The A-Team

Hey folks now that Transformers has come out and has become a gigantic hit some of us at the Bucket were wondering about other popular 80's shows and when they are gonna get their due. Hasbro, and I think Paramount, is gearing up for a GI Joe movie very soon. I keep hearing about a Magnum P.I. movie, but there is one show when I was a kid that always stood out for me, the A-Team. You have that great opening before the credits:

Ten years ago / In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team.

Then the awesome score kicks in and you're hooked. Now there have been rumors for years about an A-Team movie so I thought that I would take a crack at choosing the ultimate cast for a new movie. Hopefully if they ever do an A-Team movie they'll keep the general premise make it a PG-13 film and allow the guys, when they fire their weapons, to actually hit the people they are shooting at not just trucks and oil canisters etc. etc.

Col. John "Hannibal" SmithOriginally played by George Peppard, Hannibal is the leader of the A-Team so he has to be bad ass and he has to have a sense of humor, but most importantly he has to be cool under pressure. There are a few older gentlemen that could pull this off very well. George Clooney would obviously be a great candidate and I think Harrison Ford could be fun in this role. Maybe Mel Gibson but with all of his crap he'd have better luck trying out for Murdock. The one I'm going with in this case has gotta be Bruce Willis. Bruce can still bust ass and he does it in a cool slick style. If you'll remember from his Die Hard days he could be pretty funny too.

Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck

The Faceman, played by Dirk Benedict, played a smart ass con-man who, when he wasn't in some kind of Mission Impossible like disguise, was cruising for primo tail. This is the guy on the show that got all of the ladies, and what kind of female could resist the man, the fucking original, Starbuck of Battlestar Galactica, that's right no one. This one for me was easy. Sure you got your Ashton Kutcher, Leo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt. I'm not saying Faceman shouldn't be a pretty face but in my mind you want a smart ass with style. That's why my money is on Ryan Reynolds. This guy can obviously get any girl he wants and he's funny as shit. Not to mention he's got the wit and humor of Bill Murray. Check out Van Wilder, Just Friends and my friend Cody Dee says that he is hilarious in the film Waiting.



SGT. Bosco Albert "B.A." BaracusB.A. in my mind does not exist unless it is Mr. T, and seeing that Mr. T still looks and acts the same I'd say why not. He's the original "Bad Attitude."Although if you were not inclined to use the gruff talking bad ass I think actors like Ving Rhames and Michael Clarke Duncan obviously could pull off a likeness of Mr. T but it would only become a caricature. I think the Producer's of this film should be bold go with a wild card and that's why I think it should be The Rock. AKA Dwayne Johnson, he is a great action stud and it pains me that they can't find another great action vehicle for this guy to be in. If you've seen the Rundown then you know what I mean. He can obviously kick ass but I think he'd bring something a little different to the character and of course I think he could fill a few seats in theatre. He's smart and he can be funny and he could pull of lines like "I pity the fool" and "You goin' down sucka'!"

Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" MurdockDwight Schultz played the epitome of lunacy in the show and he did it so well that it'll be tough to fill those crazy shoes. There was a controversial suggestions my good friend Cody Dee Williams suggested, the manic Jack Black, and while I thought Jack Black would be great for the nutso scenes, I don't know if I would buy him as an ex-military pilot. The guy is a little out of shape. If he lost some pounds looked a little leaner I'd say maybe. Also Murdock just works better as a rail thin guy. My other friend Ori suggested Sam Rockwell and I gotta say that was an inspired choice. If you've seen Confessions of a Dangerous Mind or when he really flips out in The Green Mile and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you can see why he would be a perfect choice as the crazy pilot we all know and love.Now for the supporting characters you have to have a beautiful woman who starts out as a reporter, decides that the guys are really aces and she joins up with them. The show has had numerous hotties including, near the end, a very young Tia Carrere (Wayne's World). Now when I say young and hot it doesn't mean dumb and vapid. Don't just run to Jessica Simpson or Paris Hilton or some crap like that. You should go middle of the road and pick up Jessica Biel she can hook up with Faceman throughout the film or something. Plus Jessica Biel is smoking hot and she can act--at least better than friggin Jessica Simpson.You obviously have to have the victim and the villain but you also have to have a Colonel or a General that is trying to track the team down. Over the course of the show you had six Generals, Colonels and Captains trying to track the boys down. So you have to get somebody who won't overshadow the A-Team but still has a commanding presence. There are two that come to mind that would be perfect in this role and give the character some real heart and soul. David Morse and Will Patton. Both can handle a big budget film and still retain a little character development. Plus usually these General's or Colonels are always mis-understood or have the wrong impression of the A-Team.

















The last and most vital part of the casting is the head villain. Of Course The A-Team is hired to kick someone's ass for some poor helpless private citizen that just couldn't find the balls to do it themselves. For some reason when I try to recall the villains they were always in Mexico or some impoverished town in Texas where they have to fight some local gangs or something. Of course they would find themselves trapped in some kind of warehouse or barn and the Team would have to whip up a tank or something using pliers and a blowtorch to defeat the evil gang and restore order in the land. So would it be politically incorrect to suggest Luis Guzman as the heavy? He's played in serious roles before although he is usually comic relief but I think he could surprise some people here. Maybe we should have a second one--oooh, I know Luis Guzman will be the baddie sidekick and Alfred Molina will be the heavy. Yes that's it.




















I love it when a plan comes together.