Michael Clarke Duncan is The Kingpin (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought the Kingpin was supposed to be white? Still, Duncan's of the right general build (not as fat as the comic character, but still quite imposing) and he blew me away in the Green Mile.
EDIT: Whoops, I see this has already been covered.:b

 

[JonZ]

I was gonna mention Brando too
I dont have a problem with Duncun as Kingpin.I think he'll do fine in the role.
And I agree about Michael Keaton. I NEVER liked that choice. (In comic guy from the Simpson voice)The worst casting ever!

 

[Norm]

I'm Pissed! I hate anytime they change Comics in movies! If They are going disreguard Comic Book history, then change the name of the Character, Movie etc.!

 

[Seth Paxton]

But again, if THEY don't play on any racial issues that weren't a part of Daredevil then what else matters with MCD being Kingpin? He looks MORE like Kingpin that Brando at this point.

In fact if MCD was white he be damn near the spitting image of him.

Not much different than Ken's point about Ben's dark hair.

If PJ didn't "ruin" FOTR with his changes by capturing the correct SPIRIT of the story, then I think Daredevil should be just fine too if it keeps the spirit.

I agree that Affleck's persona is much more of a risk than MCD. Matt Damon does have the demeanor of Murdock more I think.

Anyway, Affleck is now getting his chances with this and Jack Ryan. Either he will cut it and rise to greatness, or he will end up looking foolish. At least he will get the chance to prove himself with good characters.

 

[Tom Ryan]

I don't particularly have a problem with this casting, but I wonder......what would people think if a white man had been cast in the latest Shaft movie?

-Tom

 

[MickeS]

Tom, Shaft is a character for whom race/ethnicity/skin color (whatever you want to call it) is a major part of the personality. In the case of Kingpin, that is not really the case (at least I never saw it that way).

/Mike

 

[Seth Paxton]

Exactly, Mike.

In fact, if there is one thing that TV/Film should overcome is the idea that every BLACK role be about black issues rather than just be about a person. This is so rare that it's difficult to think of "black" roles that a white person could play due explicitly to the fact that the role is based in racial issues.

MCD as Kingpin will hopefully be one of a few roles out there where the fact that the character is black has NOTHING TO DO with his motives or conflicts. That's the step that needs to be taken for true equality in films/tv to me and would be a great step for black filmmakers/actors/etc.

I say more black actors/actresses in roles NOT SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED for a black actor. Remove the typecasting and expand the opportunities.

One actor with a couple of roles like that already is the fantastic Don Cheadle - I think his Boogie Nights, Traffic, and Ocean's 11 characters could all easily have been white. The non-issue of it allows the actor to come out more I think

 

[Norm]

Did any see, the Cuba Gooding Jr. interview on Extra, he was a little pissed he didn't get to play Daredevil. He says he didn't get a fair shot at the role. They would never do a Black Panther or Powerman(LukeCage) movie with a white guy!

 

[Rex Bachmann]

They would never do a Black Panther or Powerman(LukeCage) movie with a white guy!

But of course, they would also "never" do a Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow, among others), Charlie Chan (Warner Oland, among others), or a Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre, among others) with a white guy, now would they?

 

[Norm]

I'm talking 2002 not 1930!

 

[Rex Bachmann]

I'm talking 2002 not 1930!

You said "never" ( = 'at no time past, present, or future').
Flash Gordon was released (1980), a MODERN-era movie, (supposedly) with modern-era sensibilities.
As the "fanboy" complaints about the race of characters from COMIC BOOOKS, for heaven's sake, or of the so-called "cultural conservatives" in certain other arenas, show, not that much has changed. The outrage is always one-sided and hypocritical.
Did I forget to mention a few other well-known names (NOT 1930's): Burt Lancaster as Massai (19*5*4), Jeff Chandler as Cochise (1950, '52, '54), Chuck Connors as Geronimo (19*6*2)?
Are you equally as outraged at the thought of white men playing historical non-white characters?
I doubt it.

 

[Norm]

I like my Comic book history the way it is, not the way you want to change it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Are you equally as outraged at the thought of white men playing historical non-white characters?

I doubt it.

Please, let's not get so presumptuous regarding another's thoughts since we don't know each other well enough to make such an accurate assumption.

Crawdaddy

 

[Rex Bachmann]

I like my Comic book history the way it is, not the way you want to change it.

I really COULDN'T CARE LESS about ANY comic-book adaptation, or who plays the roles. I just don't like the hypocrisy and the wild lack of perspective that's on view from the "need-to-get-a-life" crowd.
Comic books do not, in general, adapt well to the screen format. It's an ultra-fantastic two-dimensional static medium versus a dynamic one that strives to concretize and "literalize" the utterly fantastic. In one you can readily suspend disbelief. In the other, the very striving for the concretization and the technical proficiency of today's special effects almost UTTERLY DEFEAT the goal of credibility.

 

[Norm]

I have been collecting Comic Books since 1974 and I like the Comic Book History the way it is!

 

[JonZ]

White guys have played asians,Charlton Heston played a Mexican,Will Smith played a character that was white in the TV show version. Who cares as long as they get the part down.

Any one else notice the changes in Harvey Dent/Twoface and Lex Luthor in the animated versions of Batman and Superman?

 

[Rob T]

I kinda think MCD is a bad choice. The Kingpin is white, fat and tall. MCD is tall, but he is not white or fat. H's black and mussular. Brando, however, is not the choice either. sure he's fat, white and fairly tall, but he's also old old old! He couldn't kick anybodys ass.
The Kingpin is a combination of MCD and Brando. They should have looked harder for the right person.
Affleck is a big time Daredevil fan and this is like the role of a lifetime for him so I'm sure he'll give it his all. There's been recent reports of a costume fitting for Affleck and the guy that saw the pictures from it said the the costume wasn't anything like the costume from the comics and Affleck was really not very happy to be in it so at least he wants to really try and get this right.
I'm happy with garner as Elektra. I'm sure she'll do great.
Artie Lang for Foggy Nelson!

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

If I were designing the costume for a live action film, I would try to keep the cowl & horns pretty much as is and go with more of a red ninja kind of thing for the rest of it. I don't have a lot of confidence that the spandex look from the comics will work, but then again, the Spiderman clips I have seen seem OK with a close approximation of the comic outfit, so maybe I'm making much ado about nothing. No more fetishistic latex & leather on our superheroes, though, thank you very much.
Regards,

 

[Seth Paxton]

The only reason Cuba shouldn't be considered is because of SNOW DOGS.
"Dude, look at your resume. What happened? I'm sorry...next!"
The thing is Daredevil is 3 things to me: blind, a lawyer, and a super-athletic superhero.
If you get that right then I'm happy with it. If anything I think Cuba would be too short and maybe a bit too stocky looking. Murdock was always tall and lean. But again that's just appearences.
I don't have a problem with someone white being cast to play a white character because they look the part. That's typecasting just like finding someone who FACIALLY looks like the character. I just don't think that should mean that someone black SHOULDN'T have a shot at it.
If they have Cuba in and Ben in and then say, "Your both fine but Ben looks more like the part", then fine. I don't think Cuba has a big complaint here. Just like the Hughes Brothers aren't beating down white actors doors to star in "hood" pictures, even though lots of white people live in very poor areas.
To me MCD looks like the Kingpin (who was NOT fat, but rather a physically imposing bad-ass who could handle is own) more than anyone else. To me the only thing wrong is the skin-color. I'd rather have a big, imposing black guy, than a scawny white guy in a muscle suit or something.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

White guys have played asians,Charlton Heston played a Mexican,Will Smith played a character that was white in the TV show version. Who cares as long as they get the part down.

Apparently at least one person in this thread.
By the way, Will Smith's participation in Wild, Wild West was a BIG mistake on more than one level. Oh, those dollar signs!