'd be more happy if Rian Johnson cast his favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt than I would if BC is cast.

    Also, for one of the spin-offs, can we get Mickey Rourke as a smuggler/spice trader? He'd be a great addition to the "Underworld" kind of characters :)
     
    #18 markdeez, Oct 28, 2014
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  19. Rebo

    Rebo Nearsighted Whill Guardian
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    Looks like you will get your wish anyway. Sounds like Cumberbatch will be Dr. Strange. And with the expected ties in to Avengers 3, 4, and GotG 2 I doubt he’d have time or the desire to be anything but a small part in SW if it turns out to be true.

    That being said, Cumberbatch seems like a perfect Strange to me, so I’m happy either way. I still get some Cumberbatch in some of my most highly anticipated movies, just not SW.
     
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  20. Maximus

    Maximus Reel 2 Dialogue 2

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    find it a tad.. strange (pun intended) to pick out a quality actor and request he doesn't appear in the new star wars films.

    imo it's all on the shoulders of the writers. i was excited about the PT cast but i feel most of them were let down by poor dialogue and some bad choices. Ewan somehow seemed to pull it off but even some of his scenes we're... questionable. Liam Neeson looked like the perfect choice - and it almost physically upsets me when i hear the crap he had to say in TPM.

    star wars has always heralded fresh young talent and thrown in a few distinguished names for polish. BC is right up there imo and would add to our star wars experience - but the writing needs to be good regardless of who they cast.

    just my humble opinion - don't take any of the negative comments to heart OP. we all appreciate honest comments here, and it's great to discuss them :)
     
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