Dream Cast: Final Fantasy VII - Part II

And now for Part II. Here, we'll explore a few of the secondary characters, along with the only villain in the game worth casting: Sephiroth. A note before we begin though... hardcore fans will notice the omission of a few supporting characters... namely, Yuffie Kisaragi and Vincent Valentine. This is in part due to the highly tangential nature of their story arcs (as being detrimental to flow and pacing of the film), and their relatively insignificant verbal input throughout the game. If they were to appear in the film, I would personally downgrade their appearances to cameos or easter eggs. And in all fairness, casting either of these two wouldn't be overly difficult. Considering that neither of them really needs to act, only the look is important. That said, Yuffie needs to look like a wide eyed Japanese girl, and Vincent... well... he just needs to be male of appropriate height, seeing as he's mostly covered in a red cape. Enough said, let's move on.

Cid Highwind - Hugh Jackman


The Pick: Seriously? Look at Cid. He is Hugh Jackman. Think back to HJ's look from "Swordfish" and you'll see it immediately. In the story, we get no real insight into Cid's past, so for all we know, HJ might even get to deliver lines in his native Australian accent.

The Stats: Cid - 5ft. 8in. 32 years old. Hugh - 6ft. 2in. 32 years old in 2000. Height Match: +6in.; Age Match: Exact.

The Proof: It's no stretch to say that HJ knows how to act. The guy can switch from Wolverine to prince charming (see "Kate and Leopold"), so I'd say he's got range. I don't think playing Cid would be beyond his reach.

Red XIII - Ron Perlman


The Pick: Ron Perlman is kind of the man. Short and simple. We're going to skip the stats, seeing as Red XIII will have to be computer generated. I'm casting RP on voice alone.

The Proof: Hellboy. Seriously... go check it out and you'll hear the voice that needs to be coming out of Red XIII's mouth. What better voice to add the bass, the rumble, the authority, and maybe a little wry sarcasm to Red XIII's science experiment lot in life?

Cait Sith - John Leguizamo


The Pick: John Leguizamo's is the voice I hear in my head when I imagine Cait Sith blabbering on about goodness knows what. Cait Sith needs to be an odd mix of things, funny, annoying, harmless, yet ultimately noble. From what I've seen of JL's work, I think he's got the range. Like Red XIII, this character will need to be at least partly CG, though it'd be refreshing to accomplish some of the magic through animatronics.

The Proof: Where to begin? Looking at JL's imdb profile is exhausting. This guy's been all over the place. Go ahead and take a look for yourself. What I do know is that he's no stranger to voice acting, and that's what matters for this film.

Sephiroth - Jonathan Rhys Meyers


The Pick: As with Aeris, casting such an iconic character can prove to be difficult, but sooner or later, you have to go with the best available choice that hits the most pros and the fewest cons. In terms of Sephiroth, you need someone who has an androgynous quality, yet can exude danger, someone who can look absolutely cold and, later, more than a little insane. My pick for that actor? Jonathan Rhys Meyers. In my opinion, the only thing he lacks is the bulk. He's got the physicality, just not enough of it.

The Stats: Sephiroth - 6ft. 1in. Age Unknown. Jonathan - 5ft. 9in. Height Match: -4in.; Age Match: N/A.

The Proof: Obviously, his lack of an imposing physical presence is a problem, but I think with the right boots, costume and one freakishly long sword, the magic of Hollywood can glaze over that particular deficiency. As for his acting abilities, I'm not worried. Sephiroth is all about bottled intensity, and JRM can achieve that without even talking. Want to see him in action? His most accessible offerings include Bend it Like Beckham and Mission Impossible 3.

So that's it for Final Fantasy VII as it could have been in the year 2000. Would it have worked? I guess we'll never really know for sure... but as a final tidbit... I think there are only a few directors that could pull off a fully realized fantasy universe such as this. And for myself, the only people I would consider for the Director's chair are Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson.