Our childhood dreams (or maybe nightmares) are coming true. Netflix is making Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events into a live-action series, available in 2016. With this still fairly fresh announcement, and no cast in place yet, many people have started thinking about their dream cast for the production. After sifting through many of these lists and ruminating on my own, I believe I have come up with a star-studded cast that could not only act the part, but also resemble the pitiful characters from Snicket's stories.
Count Olaf: Neil Patrick Harris
Living up to Jim Carrey's Count Olaf is not an easy, however, if any man were up to the job, NPH would be our guy. Olaf is arrogant and flamboyant beyond compare, and with his experience as Barney on How I Met Your Mother as well as his performance in basically everything else he's been in, he's more than qualified to bring our sinister villain to life in a way no other actor could.
Violet Baudelaire: Lily Collins
To play Violet, you have to be able to portray responsibility and intelligence, all while having a naturally young appearance and beauty. Although Collins is 26, I see no problem with her portraying 16-year-old Violet after a trip to the make-up trailer. She's had plenty of experience playing young heroines, from Mirror, Mirror to Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. She also has the dark, Victorian look that matches the mood of the series.
Klaus Baudelaire: Jared Gillmore
Gillmore is the young star of ABC's Once Upon A Time. No stranger to fighting evil-doers, he's a shoe-in to play Klaus, a young genius who uses his knowledge gained from reading far too many books to get himself and his siblings out of perilous positions.
Sunny Baudelaire: ???
So, Sunny is the only character I can't put a finger on because she's an infant in the books. She'll likely be played by a number of baby-actors but I'm betting a lot of her role will be portrayed with CGI and audio. Sunny will be a tough cast if her super-human bite strength is to be portrayed accurately.
Mr. Poe: John C. Reilly
Mr. Poe, the awkward and unreliable adult in charge of finding the Baudelaire orphans a suitable caretaker, as well as being in charge of their rather large inheritance, would be a great fit for Reilly. Reilly has long shown-off his ability to be awkward and clueless in roles like Cal Norton, Jr. in Talladega Nights, and Dale Doback from Step Brothers. Basically, he's the king of portraying adults with lower-than-average IQs.
Lemony Snicket: Jude Law
In the 2004 film, Jude Law played Lemony Snicket, whose voice guided us story as the narrator. Law's calm, cool demeanor and authoritative voice that told us the tragedy of the Baudelaire orphans' lives was incomparable. There is no one I can think of that could live up to the expectations I have for Snicket, except for Mr. Law.
Now that you've seen mine, who do you want to see on screen next year for the retelling of this tale from our childhood?
