Last Unicorn dreamcast
One thing my sister and I were doing from time to time was to think, if the Last Unicorn was remade as a live action movie, who would we cast in the different roles? It is sad to see how many of our dreamcast have since died: our favorite Prince Lir was Heath Ledger, and King Haggard, unsurprisingly, Christopher Lee.
Since I was reading the book with Little One, and now watched the movie again (for the 120th time or so), I was again going through my current dreamcast. Here we go.
- Lady Amalthea - Anna Taylor-Joy
- Schmendrick - Zach Braff, Donald Glover
- Molly Grue - Mia Farrow
- Prince Lir - Owen Wilson, no, getting too old; Liam Hemsworth? Chloe Moretz would be an interesting choice
- King Haggard - Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson
Since it is en vogue, I also asked Bard and ChatGPT. Here's Bard:
- Jeff Bridges as Schmendrick the Magician
- Mia Farrow as Molly Grue
- Angela Lansbury as the Unicorn
- Daryl Hannah as Filidor
- Jeff Goldblum as Schmendrick's sidekick, Bungle
- Peter Dinklage as the Red Bull
- Uma Thurman as Mommy Fortuna
- Alan Rickman as King Haggard
OK, Alan Rickman is a great choice, but unfortunately dead. Uma Thurman as Mommy Fortuna is weird. Peter Dinklage as the Red Bull... why does the Red Bull need to be cast at all? Who are Bungle and Filidor? Angela Lansbury as the Unicorn / Lady Amalthea is... not the right choice. Also dead. Mia Farrow and Jeff Bridges are too obvious choices given their roles in the cast of the animation movie, also Angela Lansbury is from the original cast. I would give Bard a D for that answer.
ChatGPT says:
- Unicorn - Saoirse Ronan or Emma Watson
- Schmendrick - Timothee Chalamet or Eddie Redmayne
- Molly Grue - Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren
- King Haggard - Ian McKellen or Christopher Lee (if he were still alive)
- Prince Lir - Tom Holland or Ansel Elgort
- Mommy Fortuna - Tilda Swinton or Cate Blanchett
Not even close to my choice, but heck, those are good choices. Molly Grue and Mommy Fortuna seem both a bit over-cast. Prince Lir and Schmendrick are pretty brilliant choices. I am not particularly impressed by Emma Watson for Lady Amalthea, I could see Saoirse Ronan work.
I'd give a B+ to ChatGPT.
I feel like ChatGPT seems to go for actors and actresses that are popular with the crowd who likes The Last Unicorn? Not the worst choice.
I followed up with Bard to see who Bungle and Filidor are, because they don't appear neither in the book nor in the movie, if I remember correctly. So, "Bungle is a red unicorn who is Schmendrick's sidekick in the novel The Last Unicorn. He is a clumsy and incompetent unicorn, but he is also a loyal and brave friend. Bungle is played by Jeff Goldblum in the 1982 animated film adaptation of the novel." And "Filidor is a bard in the novel The Last Unicorn. He is a wandering minstrel who travels the land singing songs and telling stories. Filidor is a wise and kind-hearted man, and he is always willing to help those in need. He is played by Daryl Hannah in the 1982 animated film adaptation of the novel." That's entirely a fabrication.
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