Ever since the brilliant Brick, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has steadily become one of my favorite actors. The kid has range and emotional depth, as demonstrated relatively recently in 50/50. He was in the running for my fan cast of Ray Palmer, because the guy is clearly intelligent, but he's quite simply too cool to fit the part of the Atom. I've been waiting for just the right role, and finally made the perfect connection-- Plastic Man!
Those who were first exposed to the character by Grant Morrison's JLA might take issue with that, as the character was treated there as broadly obnoxious "comic relief" in the mold of Jim Carrey's "Ace Venture." Frankly, DC Comics have yet to get the character remotely right, from forgetting they owned him in the '50s (see: Elongated Man) through to his terrible attempts to cash in on media trends in the '60s-'70s, and his descent into irrelevance in the '80s & '90s.
The fact is, Jack Cole's Plastic Man was a sharp detective and all around nifty gent dealing with a mad world and his own legitimately funny bumbling hustler sidekick Woozy Winks. The classic Plas stories of the '40s & '50s are among the finest produced in the Golden Age, and if DC had any sense, we'd have seen Gail Simone in full Birds of Prey/Secret Six nasty mode paired with Ethan Van Sciver on the Pliable Paladin instead of Firestorm.
Years ago, the Wachowskis tried to do a movie with Keanu Reeves in the role, and while that's closer to the mark than we've seen in years, I think you need someone with a lot more charisma. Gordon-Levitt can be funny, cunning, sexy, and charming in the right portions for Eel O'Brian. Given his boyishness and slight frame, there aren't many proper super-hero roles suited for Gordon-Levitt, so I really do think this is the best marriage for the property and the actor, should he ever want to take a turn in spandex.
Diabolic Movie Fan Casting
- B'rett @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
- The Cheetah @ Diana Prince
- Gypsy @ Justice League Detroit
- Jean Loring @ Power of the Atom
- Plastic Man @ DC Bloodlines
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