Summary
Recently, a live-actionThe Simpsonsconcept trailer gained attention online, and I’m almost completely certain that its Homer Simpson casting is a work of genius. TheAISimpsonstrailer, shared by Multiverse of AI on YouTube has some questionable choices - like Steve Buscemi as Mr Burns, most glaringly - but in Sandler, I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s struck gold.
The question of Disney making a live-actionThe Simpsonsmovie has always hung around in the background, with fans of the long-running sitcom periodically suggesting their casting picks for a remake. The rise of AI has seen more straightforward live-action remake concepts that tend to transform the animated characters into real world approximations.
Casting a live-actionSimpsonsmovie with established actors always proves more difficult, given how familiar everyone is withThe Simpsonscast, and how… odd they look. OneWes Anderson-styleSimpsonspitchdrew viral attention, but it failed to cast the one character inThe Simpsonswho would need to be completely nailed. But I genuinely thinkthis is as close to a breakthrough as a Homer Simpson live-action casting is ever going to get.
The Simpsons Movie 2 Can’t Repeat The Original’s Huge Success
The Simpsons Movie made box office history in 2007, but The Simpsons Movie 2 cannot hope to replicate this impact thanks to numerous major factors.
Adam Sandler’s Live-Action Simpsons Trailer Got 2 Things Right
Live-actionThe Simpsonsconcepts are always subjective, of course, which opens them up to some fairly wild casting choices. Purists will, of course, suggest that Fox’s first family should look the part.The trouble there, though, is that the Simpsons are yellow, four of them have reality and physics-defying hairstyles, and nobody looks like that.
As aSimpsonsfan - not lapsed, not cynical - I’d watch a live-action movie almost as enthusiastically as I’d watch thedevelopment hell-boundThe Simpsons Movie 2. I suspect a lot of fans are in the same position, with the exact same hold-ups: casting would almost have to ignore the original characters for the movie to work. When I watched the Adam Sandler live-actionSimpsonstrailer, I had an epiphany: he’s the perfect answer to doing exactly that.
Way back in 1994,The Flintstoneslive-action movie cast John Goodman, who looked nothing like Fred Flintstone, but got by on his own charm. His Fred became a towering approximation with bulging biceps, and my image of Fred Flintstone changed forever (positively, I must qualify, I actually like that movie). Seeing Sandler Homer inspired the same feelings, becauseyou can actually connect the dots fromSandler’s best moviesto Homer Simpson…
Adam Sandler Has Basically Played Homer Simpson Multiple Times
Putting looks aside for a moment, the ideal candidate for Homer Simpson in live-action would be someone who knows how to play a lovable schlub, who improbably succeeds in almost every endeavor, despite his obvious drawbacks. That’s also the blueprint for almost every single Adam Sandler movie character, handily.
Sandler’s in-movie accolades read like they belong to Homer Simpson: he won a pro golf tour; won a Bourbon Bowl as MVP; he’s played in the NFL; disgraced himself in the NFL; he’s met Satan, angels, and demons; he has amassed incredible cumulative wealth and also maintained an everyman appeal that Hollywood would bottle if it could. Andin almost every movie, he has a stable family (albeit with some dysfunction thrown in), who generally adore him.
In other words, he’s well-versed in playing exactly the kind of man Frank Grimes would despise. I don’t know how we all missed it for so long.Adam Sandler is the perfect actor to play Homer Simpson.
Casting The Simpsons In Live-Action - Which Actors Could Play 17 Main Characters
If The Simpsons made a jump to a live-action movie, these are the actors who could play the iconic series’ main characters.
Seriously, Adam Sandler Is The Perfect Homer Simpson Casting
Simultaneously with those concerns about TV-accurate looks, fan casting choices like Nick Offerman inevitably over-reach on whatThe Simpsonswould be if it were remade. Suggesting Oscar-winners and the highest caliber of available talent would be involved is somewhat laughable, after all. It’s too much of a poisoned chalice. In fact, I’d struggle to name a live-action remake of a beloved cartoon that was actually any good. Okay, maybeScooby-Doocounts.
While he’s made some truly excellent serious movies, likeUncut GemsandPunch-Drunk Love,Sandler is inarguably at his best when he’s playing characters like Happy Gilmore. He can balance physical comedy with hair-trigger, hilarious rage, which Homer is no stranger to, and he’s one of the most likable working actors in Hollywood. I am utterly convinced.
Sandler would also be key to unlocking box office gold. His work has made more than $3 billion at the global box office, and his current Netflix deal basically guarantees a top of the streaming charts position for whatever he makes. Especially when he’s making exactly the kind of goofball, endearing comedies that a live-actionThe Simpsonsmovie should be.
