Cast the Iron Fist Movie

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 10:49 am

The first effort to make an Iron Fist movie stalled out in the early part of the 21st century. Now the story of young man who fights supervillains with his amazing martial arts abilities may once again be heading towards a theater near you. Rich Wilkes, the scribe behind XXX has been hired to write a script, and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has long maintained an interest in the project.

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This means, of course, that it’s time to cast the Iron Fist movie. I hope you enjoy my selections, as well as what may be a first-ever introduction to the world of hero Danny Rand. When you’re finished, be sure to weigh in with your own casting decisions in our comments section.

THE CHARACTERS

Before I reveal my choices for the actors and actresses, let’s take a minute to familiarize ourselves with the various characters they’ll be portraying.

Iron Fist (aka Danny Rand) – When his mother and father are betrayed by business partner Harold Meachum, young Daniel Rand is adopted by the leader of the other-dimensional city of K’un L’un. Over the next decade, Danny trains his mind and body for revenge against Meachum, attaining the legendary power of the Iron Fist (allowing him to punch through all sorts of materials and even injure supervillains). Returning to America, he shuns the path of revenge, eventually teaming up with the superhuman Luke Cage as one half of the Heroes for Hire. A martial artist without equal.

Wendell Rand – The father of Iron Fist, Wendell Rand discovered the mystical city of K’un-L’un as a boy and saved their leader from certain death. He was adopted by this man and taught many of their secrets, eventually choosing to travel back to America and make his fortune as an entrepreneur. Years later, he would take his wife, child, and business partner on an expedition to once again find the mythical city. After an accident left him hanging onto an icy cliff, he was forced to fall to his death by his treacherous partner.

Heather Rand – The socialite wife of Wendell Rand, Heather accompanied him on a doomed expedition into the wind-swept moutains to find the city of K’un-L’un. When they are betrayed by business partner Harold Meachum and her husband is murdered, Heather refuses Meachum’s offer of assistance and heads out across the icy landscape in search of K’un-L’un (along with her son, Danny). Nearing their objective, she sacrifices herself by distracting a pack of ravenous wolves, thus allowing her young son to reach the safety of the city.

Harold Meachum – The scumbag business partner and supposed “pal” of Wendell Rand. When his buddy finds himself hanging from the ledge of an icy cliff, Harold wastes no time in helping him fall to his doom (he covets his wife, you see). His advances towards Heather Rand are rejected, and he abandons the woman and her child in the mountains. Years later, Danny Rand seeks him out to gain revenge for the death of his parents.

Lei Kung – A resident of the mystical city of K’un L’un, Lei Kung (also known as “The Thunderer”) is the local badass who trains citizens in the martial arts. After Danny Rand came to live in K’un L’un, he became The Thunderer’s most gifted student. Lei Kung’s own son, Davos, would become the villain known as the Steel Serpent.

Colleen Wing – Trained in the ways of the samurai by her grandfather, Colleen Wing is an adventuress and private detective who often aids Iron Fist. Wielding a 1,000-year-old sword and possessing superb fighting skills, she would later form a private detective agency with Misty Knight. Together, the duo are sometimes referred to as the “Daughters of the Dragon.”

Misty Knight – A former member of the NYPD, Misty Knight wields a bionic right arm after having her original one badly injured by an explosion. A skilled detective and hand-to-hand combatant, she would become best friends and business partners with Asian hottie Colleen Wing. Knight would also strike up a romantic relationship with Iron Fist.

Steel Serpent – The son of Iron Fist’s mentor, Lei Kung, the Steel Serpent (real name: Davos) was cast out long ago from the city of K’un L’un. Obsessed with obtaining the power of the Iron Fist, he has appeared numerous times over the years to menace both Danny Rand and his friends. A dangerous martial artist, the Steel Serpent is more than a match for Iron Fist in combat. He’s also capable of absorbing the power of the Iron Fist into his own body.

Luke Cage – Granted near-impervious skin and super-strength in a prison experiment gone wrong, Luke Cage would escape captivity and use his newfound powers to fight for law and order. After making the acquaintance of Iron Fist, the two men decided to go into business together, forming the crimefighting duo known as Heroes for Hire.

THE ACTORS

If you’re going to bake a cake, you need to use the best ingredients possible. Okay, Michael Bay might disagree, but I still stand by my statement. When it’s time to cast the Iron Fist movie, the following men and women are at the top of my list to portray the characters discussed above. If you have a differing opinion, be sure to share it in our comments section.

Ray Park as Iron Fist/Danny Rand – There was talk of an Iron Fist movie way back in 2000, and martial artist Ray Park (best known as Darth Maul and the role of Toad from The X-Men) was attached to the starring role. That movie never happened, but Park hasn’t wavered in his interest. Sure, he’s probably too old for the role. Sure, he’s got an Australian accent to get rid of. And, sure, he doesn’t have a marquee name for the general public to get excited about. So what does he have? Lots and lots of mind-blowing martial arts moves, which is perfect for the role of Danny Rand. I say give the guy a shot…he’s earned it.

Timothy Olyphant as Wendell Rand – While the father of Danny Rand wasn’t always depicted as bald-headed, the picture I used as an example showed him that way. Therefore, I was bound and determined to find someone who could pull off the look in a flashback about the early life of our hero. Olyphant fits the bill, having been a baldie in the awful Hitman movie. He’s also a fine actor, and should be able to lend an notable intensity to the scene where his business partner turns heel and sends him falling to his death.

Sarah Polley as Heather Rand – Her husband has just been murdered, and she’s given a choice: go with the man who just killed him, or stay in the freezing mountains with her young son and try to find a mystical city that might not even exist. Heather Rand chooses the latter. And then, with the safety of K’un L’un in sight, she turns back to confront a pack of hungry wolves. In the act of dying, she buys her son enough time to reach safety. That’s a lot of emotion packed into a very short span of time, and it’s going to require an actress with a great deal of skill to pull it off. That’s where Sarah Polley comes in.

Danny Huston as Harold Meachum – The son of director John Huston has excelled at playing villains over the years, so he’d be perfect as the treacherous business partner who murders his friend and then tries to steal the dead man’s wife. And what about the scene a decade later when Iron Fist comes for revenge only to find Meachum confined to a wheelchair? Huston would be all over that scene like a fat kid at McDonalds.

Jason Scott Lee as Lei Kung – For the role of The Thunderer, I’m looking for someone who’s a little older but still looks as though they could do some serious damage in a fight. Jason Scott Lee fits the bill, having more than proven himself in the big-screen Bruce Lee biography all those years ago.

Maggie Q as Colleen Wing – Long and lean, Maggie Q would be perfect for the equally lean (and dangerous) Colleen Wing. She’s done plenty of martial arts scenes in her career, so she’d be right at home when Colleen gets to open up a can of whoop-ass. And a face that can stop traffic doesn’t hurt.

Meagan Good as Misty Knight – Casting the role of Misty Knight wasn’t an easy one. First off, the character needs to look good in an afro (although I have a sneaking suspicion that it’ll be dropped for the movie version). She also needs to be young, in great shape, and able to look convincing in whatever limited action the script gives her. And don’t forget that she’s Rand’s love interest, so the ability to generate a few sparks with Ray Park would be helpful. I’m confident that Meagan Good is the woman we’ve been looking for. She’s hot, athletic, and has plenty of acting experience. As for pulling off the action scenes, take a look at her performance in D.E.B.S. and tell me if you disagree.

Will Yun Lee as Steel Serpent – He’s Asian, and his brooding good looks instantly qualify him for a villainous turn as one of Iron Fist’s primary rivals. He’s been voted as one of the sexiest people alive, so this might add an extra level of enjoyment for female viewers. And he’s also got experience appearing in comic book adaptations, co-starring in both Electra and TV’s Witchblade.

Michael Jai White as Luke Cage – I picture Luke Cage only appearing near the end of the film, thereby setting up a sequel or perhaps a crossover picture. Michael Jai White is a physical specimen, something that’s absolutely needed for the role of someone whose hero name is Power Man. And the brother can act. Just pop the blaxploitation parody Black Dynamite into your DVD player and you’ll see what I mean. And the fight scenes? Sweet Christmas, the man can rock an action sequence!

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That concludes my efforts to cast the Iron Fist movie. As the project slowly heads towards the big screen, I can now only wait with anticipation to see if Hollywood heeds my suggestions. While we’re waiting, here are a few other attempts by yours truly to provide casting decisions for motion pictures:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 10:49 am and is filed under Casting Couch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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