Comic Book Casting: The 100 BULLETS TV Series

If you explained the concept of the 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso to someone without telling them it was a comic book, they’d most likely think it was a television show. It’s a distinction that has followed the series since its debut in 1999 through its conclusion in 2009. Earlier this year those hopes were made real when it was announced that writer/producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Blade, Man of Steel) was working on developing the series for Showtime. But since that announcement, nothing else has been revealed… so why wait?

In this week’s Comic Book Casting, we take the sheer promise of a 100 Bullets television series and plan it out, from concept to cast and even the mastermind in change of making it come true. Let’s get started.

The Concept:

Can it get any more suited for TV? A grizzled man in a suit, giving seemingly random strangers a briefcase containing a gun and 100 untraceable bullets and a promise to cover up any crime they commit. Everyone wanted revenge at one time or another, right?

A 100 Bullets television series could synthesize the best parts of gritty crime dramas like The Sopranos with conspiracy theories akin to the recent Rubicon series. It even has elements a Lost fan would like with its connections to Roanake, but this time the story’s all been figured out in comics to prevent a TV series from going into a tailspin in the final episodes.

The Creative Mastermind:

David S. Goyer is already attached to dream up the series as its principal producer and writer, and his credentials put him in a key place to successfully translate it from comics to screen. Joining him I’d tap writer Henry Bromell, a writer/producer with credits ranging from Homicide: Life On The Street to Northern Exposure and the final episodes of Rubicon. This could work in a scenario similar to the way Frank Darabont was brought in for The Walking Dead, with Goyer bringing the big ideas and Bromell carrying them out and fleshing out the series in total.

The Cast:

Agent Philip Graves – Terence Stamp: Some might argue his British accent wouldn’t work for this film, but Stamp has played a straight American accent on a number of occasions that could stamp out the seminal portrayal of Zod years ago. He could bring an immeasurable heft to the series, and be one of the most frightening leading men on TV today.

Isabelle “Dizzy” Cordova – Michelle Rodriguez: Although 100 Bullets came out before Rodriguez made her film debut, she’s been eternally linked to the role of Dizzy for any dream-casting of the series whether it be TV, movie or video game even. She’s in her early thirties now, but could still nail this integral part of the series with maturity and spunk.

Mr. Shepherd – James Caan: Caan has a long history in crime movies, and his screen presence could really add some reality to the movie. As a plus, you could get his son Scott Caan to play his younger self from the “Tarantula” arc.

Augustus Medici – Stacy Keach: The defacto leader of the Trust needs to be a veritable screen presence if he’s to order around the thirteen families and the Minutemen. Fresh off his role in Lights Out, Keach could be a great shadowy figure with a menacing voice but also his ability to smooth-talk you when its necessary. Some people might thing Keach and Caan should switch roles given their past, but I’ d love to see Caan play a more hands-on figure and Keach a more refined businessman for a change.

Lono – Jason Momoa: Forget the mess of Conan The Barbarian, and think of him more for his role in Game of Thrones. This Hawaiian born actor (just like Lono), could be a super-threatening presence and be just what the actor and the character needs.