Picture in your mind last year’s Green Lantern movie. Now, think of the complete opposite. That’s what a movie based on Rick Remender and Tony Moore’s Fear Agent comic would be. Heath Huston is Bruce Campbell-meets-John McClane, and he lives in a world of jellyfish aliens, robots with human brains, and no shortage of Texas drawl. Back in 2009, Universal bought the rights to do a Fear Agent movie but there’s been little word since then. It’s time we embody the spirit of Heath Huston and quit waiting around for other people to get moving, and do it ourselves. This is how we’d do a Fear Agent movie.
The Concept:
In the 70s, sci-fi space stories somehow got pigeonholed into three categories: the thought-heavy stories like 2001: A Space Odyssery, thinking man’s action like Star Trek or the swashbuckling Star Wars. Lost amongst those classifications the rough-and-tumble pulp sci-fi yarns that mixed the inanity of things like Mars Attacks with the gun-slinging western hero in the future. Movie houses need that, and Fear Agent is just that.
For capturing Fear Agent on film, you need a special effects budget that is big but with someone who can guide it to being more than just boring blue-screen action. That has to co-exist with a rollicking story of Heath Huston as a vengeful figure crisscrossing space and time. It’s a storyline borrowed from the classic spaghetti westerns by Leone and Eastwood, grafted onto a souped up sci-fi frame. This is a retro muscle car with a space-age motor under the hood.
The Director:
Unless you have a time machine capable of bringing 80s era John Carpenter into the present day, my pick to direct a Fear Agent film would England’s own Neil Marshall. Everything from Dog Soldiers to Descent, Doomsday and Centurion has been welcome genre stories that breathe new life into what could be boring stories. Imagine any of his films directed by someone else and it could easily turn into a yawn-fest. Marshall’s one of those directors I’m surprised hasn’t broken through to the mainstream yet, and he’d be ideal for Fear Agent given his background and years of experience behind the lens.
And it wouldn’t hurt to have the late Stan Winston’s special effects company, Legacy Effects, onboard to give the movie a real unique sci-fi feel as well.
The Cast:
Heath Huston – Aaron Eckhart: Aaron Eckhart’s best known roles have him playing the villain or a supporting role in a larger ensemble cast, making many people not see him as a leading man. But in smaller films like Thank You For Smoking and Meet Bill he’s really shown his talents. Stepping up as Heath Huston could be a real platform for Eckhart to show his acting chops off on a big stage, and prevent Heath from becoming a one-dimensional character.
Mara Esperanza – Mila Kunis: Although the series is a story about Heath, Mara’s story in the series is a strong second arc — especially when her origin is revealed. I’d love to see Mila Kunis step up and stand beside Eckhart-as-Huston and really show off her diverse skills.
Charlotte Huston – Julianne Hough: Although it’s a small role until later on in the series, Charlotte’s voice plays a big part as the voice of Heath’s ship. For this I’d enlist dancer-turned-actress Julianne Hough as Heath’s ex-wife. In her short acting work so far she’s shown she can do more than dance, and she’d be an interesting choice to play against Eckhart.
Chuck Huston – Sam Elliott: Other actors might complain about being stereotyped, but actor Sam Elliott seems to eat it up. I’d love to see Elliott play Heath’s father and show how he became the man he is. At one point I even thought Elliott could play an older Heath Huston as seen in the end of the series, but I think that’d be best left to Eckhart in some makeup.
Jentu – Michael Emerson: There’s more than one villain in the Fear Agent opus, but for the first film I’d target Jentu of the Teltaldians. Michael Emerson has a real creepiness factor that carries on depsite being a good guy in Person of Interest, and I’d exploit that to see him do voice-over for the horrific-looking robot in a jar that is Jentu. They’d need some Stan Winston-level design to make Jentu work on screen to prevent him from turning into Krang from TMNT, but if they could then Emerson’s voice could seal the deal.
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k I love Aaron Eckhart as much as the next guy but the fact that Nathan Fillion wasn’t your pick for Heath Huston is no less than a crime against humanity. Sorry someone had to say it. 😉
My god, will this ever stop?
@vandamowens “Come a day there won’t be room for naughty men like us to slip about at all. This job goes south, there well may not be another. So here is us, on the raggedy edge. Don’t push me, and I won’t push you.” 😉
Too many people want Fillion in everything. It’s just too much.
“Too many people *on here”
@vadamowens “This is how it is. Anybody doesn’t wanna fly with me any more, this is your port of harbor. There’s a lot of fine ways to die. I ain’t waiting for the Alliance to choose mine.”
I pray this isn’t the way you normally communicate with people:)
@vadamowens nah just harmless fun. Anyway I agree lots of diehard fans try to plug Fillion in every role they can think of but in this particular case I truely believe he would be the perfect fit for Heath.
I gotta say I agree with the Fillion choice and that too many people plug him for everything but he hasn’t caught that big break and know he could pull of the Texan better and his stature suits Heath. I don’t doubt Aaron Eckhart could pull it off but think Nathon Fillion could do this one better. Harder to market as he’s not a household name though and more people in general are familiar with Eckhart. Can’t wait for this omnibus either way!!!
I wouldn’t have gone with Eckhart, but I really wouldn’t have gone with Fillion. The dude isn’t hard bitten at all, and also, he’s way too roamy these days.
I think that Thomas Jane is often overlooked. He usually plays a badass, he can pull off the southern thing and, he’s not as ‘pretty’ as Eckhart or Fillion.
Hmm, i don’t see Eckhart as a tough Southern hombre
If it ever gets animated they should go with Mickey Rourke.
I hate Aaron Eckhart. Sorry. I do. hate. him. How about we go rogue and pick Chris Hemsworth as Huston and Bruce Willis or Jeffrey Dean Morgan as his dad? I’m just tired of Elliott in these roles.
I really like Aaron Eckhart, but I always pictured Timothy Olyphant as Heath. ,
I forgot about Timothy, If that was the case, Clint Eastwood could be his dad / Older Heath.
Always thought Neil Flynn (Scrubs and The Middle) would be a great Heath.
Not sure that Eckhart has the dangerous glint in his eye that Heath has. I think I’d go for John Hamm, while he’s not A-List he’s got a mysterious, guilty side to him that means you can forgive him for some of the unforgivable mistakes Heath makes.
Jon Hamm, good pick.
If it can’t be Nathan Fillion then it has to be Hamm. At least around here!
Bruce Campbell would have been awesome when he was younger, around the Brisco County days.
I watch Madmen, so I agree 100% to that. You gotta see that glint.
One day, I will be cast as Heath Huston. You wait and see.
Not if I get there first.
If Chris Isaak was tougher and could act better he would be the splitting image of Heathrow.
Ed Harris as Chuck.
Or Kurt Russell
Ya, especially when Big Trouble in Little China has been said to have played a part in the inspiration of Heath.
Jenson Ackles would get my vote. He may be a bit young but he’s been playing a very Heath-esque character on Supernatural for years now.
Is this book ever going digital I’m dying to read it?
Tom Jane!
Jake Gyllenhaal as Heath. and Vera Farmiga as Annie. Unfortunately both people were in Source Code. Chloe Sevigny as Charlotte Houston. Eva Green as Mara.