Fan casting is one of the best hobbies in nerd culture. Fans across the internet flood chat rooms with predictions and photoshopped images for their favorite actors to play their favorite characters. Debates over which actor should get which role are no doubt twice as intense when fans are arguing than any casting session ever has been.
Usually, these fan castings are nothing more than fun fantasies. Rarely do studios ever listen to what fans want in regards to picking the best actor. When they do, however, it’s a very special thing. Fans feel like they’ve become part of the process somehow.
For decades, fan casters have accurately predicted some of the best casting decisions across the tv landscape. From superheroes, to fantasy book scene stealers, these characters have been made all the better by their connection to the fans that wanted them paired with the perfect actor. Every day, thousands of more predictions are made. While still unlikely, there’s a rush for each fan who may very well put the perfect idea into a casting director’s head and change their favorite fandom forever.
Here are 10 TV Fan Castings That Actually Came True (And 10 That Still Should).
Did - Ruby Rose As Batwoman
The most recent win for the fan casters of the world is Ruby Rose’s ascension to the CW’s Batwoman. The Orange Is The New Black actress has been quite the sensation ever since she appeared in her “Break Free” video. Since then, she’s had memorable roles in movies like John Wick: Chapter 2, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, and The Meg.
Despite sharing the big screen with actors like Keanu Reeves and Vin Diesel, it has never really felt like Rose has found the right role to match her talent. That’s almost certainly going to change when she dons the cape and cowl in her own superhero series.
Should - David Boreanaz As Batman
Since Batwoman’s tv series is inevitable now, it only stands to reason that Batman could make an appearance. If so, there’s no one better than the network’s original brooding superhero, Angel’s David Boreanaz. The actor has had a lot of success since Angel was canceled. He’s starred in Bones and more recently in SEAL Team. He may not have the time to commit to a major supporting actor role, but a chance to play the bat may be temptation enough.
If Batwoman, ends up passing on the Caped Crusader, there’s another tv show with a Batman-shaped hole. Titans can barely go an episode without at least an oblique reference to the character. The Batman portrayed in that series seems to be a bit more hardcore than earlier appearances. A chance to play a meatier dramatic role could tempt him to put on the cowl.
Did - Jeffrey Dean Morgan As Negan
The Walking Dead quickly became AMC’s most successful tv series within a year of its first episode. The adaptation of the popular comic featured many notable portrayals of the series’ characters, but there was one that fans loved to speculate more than any other. The series’ bat-wielding, foul-mouthed bad guy, Negan.
Fans led the charge for several actors to play the character. Some guessed Jon Hamm, others wanted future Thanos actor Josh Brolin. The ones who actually got their wish, however, were the ones rooting for Watchmen and Supernatural actor, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The rest is history.
Should - Eva Green As Female Loki
The first tv series Disney announced for its upcoming streaming service is one featuring one of their most famous supervillains, Loki. This was quite the surprise considering he was murdered hard by Thanos in Infinity War. The series could be a prequel or serve as a Coulson style resurrection of the character. Regardless, they’re going to need a lot of material.
While Loki is most notably played by Tom Hiddleston, the character has been known to go through some pretty massive changes now and again. The most notable alternative version is the character’s brief but memorable stint as a woman. If they choose to explore that direction, there’s no one better to take the reins from Hiddleston than Casino Royale actress Eva Green. She’s made her career off of playing mysterious, dark-haired women with questionable morals. If that doesn’t scream Loki, nothing does.
Did - Sean Bean As Ned Stark
Game Of Thrones is one of those sensations that’s so big that it can be hard to imagine a time without it. While tv audiences have been obsessed with the show for years, fantasy readers have been obsessed with it for decades. That type of obsession is ripe for fan casting.
When the series was announced, there were all sorts of speculations as to who would play the first book’s hero, Eddard Stark. The most popular suggestion was definitely Lord Of The Rings actor Sean Bean. HBO seemed to be listening because they made Boromir himself the leader of their big-budget fantasy series.
Should - Henry Cavill As Young Robert Baratheon
Game of Thrones has a very dense history with a lot of great stories. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to see many of them. Chief among these moments is the famous battle at the Trident where Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar Targaryen.
We’ve been getting more peeks at the past due to Bran’s new superpowers, how awesome would it be to see Henry Cavill as Robert eliminate Rhaegar? If you were going to make a cameo on Game of Thrones, there’s really nothing better than that.
Did - Jon Bernthal As The Punisher
Jon Bernthal’s career has been the ultimate success story from The Walking Dead. Since his brief stint as Shane, he’s worked with Martin Scorsese, Edgar Wright, and a host of movie stars. That’s not to say that he lost sight of his television roots. Bernthal and Netflix made fans’ dreams come true when they announced that he would be appearing as Frank Castle in the second season of Daredevil.
From there, he got his own series. The show will debut its second (and possibly last) season next year. Frank’s ride may get cut short by Netflix’s culling of Marvel properties, but one can’t deny that he embodied the character better than anyone else.
Should - Rami Malek As Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fascinating character that would require an extremely versatile actor to portray him. Some have voted for Mr. Robot and Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek to get to wear the white cape. Aside from his undeniable acting talent and name recognition, he comes from two Egyptian parents.
This would be a great choice for Marvel considering the character’s lore is centered around Egyptian mythology. They could avoid the whole “white Danny Rand lecturing Chinese people about their own culture” thing that made Iron Fist so unbearable.
Did - Ian McShane As Mr. Wednesday
Ever since its release, fans have been itching to cast the characters for a potential movie. Last year, STARZ did one better by making it into a big budget tv series. They also did the fans right with their casting of the book’s most complex character, Mr. Wednesday.
Ian McShane is a very well regarded character actor, most famous for his role in the HBO western Deadwood. While there were a lot of names thrown around for the casting of Mr. Wednesday, his name was always high on the list. McShane is perfect in the role and will probably continue to be when it returns in 2019.
Should - Ian McKellan As Gandalf
YOU SHALL NOT PASS! Admit it, you read that and heard Ian McKellan’s voice. That’s how synonymous J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous wizard is with the Shakespearean actor. So far, McKellan has appeared as Gandalf a staggering six times. There’s also a pretty good chance there will be a seventh.
Did - Tara Strong As Harley Quinn
People who are familiar with Harley Quinn as a comic book character or as Margot Robbie might be surprised to learn that the character started her life as a cartoon. She was introduced in Batman: The Animated Series as the Joker’s henchman and love interest. In those days, she was voiced by all-star voice actress Tara Strong.
Since the classic Bruce Timm days, the actress has voiced the character across movies, video games, and other cartoons. While she’s spent years with the character she originated, none of those roles was live action. That is until Arrow. She made a small but memorable cameo that was supposed to lead to more before Margot Robbie took on the role.
Should - Robert Knepper As The Joker
The Arrowverse seems to love the series Prison Break as they have brought in many actors from the hit series. Stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell have appeared as Captain Cold/Citizen Cold and Heatwave respectively.
It would be natural for the show’s scene-stealing T-Bag, Robert Knepper, to drop in as the clown prince of crime. Knepper is an amazing character actor and would do great things with one of the most famous super villains ever.
Did - Matt Ryan As Constantine
Matt Ryan did an excellent, but ultimately short-lived, performance as John Constantine on the NBC series Constantine. His character arc from that series may be unfinished, but luckily Ryan’s term as the character would not end there.
Fans were outraged over the show’s cancellation and begged for some sort of resurrection. Their cries did not fall on deaf ears. After a ton of negotiations with NBC, the head honchos of the Arrowverse managed to get Matt Ryan’s take on the character for a small guest role on Arrow. What was supposed to be a one-time appearance has since then become a full-time gig on Legends Of Tomorrow.
Should - Tom Welling As Superman
Before Arrow had Oliver Queen skewering the villains of Starling City (Yeah, remember when it was Starling?) Smallville was charting the course for modern small-screen superhero action. The show had a Justice League, Superman, Green Arrow, and pretty much every Superman baddie across its staggering ten-year run. The show undoubtedly is the reason for the Arrowverse’s continued success today. So why not give the series and its fans a little thank you.
Tom Welling portrayed Clark Kent for ten years but Superman for only about ten seconds. The show ended with a brief shot of Welling in the Superman Returns costume but that was it. It would be great to see him in action.
Did - Peter Dinklage As Tyrion Lannister
The character of Tyrion Lannister is one of the most memorable and iconic from the original Game Of Thrones novel. While there were a lot of fan casting suggestions for other members of the cast, only one actor seemed right for Tyrion. That actor was, of course, Peter Dinklage.
Dinklage made a name for himself as a highly versatile Dwarf actor across several tv series and movies. Several of these performances only seemed concerned with his short stature. Many of them, however, showed how amazingly talented the actor was in his own right. It became obvious that as far as casting Tyrion was concerned, fans and executives agreed that Dinklage was the man for the job.
Should - Temuera Morrison As Boba Fett
In case you haven’t heard, Disney is about to change the game with their new Star Wars TV series. The Jon Favreau helmed series is going to revolve around the Mandalorian race from Star Wars lore. While Game Of Thrones actor Pedro Pascal has been cast as the lead, there’s still one Mandalorian that hasn’t been cast. The most famous Mandalorian, Boba Fett.
It’d be great if he made an appearance on the small screen. While it would be easy for them to cast a big name actor for the potential role, it would be great if they stuck with their Jango Fett choice, Temuera Morrison. Seeing as Boba is a clone of his father, it would stand to reason that the same actor would fit the bill.
Did - Peter Capaldi As The Doctor
Doctor Who is probably the most popular fan cast series ever made. Every few years, the lead character is recast and the show is basically rebooted. This leads to a lot of speculation and badly photoshopped pictures of British character actors in bow ties. For several years, whenever there was a conversation about who would make a good Doctor, one name continued to come up, Peter Capaldi.
Capaldi made a name for himself as foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in The Thick Of It. His intensity made him the ideal candidate to play the Doctor. When the time came to cast the twelfth Doctor, Capaldi got his chance. For years, fans got to enjoy Capaldi’s darker take on the character. Jodie Whittaker may be killing it as the character now, but his memorable turn will not be soon forgotten.
Should - Michael Dorn As Worf
CBS made big headlines when they announced that Patrick Stewart would be returning to his role as Captain Jean Luc Picard in a new series based around the Star Trek: The Next Generation character. It stands to reason that he won’t be the only character from the series to make the transition to the new series. If any character deserves a shot at it, it has to be Worf.
One can’t imagine anyone else playing Worf other than Michael Dorn. Most fans weren’t overly pleased with the portrayal of Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery, so it would be quite the win for everyone’s favorite Klingon to come back into the picture.
Did - Idina Menzel As Shelby Corcoran
From the earliest episodes of the series, it became clear that Lea Michele was the breakout star of Glee. When the show returned from season one hiatus, Glee fans were anxious to meet Rachel’s mother. Fans only had one actress in mind for the role, Idina Menzel.
Famous for her role as Elphaba in Wicked, Idina Menzel effortlessly stepped into the musical tv series. She had a memorable role on the series beyond being Rachel’s mother. Shelby went on to date Mr. Schuster briefly before adopting Quinn’s baby.
Should - Jensen Ackles As Green Lantern
The Arrowverse has toyed around with the idea of introducing Hal Jordan into their universe for years. There have been numerous references to Ferris Air and other elements from the Green Lantern mythos. If the universe ever does introduce the character, there’s only one actor who should play him, Jensen Ackles.
Ackles is famous for his role as Dean Winchester in the long-running horror-drama, Supernatural. Aside from that, he also appeared in Smallville as Jason Teague. The Arrowverse loves to cast former CW actors and actors from DC tv shows. Jensen Ackles is both. Once Supernatural finally goes off the air, he’ll need somewhere to go. No better place than the CW’s other juggernaut.
What other TV casting decisions would you like to see? Let us know in the comments!
