After the success of The Walking Dead on television, it’s no doubt that TV executives went scouring over the shelves of comic stores in Hollywood looking for the next big hit. As it turns out, Hollywood has been sitting on it for years without knowing it. Y: The Last Man was a 60-issue series coming out from Vertigo telling the story of the last man on earth living in a world full of women, trying to find out what caused the disaster and, more importantly, finding his girlfriend.
Over the years there have been several attempts to bring the story of Yorick, Ampersand & co. to the big screen with the most popular (but failed) version being with Shia LaBeouf in the title role and his Disturbia director D.J. Caruso behind the lens. But after the director and studio couldn’t agree on if it should be one movie or a series of movies, it fell by the wayside. With the success of The Walking Dead, the answer’s simple: television.
The Concept:
Y: The Last Man co-creator Brian K. Vaughan became an A-list comics writer in this series with it’s tight serialized story and gripping cliffhangers at the end of each issue; in fact, it made him such an in-demand writer that he was hired to write for TV’s Lost with no prior television experience. Y: The Last Man has all the makings of a hit television series, telling the cross-country story of a man living in the wake of the death of every other human male in the world. Vaughan’s writing and Pia Guerra’s art made it more than just a distant sci-fi hit but a real character study between Yorick, Agent 355, Allison Mann and the others. Movies couldn’t really do this story justice, but television could.
The Showrunner:
It’s a risky choice, but I’d tap Brian K. Vaughan to return to his creation and lead the way. Although he might still be a TV newcomer to some, he went from newbie Lost writer to executive story editor and producer by the series’ end. Since then he was tapped by Steven Spielberg to adapt Stephen King’s Under The Dome for television, and has a number of screenplays floating around Hollywood execs offices. I’d partner him with Lost colleague, director Jack Bender, to give the showrunning job a little bit more behind-the-camera experience, and together those two could really deliver a solid drama.
The Cast:
Yorick Brown – Logan Huffman: Shia LaBeouf outgrew this role years ago, but V actor Logan Huffman could really fit in quite nicely into the role of Yorick Brown. It’s a challenge finding someone the right age to carry a story like this, but in his brief work on V I think Huffman could handle that.
Agent 355 – Sydney Tamiia Poitier: You need a really strong woman to fill in for the role of Agent 355, and after seeing Poitier in Grindhouse years ago she left an impression on me. She’d need to tone down the sexuality and tone up those muscles, but I think she could channel a bit of her father, Sidney Poitier, and really surprise people.
Jennifer Brown – Susanna Thompson: I had originally pencilled in a bigger name actress for this role, but when it came down to it Susanna Thompson would be a better fit in this ensemble cast. She cast an imposing shadow in her brief role on NCIS, but comic fans might remember her more for her roles on Kings or as a Borg Queen in Star Trek: Voyager.
Dr. Allison Mann – Christina Chang: I admit that Allison Mann is my favorite character from Y: The Last Man, so finding a suitable actress to play her was a bit of a challenge. In the end I remembered actress Christina Chang for her role as Dr. Sunny Macer on 24 for this role.
Beth Deville – Ashley Benson: Although she’s the prime motivation for Yorick in this epic story, as a character she doesn’t have that much screen time. I think Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars) could fill out the part, although I’d perhaps increase her character’s role in the television series somehow.
Alter Tse’elon – Emmy Rosum: A take-charge Israeli Mossad agent, I’d give the relatively soft romantic actress Emmy Rosum a chance to bulk up and display some of those acting chops with this role. It’d be a stretch, but I think she’s got something under the surface just waiting for a role like this to break out with.
Hero Brown – Shannon Woodward: Shannon Woodward really impressed with her work on the FX series The Riches, and this could be a great chance for her to take on a more adult role as Yorick’s sister Hero. She can really deliver when it comes to nuanced performances and taking charge, so this one would be a piece of cake for Woodward.
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yes to all!
Forgot about Ampersand. Hopefully Crystal the Monkey is available and up for a long-term role.
Annie’s Boobs? yes please. 😛
Justin Long would make a good Yorick.
I’ve thought the same thing for years. Glad to yo see I’m not alone.
When people were floating the idea of LeBeouf I just couldn’t see it. Completely the wrong approch. Long could really give Yorick’s character layers. I’d take a character actor over a celebrity any day.
I completely disagree. Justin Long would do the opposite of giving Yorick’s character layers. He’s hardly a character actor. He’s almost exactly the same in every movie he’s in, and all he does is raise his eyebrow and look confused every 10 seconds. It’s the same face and tone of voice. I think if this were to be a show, they should find someone new that people won’t recognize. This would make for a much more believable Yorick. I’ve always liked Yorick’s character so much because he is just a regular guy. Justin Long would just come off as annoying in my opinion.
Justin Long would have been a contender in 2005/2006, but right now he’s too old to play the Yorick part.
@Chris: not towards the end of the run. His proberly the same age Yorrick ends up at the end of the series, not including the epilogue
I will see anything Poitier is in so I’m completely in favor of all of this
Huffman seems a little too young and pretty to be Yorick, though the faces match the more I look at it. LOVE Shannon Woodword from The Riches too and would love to see her in that role.
I think Emmy Rossum’s proven her stuff on Shameless to the point she’s a bit unlikely for such a non-leading part like this one.
I always envisioned Jennifer Brown being played by Jessica Walter (Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development)
That who I always pictured when I was reading it too.
Perfect casting, and with Hollywood’s recent big push for women empowerment now would be the perfect time! Come on HBO!!
I like most of the casting decisions but could not disagree more strongly about Huffman. I thought he was awful in V. Justin Long is an infinitely more interesting actor.
Love Y but with the cast you picked, I really don’t think anyone under the age of 20 would see it. You need a big name star to hook the masses.
I disagree. Who was the big name star on The Walking Dead or Lost? I think television can sell on just an intriguing enough premise without a big star far easier than film can.
Not really familier with any of these actors, accept Poitier from Grindhouse, so I couldn’t say.
All of these casting things seem to simply cast people based on how accurately they resemble the characters from the comic. I guess I do not understand casting so many beautiful people either. The casting should be based solely on acting chops. I have never seen any of these actors in anything, but I do not think this Huffman kid is capable of starring as Yorick when his most high profile work was a shitty V remake.
It’s like you said, casting should be based on acting chops. An actor shouldn’t be judged solely by a crappy project/projects that they’ve been associated with.
This feature always reminds me how little I know about current pop culture. Usually I’ve never heard of most (or any) of the actors mentioned. I think Sydney Poitier would make a great Agent 355, although I’ve never seen anything where she plays an action role or a physically intimidating character. She’s a good enough actress that I think she could pull it off.
the V kid is a terrible actor
Ampersand would of course be played by Andy Serkis.
All of these people are completely medicore actors with great looks. Prefect for TV
I say that Tosh.0 guy for Yorick.
Nice! I made this fan poster to a movie
http://m1nutemen.deviantart.com/art/Y-The-Last-Man-Teaser-Poster-171527532