Of course, to make it work, the film would have to be retooled a little. The Cold War having ended some 19 years ago, General Ripper's fixation would no longer work as being one against the Soviets; instead, the increasing amount of terrorist attacks abroad could contribute to Ripper blaming a key Islamic state: Iran. He then orders a nuclear assault on the country, based on an operation code-named Robert. The film would then precede as originally plotted from there, with an Iranian ambassador naturally taking the place of the Soviet one.
I believe these people would suit the roles:
*Dr. Strangelove/Group Captain Lionel Mandrake: Sacha Baron Cohen
--The fellow is a master of accents, and he could very presumably improvise some of his part, similar to how Sellers originally did.
*President Merkin Muffley: David Paymer
--I've seen this chap on TV. The fellow looks and talks remarkably like the original character, and it'd probably be good, for him as an actor, to go outside his normal range.
*General Jack D. Ripper: either Peter Weller or Thomas Hayden-Church
--If you've seen Weller on 24, you know how much of a loony this guy can play. Hayden-Church (best known for Sideways) would also be well-suited for the role, seeming menacing while projecting an air of big-headedness.
*General Buck Turgidson: Brian Cox
--This Scottish actor knows how to play slimy official-types very well, having appeared as such in two Bourne movies and X-2. Also, Turgidson is very un-PC, similar to Cox's role in The Ringer.
*Air Force Major T. J. "King" Kong: Dennis Quaid
--This Texas-born character actor knows how to project down-home befuddlement, as seen in his role as the President in American Dreamz. Also, I just can't get the image out of my head of Quaid whooping and hollering as he rides the bomb down to destruction.
*Colonel "Bat" Guano: Diedrich Bader
--Best known for his roles in both Office Space and The Drew Carey Show, Bader seems like the kind of guy who wants to try differing roles. I can just imagine him saying, "I think you're some kind of deviated prevert. And I think General Ripper found out about your preversion and that you were organizing some kind of mutiny of preverts...."
*Iranian Ambassador Eskandar Sadinejad: Ken Davitian
--Yes, I know he's only part-Iranian, but he looks the part, and I feel that the film would gel a lot better if an established duo were working together again (Cohen and Davitan, I mean).
*Miss Scott, Turgidson's secretary: Keira Knightley
--Personally, I think she'd work well in this brief role. It wouldn't give her much to do, but, hey; who wouldn't want to see Keira in a centerfold (as in the original film)?
*Lieutenant Lothar Zogg: James Earl Jones
--It'd just be a brief nod to the fans, like Zogg doing the Vader breathing with his flight mask on, taking it off, then saying, "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing", or something like that. Plus, it'd be interesting seeing Jones reprised the role that marked the beginning of his film career, wouldn't it?
*Captain "Ace" Owens: Ryan Stiles
--This'd be more of a cameo, but it'd be fun to see Bader and Stiles on the same project for the first time since The Drew Carey Show. At least, that's my feeling...
So, what of the rest of you? Do you agree? Disagree? Who would you cast?
This post has been edited by Bond: 30 July 2007 - 01:12 AM