Right, it's a slow day and I'm bored...

You are the casting director for a major Hollywood movie version of the Horus Heresy story. Suggest actors (alive or dead and from any era within their lives) suitable to play each Primarch. Assume CGI or forced perspective will be used to fill in any physical shortfalls: after all, most actors aren't 7 feet tall.

Here's a few idle (and not all entirely serious) thoughts of mine:

Fulgrim: Late '70s David Bowie

Rogal Dorn: Mid 80's Schwarzeneggar

Leman Russ: The Ultimate Warrior (mid '80s wrestler, minus neon armbands)

Roboute Gulliman: late '50s Gregory Peck or late '50s Kirk Douglas. Maybe even Christian Bale, now...

Angron: Randy Couture, now

Ferrus Manus: Ray Stevenson, circa 2005

Mortarion: Steve Buscemi, mid '90s

Sanguinius: Dolph Lundgren circa 1985

Magnus the red: You'd probably have to make him completely CGI. Failing that, Brian Blessed.

Looking at that list, we might need to use CGI on some of the acting too....

I'm drawing blanks on the rest, for now. Any thoughts, anyone?

What: Russ wouldn't be played by Brian Blessed?

In fact he should play all of the roles.

We'd have to paint him red for Magnus.

But you're right, it's the obvious solution. They are supposed to be related, after all!

Rogal Dorn: Clint Eastwood, early 90s.

Alex

at risk of upsetting all the space puppy players Russ was orginally a comannder in the imperial guard in the early fluff not even a marine

what about Alice Cooper as Corvus?

I thought the lazy man's cast for Leman Russ was Hugh Jackman.

Alex

I like Hugh Jackman, but I never saw him as Russ... Maybe as Lion El Johnson?

Actually, thinking it through, Lion El Jonson is prone to brooding, fits of explosive anger and grudgebearing...stand up Christian Bale!

Roboute Gulliman: early 50s Gary Cooper?

Alex

Amazing, i have expected Chuck Norris to be first suggestion for the Emperor

Actually: We need to fit Seagul in here somewhere...

What about Perturabo for Seagal? They're both sort of humourless jerks...

Hulk Hogan for Russ

Lion El'Jonson = Christian Bale
Fulgrim = Colin Farrell
Perturabo = Josh Brolin
Jaghatai Khan = Jason Momoa
Leman Russ = Viggo Mortensen
Rogal Dorn = Stephen Lang
Konrad Curze = Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Sanguinius = Alexander Skarsgård
Ferrus Manus = Javier Bardem
Angron = Liev Schreiber
Roboute Guilliman = Liam Neeson
Mortarion = Geoffrey Rush
Magnus the Red = Daniel Day-Lewis
Horus = Jon Hamm
Lorgar = Paul Bettany
Vulkan = Dwayne Johnson
Corax = Cillian Murphy
Alpharius Omegon = Karl Urban

ItsUncertainWho said:

I think that looks pretty good but not sure on Khan and Prturabo though... and you need Denzel for Vulkan... man on fire ... come on! Maybe Hugo Mortesson for Alpharius the whole agent smith thing again...

Dolph Lundgrun, all of them.

Phototoxin said:

I had the hardest time deciding on deciding on Sanguinius, Peturabo, Vulkan and Alpharius.

Alpharius, to me, is very hard to put a face on. I like Karl Urban quite a bit, but he bounced around to several spots before I settled him on Alpharius.

I have never had a solid image in my head of Peturabo or Vulkan but Josh Brolin is worth having on this list and the Rock can be a good actor, and he was HUGE in Faster.

Sanguinius started out as "Who is the prettiest blond haired, blue eyed actor around?" Then I decided they had to be able to act.

Jason Momoa is a little shaky, I had considered Ken Watanabe. Once the new Conan movie comes out with Momoa as Conan, he may prove himself.

Peacekeeper_b

Dolph was the high point of the Expendables, but I don't think he's the ideal choice. Some of the Primarchs actually need depth of character.

For Sanguinius i would take Brad Pitt. With longer hair, blond. Like in Troya...

For Sanguinius, I'd suggest Alexander Skarsgård, because... well, have you seen him in True Blood? He'd be perfect for a warrior-based blond-hair-blue-eye pretty boy.

Either that, or Ben Foster. He showed he could pull off a strong pretty boy vibe as Angel in X:Men - Last Stand.

ItsUncertainWho said:

He was also the high point in Johnny Mnemonic, btw.

Vendettar said:

Erwin Rommel for Rogal Dorn! Yeah, he was no actor by profession but he surely loved the Camera and knew how to put on an act.

Alex

The Emperor - 80's Sean Connery

Mortarion - Sam Niell (Event Horizon era)