Looks like Edwin A. Salt is about to add some spice to its script. Although Tom Cruise was originally attached to play the 2010 thriller’s title character — a member of the CIA who’s accused of spying for the Russians — news came yesterday that Columbia Pictures plans on rewriting the role for Angelina Jolie. (Click here to read Hollywood Insider’s scoop.) Even though I’m kind of over watching Jolie play some form of spy/killer/otherworldly beast, news like this always excites me, seeing as I’m always in support of women playing rad ass-kicking roles rather than just the stereotypical girlfriend/prostitute/single-woman-dying-to-get-married parts Hollywood often hands them. (Plus, these days, I admittedly would rather watch a caterpillar star in a movie than Tom Cruise.)
Of course, this isn’t the first time this has happened. 2005’s Flightplan, for one, was written for a male lead until Jodie Foster took over the role. And though that film definitely had its flaws — not to be blamed on Foster — it was nice to see Hollywood think outside the box a little. Now, if only we could go back in time and rewrite more films: For example, as much as I love, love, love Ah-nold in 1987’s Predator (pictured left), wouldn’t it be awesome to see an actress take on the ultimate testosterone-laced role (my vote would be for the criminally underused Michelle Yeoh, pictured right)?
Your turn, PopWatchers! What male roles would you like to see played by a woman instead? And vice-versa?
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Star Wars, with Eliza Dushku as Luke Skywalker. I’d love to see her play the inner-conflict during the Vader-Skywalker fight in Empirte Strikes. Dushku does inner conflict brilliantly.
I’d like to see the Luke and Leia roles switched.
Make Willy Wonka “Wilemina Wonka” and, heck, have Vanessa Williams play her just like her Ugly Betty character.
If Romeo and Juliet is ever adapted for the screen again, have Mercutio be a woman.
Also, I think it would be interesting to have a girl as Huck Finn (no disrespect to Mark Twain, of course).
how about Harry Potter? With the recent surge of interest in vampires…how about Lestat from Anne Rice’s vampire books? Would make the relationship with Louis much more interesting….
How about an all-female version of “Ocean’s Eleven.” I’m not saying it has to be the same plot, but I’d love to watch some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, as well as some bit players stealing scenes, in a cool, big-budget movie.
apparently in the early version of a New Hope, Luke was supposed to be a girl (Luka) but Lucas decided to add a princess (Leia) instead, among other changes.
In similar spirit of the “Ocean’s 11″ idea, I immediately thought of having a female version of “The Sting.” I know, I know, it’s older than dirt. But they could modernize it somehow in the process…which would then become a female version of Ocean’s 11!
I would kill to see a female version of Superbad.
I was thinking of a female Indiana Jones, but then realized that was already done as Lara Croft (though not a well as it could hace been). So I’ll third the idea of Ocean’s 11. With women like Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, etc… in it.
i heart michelle yeoh!
Goodfellas. Foul mouthed gun wielding mother lovin’ chicks. Hell yeah! But they couldn’t be “glamourous.” It would have to be women that can look . . . I don’t know the right word. Sigourney Weaver, Glen Close, Katee Sackoff. And Jenette Goldstein should be Henrietta Hill.
How about John McClane in Die Hard? I love! Bruce in the role, but it would be interesting with a woman as the central character. Maybe played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who NEEDS a big breakthrough movie and she would kick a** in it! And make Aly Hannigan play Hans Gruber! It would be awesome!!
I’d like to see a female Lestat-kind of character. Mostly, I’d just like to see more strong female roles. On a side note, Michelle Yeoh is amazing & she deserves much better that “The Mummy 3.”
I think Predator WAS done with a woman — it was called Alien and was pretty da*n good, too…
In a different and perhaps inappropriate vein… Golden Girls starring four old gay men?
I’ve always wanted to see a version of Hamlet with a female Horatio.
The Bourne movies. I love Matt Damon, but a woman would bring a whole new dimension to that (and yes, I remember that Geena Davis thing). Also the Mission Impossible series. The problem is that the studios would probably take the Charlie’s Angels approach.
Leo – WOW — killer suggestion!
I’d love to see Hairspray with the genders reversed (including a woman dressed as a man for the “Edna” part). On the same thought, it would also be fun to see Hairspray with the races reversed (black is the norm, white is the outcast).
While he’s not big in pop culture, I always thought it would be cool to have a female actress do a superhero movie where she becomes the god Chango. We had a female actress play the devil in the Passion of the Christ, so I’d love to see a female version of the African god of war. Especially if they did Chango up like a Marvel character, similar to how they did with Thor. Come to think of it, a female Thor might be kind of hot too. DC once did Lobo as a female and “she” was pretty hot. Any chance we could see a female Wolverine?
Finally, why not a female “Data” type character on Star Trek? If she were “fully functional and trained in multiple methods” like the original, it’d make for some steamy robot sex storylines.
“Sneakers” – females from the Robert Redford role all the way to the blind man. I would so go to see that!
BTW, my daughter is in the female version of the “Odd Couple” next week, and I cannot wait to see that!
A female James (Jane) Bond. But not a sleazy, slutty Jane Bond, a classy female 007. But I’d actually like to see Gwyneth Paltrow, though I know she’s not a Brit. She does a great accent, though!
A female version of John McClaine. I’d like someone like, say, Lucy Lawless to be all “yipee ka-yay matha-f***”!
Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as Batgirl, featuring the daughter (adopted) of Batman taking over crime-fighting from him in Gotham City.
I wonder what would happen in Hollywood if there were an all female Usual Suspects, Shawshank Redemption or Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Harvey Dent from the recent Batman movie. Of course the Rachel-Harvey love story would have to go, but I’d love to see a female political go-getter.
Also: Emmett Brown from Back to the Future. There are no good female mad scientists in the movies. Some evil ones, and some wallflowers, but none with Doc Brown’s charisma.
Let’s have Julianne Moore as Dent, and Kristin Chenoweth as Doc Brown.
kATEE SACKHOFF FROM BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WOULD BE THE BEST ACTRESS TO TAKE ON ” the ultimate testosterone-laced role”.
She’s an amazing actress.
“Alien” was really the first movie to switch the gender of a character but still maintain that character’s integrity. Ripley was written as a man but Sigourney Weaver definitely added a depth to that role that would have otherwise been lacking.
As for a role that I’d like to see portrayed as a woman, how about a movie like “National Treasure” or “The Da Vinci Code” where there is a strong emphasis on puzzle solving and book smarts yet the protagonists still manage to “get the girl.” Make the male professor/educated characters into women and have the men haplessly get drawn into their adventures and ultimately fall in love because of the women’s intelligence and problem solving skills.
An equally interesting subject is imagining putting men in the traditionally female roles. Can you imagine what “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” would be like if it were done with men? Ridiculous!
A hard, gritty contemporary war movie where the badass sergeant is a woman leading a bunch of men. It happens in real life, it should happen in movies.