Image Credit: Everett Collection
Thursday night, Jason Reitman, writer and director of Up in the Air, will launch his new series of live reads of beloved films to benefit Film Independent with a sold-out reading of John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club. It will be his handpicked actors’ first time reading the script together. So far, Reitman has announced via Twitter the casting of Mindy Kaling in the role of basket case Allison (Ally Sheedy), Patton Oswalt as brain Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), James Van Der Beek as athlete Andy (Emilio Estevez), and J.K. Simmons as janitor Carl (John Kapelos).
Pause for you to imagine a tender moment between Kaling and Van Der Beek…
And, we’re back. That leaves the plum roles of princess Claire (Molly Ringwald), criminal Bender (Judd Nelson) and teacher Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason). UPDATE: Reitman has announced Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul will read Bender. Who are your picks? With a good cause, great material, and those interesting players (Oswalt’s voice can be so tender, you can already feel the single tear running down your cheek), we imagine Reitman’s main problem will be people’s schedules. For our purposes, let’s pretend everyone’s free and already in Los Angeles. Go!
Part of me would love to see Community‘s Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs as Bender and Claire, which would be fitting. If Reitman is after bigger names, perhaps Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, or Scarlett Johansson (she’d be great at the lipstick) with James Franco or Ryan Gosling. For Vernon, I think definitely James Spader. Your turn!
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Chevy Chase for Vernon, James Franco as Bender, and Julie Bowen as Claire would be my picks!
Jason Bateman for Vernon. Robert Downey Jr. for Bender. Move Kaling to Claire and pick up Aubrey Plaza for Allison. And love Patton, but if he should become unavailable. Jesse Eisenberg for Brian.
Or just let J.K. Simmons read all the roles.
YES!
An interesting experiment would have been to bring back the original cast and shift them around. Hall as Andy, Estevez as Bender, Nelson as Brian, Sheedy as Claire, and Ringwald as Allison.
I agree with your choice of Joel McHale as Bender, but, if we’re going with ‘Community’ cast memebers, I like Alison Brie better as Claire. For Mr Vernon, I like Terry O’Quinn for the role.
OMG, brilliant! I love, love the idea for Terry O’Quinn!
Al Pacino for Claire, Anna Farris for Bender and Elle Fanning for Vernon.
Yes. You read that right.
i’m not sure about the others but i’d like adam pally as bender
Patton Oswalt as Brian???
Like the idea of Chevy Chase for Vernon, would go for Katie Holmes as the princess Claire, and give Bender some color and cast Katt Williams!
Christopher McDonald was born to play Vernon, Chistian Slater as Bender, and it would be funny if Cloris Leachman played Claire..or they could get her Raising Hope costar Martha Plimpton!
Definitely James Spader as Vernon.
is there not an article on this website where Ryan Gosling’s name is not somehow brought up!..EW is obsessed with him!
Claire Danes as Claire. Seriously, it would be fun for her to Hughes-it-up! I like the idea of Robert Downey Jr. as Bender. What about Bryan Cranston as Vernon?
just watched Horrible Bosses today, So I think Kevin Spacey would make the perfect Vernon, Colin Farrell a great Bender, and Jennifer Aniston a cool Claire!
Good thing it sold out BEFORE they announced the cast. I’m sure it will be good – I just think people might have been expecting something more considering Reitman’s involvement. Jennifer Garner, Eckhart, Cera
James Roday as Bender!!