Who should play Bobby Fischer?
Posted on Jan 31, 2008 8:28:26 AM
https://chessdailynews.com/new-fischer-movie-by-oscar-winning-director/
Somebody famous, famously eccentric, dies, immediately any script floating around gets new attention, thus is Kevin McDonald tapped to direct a film of Bobby Fischer Goes to War.
I read the book this is to be based upon, which takes us inside the Reykjavik basttle royal with Boris Spassky, the Cold War played out on 64 squares on an island of rock and ice. Darned good book, lots of gamesmanship, ego, high level spying, diplomacy (Henry Kissinger was involved) and lunacy.Oh, and chess.
But who should they cast as Fischer? And Spassky?
Source: Orlando Sentinel and Variety
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117979908.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
the casting must be:
Fisher: Steve Bushemi
Spassky: Jack Black
Henry Kissinger: Adam Sandler
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For Fischer you need an intense young actor. Google those last 3 words (without quotes), and 2 of the top 10 hits are about Heath Ledger. Maybe not quite the face, but everything else would have been perfect, alas.
Younger Bobby Fischer = Dennis Leary
Dennis Leary
Older Bobby Fischer = John Dicus
John Dicus
I’d like to see Philip Seymour Hoffman cast as Spassky.
Fischer… that’s a tough one.
Ok, got it…
Ed Norton as Fischer.
Bobby- John Turturro
Boris- James Spader
Tigran- Oliver Platt
Bent- Dennis Hopper
Robert Byrne- Robert Duvall
Regina Fischer- Talia Shire
Cage isn’t too old, but his acting sucks.
Bobby Fischer = Matt Damon
William Lombardy = Kevin Spacey
Boris Spassky = Tom Cruise
Yefim Geller = Brad Pitt
Henry Kissinger = Athony Hopkins
Ricard Nixon = Martin Sheen
For Fischer:
Adrien Brody would be perfect.Jewish father, Catholic mother, so he probably understands some of Fischer’s insanity. He needs a good roll after that horrible King Kong debacle.
I would also second Turturro.
I hate to say it, but I think Jim Carrey might be able to pull it off. He is actually a good actor.
Childhood fisher:
Haley Joe Osmond.
Previous was serious. Now for funny actors to play Fischer:
Howard Stern.
Dan Heisman.
Paul Truong. 🙂
Bobby Fischer = Matt Damon
William Lombardy = Kevin Spacey
Boris Spassky = Tom Cruise
Yefim Geller = Brad Pitt
Henry Kissinger = Athony Hopkins
Ricard Nixon = Martin Sheen
Child Molester = Sam Slaon
Michael Richards (Kramer on the Jerry Seinfeld show) could be perfect for the older Bobby.
As for Nicholas Cage – what a joke. He’s about as intense as a piece of jello.
If its only a young Fischer? The physical resemblance is poor, but Joaquin Phoenix pulled off Johnny Cash pretty well.
I think Jim Carey would make a great Fischer.
Although a bit old for the part, Carrey is probably the best choice (“Eternal Sunshine,” “The Truman Show). Brody & Phoenix are also great ideas.
Turturro’s been there, done that in The Defense–a laughable movie, though JT’s performance was fine.
The Aviator & Catch Me If You Can are two movies in which the “action” is largely inside the protagonist’s head. So DiCaprio might also work…
Jake Gyllenhaal would make a good Fischer, I think.
Robin Williams for Spassky
Donnie Darko works.
Oscar the Grouch should play Bill Goichberg.
Fischer: Keaneu Reeves
Spassky: Johnny Depp
Henry Kissinger: himself
Young Fischer: Tommy Polgar
Regina Fischer: GM Polgar
Match TD (cameo appearance): Gary Kasparov
Fans in the audience can be any and all chess IM’s and GM’s in the world.
That would be a fantastic movie!
Call my agent!
All kidding aside, I think Joaquin Phoenix would play a great RJF!
Bobby Fischer – James Spader
Boris Spassky – Steve Zahn
Rather than pick a specific actor, I think I’ll imagine what I’d like to see if I were a casting director doing screen tests. I’d like to see two unknowns (or relative unkowns) in the parts. I’d love to see an actor play Fischer and simply vanish into the role. So, rather than us thinking “Wow, Nicholas Cage is doing Fischer amazingly well…” we think, “Wow, that IS Fischer… who is that actor, again?”
So, here’s what I’d look for:
Bobby Fischer: Must be a tall and lanky actor, angular face, handsome, but not conventioanlly so, a bit boyish, young and exhuberant(remember Fischer was 29 at the WCC) but able to drift into passionate quiet concentration and then into mad rage (Think Adam Sandler, amazingly enough), slightly uncomfortable in his body, able to pull off that brooklin nasal accent, but not too thick, able to convincingly pull off dishwater blonde hair.
Spassky: A bit of a playboy. Warm faced, about a half generation older, a great head of hair, quiet, bemused, sometimes quizzical, internales frustration well.
After a jog, a shower, dinner, a few hours of mulling it over and a couple of checks on IMDB.com, a few names come close, but none quite work. But, just for fun…
Fischer:
Paul Dano: Amazing Actor, a bit young, good nose. Might be better as 20ish Fischer (but, alas, the difference between 20 and 29 is too small for Audiences to accept, unless the director is doing an “I’m Not There” sort of experiment.)
Ben Foster: Perhaps not enough “presence” and not akward enough, but has a great beard and could probably pull off older Fischer as well as WCC Fischer.
Christian Bale: Way too known as Batman, but has demonstrated an ability to inhabit widely different characters and to gain and lose weight for a role (see “The Machinist”)
Jason Schwartzman: If I merge the three leads of “Darjeeling Express” into one actor, I think we’d have our Fischer. But each one is, himself, not quite right. Scwartzman, I think, is closest.
Jude Law: Exactly the right body type, but I’m worried he’d be in too much control of it. Fischer needs to be “elbows” at times.
Adrian Brody: Great suggestion from an earlier poster. He just might work! What a nose. Now just bleach the hair a bit, and I think we’ve got it. Plus, a great actor to boot (see “The Pianist”)
Spassky:
Garret Dillahut (“No Country for Old Men”): the guy just LOOKS like Spassky in his publicity photo. Now can he pull off the Russian Accent?
Clive Owen: Can do the Grim Patient side of Spassky as he suffers the craziness of the proceedings. Can he do the warm playboy side, I wonder?
Guy Pearce: I think he might pull off the cosmopolitan side of Spassky well, and he kinda’ has the right face.
Brad Hoehne
The poster above, dirtyGarry, who suggested Steve Zahn is a genuis, BTW. Nice pick!
Brad Hoehne
Jack Nicholson as the older Fischer. His “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is such a great portrayal of a crazy guy.
Jim Carey might work because it would take an almost ad lib job to coordinate the complex multi personalities of Fischer, something a comedic actor who has a wide range can do. Carey can be quiet and charming to intense and maddening.
John Turturro would be almost perfect but he is probably too old to play a young Fischer.
Robert DeNiro would be interesting as the old Fischer.
Jerry Seinfeld as Bobby Fischer and Sofia Polgar as Boris Spassky.
Keanu Reeves as Fuscher, Cate Blanchett (or maybe Lucy Lawless)as Spassky
anonymous 3:52:00 PM CST Shut up and go back in your cage your boring!
ill ply bobby if u want, although im not even 6foot tall, ill play any part just to be on the movie. jb.
who are all the character in the movie anyway? I think we need Fischer, Spassky, Robert Byrne, Regina Fischer, Taimanov, Larsen, Petrosian, Korchnoi and Henry Kissinger. There are probably most neccessary characters that i’m forgetting.