Comic Book Casting: An ‘Animal Man’ TV Series

Mothballed by most after his high point in the late 80s and early 90s during Grant Morrison’s run on the title, Animal Man has come back to life (and comic shelves) with an all-new series by Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman. Distilling the wide-ranging continuity of what has gone before, Animal Man is shown as a family man balancing commitments at home, as a hero, and through his mainstream media attention. Using his unique abilities of harnessing the powers of nearby animals for his own use, it leaves an impression has a earth-friendly superhero that has  more holistic view of saving people.

Although it might be considered too far down the DC ladder to be considered worthy of a movie, the Animal Man series could follow the out-sized media successes of other comics-to-Hollywood transfers like Tales From the Crypt and Blade. Using the previous works by Morrison, Rick Veitch, Jamie Delano and the news series by Jeff Lemire as a springboard, a well-attuned cable network like Showtime or HBO could have a haunting family drama that could deliver on multiple levels.

The Concept:

Consider it a grassroots super-hero show. Less on high-flying theatrics and more on environmentalism and small town values. it’s be interesting to see some all-too-real struggles of a man with animal powers trying to make a go of it while also trying to provide for his family. It’d be a tight-rope balance similiar to what’s unfolded in Breaking Bad but veering off into a new direction.

The obvious struggles early on lie in Buddy’s awareness of the environment via his powers and the potential outgrowth of powers with his kids, but there could also be external pressures brought into their lives as Buddy uses his powers.

And heck, imagine if they brought in the fourth-wall antics that Morrison introduced later on in his run.

The Creative Mind:

To make this new take on heroes on television work, I’d enlist Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me head honcho Bryan Fuller. It’ll take more than the usual amount of imagination to make this series work, and Fuller could really fill out this world properly if given the free range that cable networks provide over the big four.

The Cast:

Animal Man / Buddy Baker – Jonny Lee Miller: This Transpotting actor has had a career resurgence with roles in Dexter and the upcoming Dark Shadows remake, and could be an ideal inhabitant for the mind, body and soul of Buddy Baker in an Animal Man TV series. Miller’s shown his humanism in the TV series Eli Stone, and could really get to the heart of what makes Animal Man tick here.

Ellen Baker – Clea DuVall: DuVall is far more than her role on Heroes would have you believe; look back at Carnivale and Girl, Interrupted to see a full range of her talents. In an Animal Man TV series, this actor could transition well into the role of a young mother being the all-too-real counterweight to Buddy Baker’s life as a super-hero.

Cliff & Maxine Baker: Dream-casting two under 10 roles is a hard task, as anyone you’d have in mind based on previous work has probably aged themselves right out of the part. For this to work, it’d take an able-bodied casting director on the ground finding a boy and a girl to nail these parts.