Gearing up for The Avengers feature film set now to debut in 2012 I run down my choices for the cast and the characters I would like to appear.

Screen writer Zak Penn has stated that the script was loosely based of the events of The Ultimates which, in my opinion, can only be a good thing. As I stated in my Justice League Film post, I feel that the first Avengers movie should be about The Avengers, and, that being the case, i would hope to see a largely faceless villain like the Skrull/Chitauri seen in volume one of The Ultimates. In truth, I'd really like to see The Ultimates Vol 1 in its entirety on the screen from the battle with The Hulk to Giant Man vs Cap to The Ultimates vs The Chitauri.

I have seen that Don Cheadle appears in the cast list as War Machine and, while I look forward to seeing the character in action in any future Iron Man movies and enjoy Mr Cheadle as a actor, I do not think that War Machine belongs in an Avengers movie. This being the case, I would hope that he might only appear in cameo, perhaps as back-up in the climatic battle.

Given that I wish the movie to be based on The Ultimates in should come as no surprise that I would have Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and the Black Widow appear as secondary characters as members of a Fury run Shadow Avengers. War Machine could even find a home amongst this group.

SHADOW AVENGERS

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury












Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow










The actors shown above have been confirmed as being cast in these parts.

Scott Foley as Hawkeye










Foley impresses each week on CBS series The Unit as family man and (super) soldier Bob Brown. If the film were to follow the plot of The Ultimates I cannot imagine another actor filling the shoes of enhanced (this Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk) sharpshooter Clint Barton.

Zooey Deschanel as The Scarlet Witch










I always imagined Wanda being kind of spacey, as if she were always coming out of a day dream. Zooey Deschanel first struck me as being a good choice for Wanda while playing the unbalanced Kat on Showtime's Weeds.

Now I know what you're thinking: Where's Quicksilver? This would be a personal recommendation of mine in that I do believe he should appear in an Avengers movie. He is a great character but ultimately I believe that he fits in more with the X-Men universe than the Avengers universe. This of course would mean that Wanda would not be Magnetos daughter, or for that matter, a mutant at all. Scarlet Witch is a key character in the Avengers history and I do not believe should could be excluded, Quicksilver however, I do not think. would be missed.

Still reading? Good. Here are my choices for The Avengers and why:-

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man












Edward Norton as The Hulk










The above actors have been cast in these roles.

Aaron Eckhart as Captain America










Pitt's too pretty, Damon's too fresh faced, at one time I would have liked to have seen Thomas Jane in this role, but after seeing Eckhart's performances in The Dark Knight (2008), The Black Dahlia (2006) and The Pledge (2001) I believe has the right mix of toughness and gravitas to be a believable leader for the Avengers.

Alexander Skarsgård as Thor










Unbeknownst to me when I started writing this post the young True Blood actor and son of veteran actor Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting) is already rumoured to be in the running for the part of the Norse God as per the Thor movies IMDB page. The casting call for Thor reads: Producers are looking for a "physically powerful, very handsome, occasionally egotistical, petulant, and wild" male lead in his mid-to-late twenties and standing six feet or taller in height. Not only is the naturally blonde actor 6'4" and well built (though he may need a little more bulking up) he is also a fine actor as can be seen in the aforementioned True Blood and excellent HBO mini-series Generation Kill. And I haven't even mentioned his Nordic blood yet. The phrase "born to play" springs to mind.

Patrick Wilson as Giant Man










My initial choice was Greg Kinner though I though he may be a better fit for an older Hank Pym rather than the disheveled cutting edge scientist that appeared in The Ultimates. Wilson was great in Watchman but it was his roles in Little Children (2006) and Lakeview Terrace (2008) that made me think he could play the part of the manic depressive and socially awkward scientist who becomes Giant Man.

Natalie Portman as The Wasp










Christina Ricci would also be good in this role though I do not feel she would fit well with Patrick Wilson and she may just be a little too quirky to play the level headed clothes horse Janet Van Dyne. Portman has proven time and time again that she has the acting chops and I believe she would give the character suitable depth, especially should the movie include scenes that would show the Hank Pym's abusive nature.

So there you have it: The Avengers as I would like to see it.

Sequels could introduce new characters such as She-Hulk and The Vision or feature more established villains such as Loki, Hydra, or possibly Ultron. Though I confess I may find the robots a little hard to accept I do think that She-Hulk might be a good idea if done correctly and can think of no tougher actress than Million Dollar Baby's Hilary Swank.

Hilary Swank as She-Hulk










Swank's Jennifer Walters, rather than be a cousin to Bruce Banner, could be a S.H.I.E.L.D agent who has been selected by Fury to receive the now perfected (apart from the mutation) Hulk/Super Solider formula.

Looking forward to see if any of these predictions come true but, in all honesty, I'm not holding my breath.