What movie might have been good had they only cast a different actor in the lead role? Who would you have cast instead

NEGI RK Monday, November 16, 2020

What movie might have been good had they only cast a different actor in the lead role? Who would you have cast instead

I distinctly recall a wave of anticipation surging through me as the trailer for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets moved into its rapid-fire closing montage – my computer screen erupting with radiant and innovative visuals reminiscent of The Fifth Element.

Valerian marked Luc Besson’s return to the realm of camp science fiction. And Valerian was based on an esteemed IP; the source material served as an inspiration for Star Wars.

Although I had a few reservations regarding Valerian, I must concede I was moderately excited.

And for the first 5 minutes, I felt we were in the promised land – Besson at his best.

But around ten minutes after the absolutely stunning opening sequence concluded, it became evident that one of my primary reservations had reared its head – Dane DeHaan is not suitable for this part.

And boy, he wasn’t right for the part. De Haan’s turn as the confident and cocksure Valerian is one of the most flagrant instances of miscasting in recent memory.

I had purchased heavily into Dane De Haan in the early part of the decade; he exhibited signs of being an accomplished performer in Chronicle and The Place Beyond the Pines. He’s a good actor.

But Valerian is not a part he can pull off. There’s a reason actors are typecast and put in a box – it’s because they are excellent at something distinct.

De Haan is good at coming across as aloof, intense and somewhat disturbed.

But Valerian is none of those things. He’s your standard Ryan Reynolds-type; a cool, cocky guy but with a heart of gold.

Think Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men crossed with Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Based on the script, that’s the essence of the Valerian character.

But De Haan’s performance is painfully forced; he’s as far away from ‘cool’ as one could be. I don’t say this often, but his performance was rather cringe-worthy.

And it sunk the entire movie for me.

Sure, it had other gaping holes as well – the bafflingly toe-curling dialogue, a haphazard screenplay, a bloated Rihanna cameo, the complete absence of chemistry between the two leads and perhaps five other things.

But Besson does world-building as few others can, and he once again created a sumptuous and tangible world with a unique aesthetic.

So far, we’re following The Fifth Element’s template. But where things go off the rails is that instead of peak-Bruce Willis, we have Dane De Haan.

You do the math.

As an aside, it’s become somewhat fashionable to rail on Cara Delevigne after her rather disastrous performance in Suicide Squad. But here, she acquits herself better than De Haan.