Pajiba

A) I'm really mad that Baz didn't read my mind and go with my casting which was:
Gosling-Gastby
JGL-Nick
Carey-Daisy (yay!)
and Tom Hardy-Nick

B) I want Leguizamo for Meyer Wolfsheim.

C) I've said this before but. . .is Kylie Minogue too old to play the green light at the end of Daisy's dock?

D) The Redford version is really really really good. I just rewatched. Solid work from Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway, Bruce Dern as Tom Buchanan and, particularly, Scott Wilson as George Wilson (a character I never really cottoned to in the book but found extremely absorbing in this version). Mia Farrow was a little more histrionic than I would have liked. . .but that's Farrow.

E) I think Leo is a great actor but I think he is too old, puffy, and haggard-looking to play the ever cool, suave Gatsby. Aren't he and Daisy supposed to be relatively the same age?

Here's the problem with adapting The Great Gatsby: it is a long book with a whole lot happening even when it looks like nothing is happening. There is (was? it may have closed already) an Off-Broadway production running for a while where they literally acted out the entire novel, verbatim; it's 8 hours of live theater with no break. That's a whole lot of stuff to trim down for a film. I think Luhrmann is an ideal choice for capturing the beauty of the settings and the glamor of the period, but his self-editing skills are almost as suspect as Julie Taymor. He's like a kid in a candy store, and the results--even within a film--are decidedly mixed. For every gorgeous scene of explosive cabaret, there's a tiny little green fairy popping out of a bottle of Absinthe, if you catch my drift.

coveredinbees makes excellent points and Ryan Gosling is amazing, but if you have to have Leo, couldn't they use Paltrow? She's perfect for the part. I mean, come on, she was born to play either Daisy Buchanan or Tracy Lord. Since I haven't completed my rewrite, I think Paltrow should be attached to this. I am open to suggestions for Dexter and Mike.

Oh, C.K. DEXTER HAAAAAVEN!!! (Marry me, Mrs. Julien)

Kittredge is no great tower of strength Tracy. He's just a tower.

I don't think we need to worry too much about speaking the unspoken; film is a visual medium and with good quality actors you don't need words because they have FACES! Is there any way we can get Anthony Hopkins to play all of the parts? He can use one upper/lower eyelid each for Tom, Nick, Daisy and Gatsby and still have enough talent left over to do the supporting cast with his eyebrows.

That last part didn't come out right, but I'm too tired to edit and too lazy to delete.

Michelle Williams would make a good woman-who-sleeps-with-Nick-Carraway.

George Clooney should be Dexter.

I for one am really excited about a remake of The Great Gatsby. The original is pretty stuffy and boring with the exception of the perfect Robert Redford. Other than him there's nothing really worth salvaging from the original making it a perfect candidate for remake in my book.

Second, I'm really excited about re-teaming Leonardo DiCaprio and Baz Luhrmann- leading me to wonder if this is going to be a modern re-envisioned version of Gatsby like his take on Romeo and Juliet. Either way I think it's going to be stunning.

Finally, I completely swooned yesterday when I found out that Carey Mulligan was going to be Daisy. The idea of Blake Lively in this part left such a bad taste in my mouth. I am a bit worried about the age difference between her and Leo given the story, but pairing them together fits the characters perfectly in my mind and they are both strong enough actors to pull this off.

Clooney is too old now and I think Gyllenhaal (I REFUSE to look up the spelling, so if it is right I have just used up my Christmas miracle) is still to young. Matt Damon would be a good Mike. I am going to be thinking about this all day.

Mike has to have some more gangle to him. How about JGL for THAT? Or is he too young? And I agree with three-nineteen, Cloons is the only one I can think of with the charisma to match Cary Grant. We are talking about THAT version, aren't we? Or are you thinking about the original play version? I'm not so much into High Society.

Jinx!

FUCK High Society!

re: Mike has to have some more gangle to him.

It's early yet, but I suspect that will be my favourite sentence of the day. It reminds of of Wodehouse, "he was tall and he gangled".

Matt Damon is to old too.

Oh, OH, OH JON HAMM SHOULD BE DEXTER! I'd be his redhead any day.

If Paltrow is your Tracy, Damon is not too old to play Mike. Paltrow and Damon are only two years apart, 38 and 40. And that's why Clooney is not too old to play Dexter - he's about 10 years older than Paltrow.

I find RR smarmy.

That's right, I said it. Ryan Reynolds is SMARMY.

Clooney is too damn old. He's ...checking...

Daddy Long Legs. Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisgusting. Fred Astaire (love him) can't pull that sh*t off. Cary Grant in Father Goose, however. Well if I were Leslie Caron, I'd totes hit that.

I like Mulligan, but I think it was a little uninspired to cast the actress who most looks like a young Mia Farrow. I actually think Rebecca Hall would have been a more interesting (and less obvious) choice. But Luhrmann is nothing if not obvious.

I also agree that Gosling and JGL would be amazing -- and age-approproate -- choices.

But I don't really care because I also agree that Lurhmann will shit all over this book. And not in a good way.

jimbob, my friend pointed out that this casting opportunity was the reason several young hollywood maidies were getting pixie cuts. And I actually would LOVE Rebeccca Hall for Jordan Baker.

The real casting conundrum for my right now is Myrtle Wilson. They need someone blowsy but young. . .that's not an easy order to fill.

I AM a melodramatic female English Major hipster, how did you know, darling?

Um, last I checked, DiCaprio is actually younger than Redford was when he played the part. So hate on him for being too puffy, but not too old.

Hmm, Mulligan's okay, but uninspiring. Why the need for another Gatsby movie, I don't know...

It's been three or so years since I last read it in HS, but I've mentioned on Pajiba who I imagined for the roles before: a lanky Ryan Gosling for Nick, some Naomi Watts/Amanda Seyfried hybrid for Daisy, a suave Cary Grant/Jon Hamm/Kevin Spacey hybrid for Gatsby (Gatsby comes from an underprivileged background, so I always felt Redford was too classic-looking...Leo's just too boyish), a Brando type for Tom (someone mentioned Tom Hardy), an athletic, proud, Hepburn-type like Keira Knightley for Jordan Baker (I don't remember much about Jordan), and a curvy, exotic type for Myrtle.

TylerDFC I'm with you 100% that said I love Luhrmann like nobody's business, my all movie obsession?? all his fault with Romeo and Juliet but like someone said early one The great Gatsby is subtle and in my dieing love for Baz I can still admit that subtle he is not, so I dont know I will pull this off but let's have faith though third point in this infinite rant Gatsby and Daisy were sweethearts which means that even they are not exactly the same age the pretty much are. how apart are dicaprio and mulligan? like almost 15 years? good luck with that...

I like them casting Ben Affleck as Tom Buchanan. Affleck gives good douchebag.

Are we sure the Apocalypse isn't upon us?

A remake of a classic book(and movie) into something more modern?

I am shuddering right now, (not because of the cold).

I wonder what Fitzgerald is thinking? Oh....I know, "Crazy Americans....I thought I was safe."