Just curious about everyone's thoughts on what adding a big-name star would have done for the numbers

POSTED BY: ErinBC
UPDATED: Monday, October 24, 2005 07:32
VIEWED: 9306
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ERINBC

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:26 PM

No offense to the actor who played 'the operative' because I thought he was great, but would adding a big name star in that role have improved numbers much? And would it have been worth it? For the sake of example, I'll use Denzel Washington. If he had that role, would it have been good because all his fans would have gone, or would it have been bad because it would've turned into a "Denzel Washington movie" and not been a movie in it's own right, and focus would've been shifted to the big name actor and away from the BDH's? Just curious...

BATMARLOWE

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:46 PM

I think a big name star, particularly one as big as Denzel would have been a major distraction. The non-Browncoat audience would have spent their time wondering why Denzel wasn't on screen more.

RPLACKETT

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:53 PM

In addition a big name star would have boosted the budget up, and whilst Mr. Washington could well have pulled it off, other similar threads have sugested a range of, shall we say, more action oriented artists. Having somone less sympathetic and 'reasonable' as the operative would have drastically changed the feel of the movie. Not necessarily worse but different and we can't really know what that'd've been like.

That said having somone like Laurence Fishbourne(sp?) on the posters looking mean probaly wouldn't have hurt at the box office.

EMBERS

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:53 PM

heck, just look at 'Flightplan'...it is doing great box office without good reviews, or very good word of mouth...
it is all Jody,
so I'm figuring if 'Serenity' had had Jody Foster play the Operative, then with GREAT reviews and word of mouth it would have been a total block buster...

but it is water over the bridge..
or under the dam
whatever...

Fact is we've got a great movie, and if it takes some people two years to discover that (when they finally watch the DVD) then that is still okay...

**********************************************
watch the R. Tam Session vids: http://www.hittarivertam.nu/
and buy the 'Serenity' comics published by Dark Horse!

GIANTEVILHEAD

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:22 PM

It would have given Serenity something that's easy to market. The name of the movie is not very marketable and the premise of the movie is very hard to summarize. The least they could have done with a big star is say "Serenity, starring Denzel Washington or Tom Cruise or Russell Crowe!"

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

DREAMTROVE

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:56 PM

NOOOO!!!!!!

Big names stars are a deathknell to everything we love in fringe genre fiction.

Does anyone remember whoopi on STNG? It's a proven formula for disaster. It would destroy the illusion for me to see an eminently recognizable Denzel, no offense Mr. Hobbs, in that role. I would see Denzel Washington, and suddenly my mind would be dragged back to a hollywood studio, and not on some alien planet. Actually Denzel might be able to convince me we was not Denzel, but Sean Connnery, no offense mr. bond, would not. Most big name actors, like keanu reeves, no offense neo, glare whereever they are.

These sorts of films and shows are a perfect place to showcase new talent. Big talents glares, they make everyone else automatically of subserviant importance, and just generally screw things up.

All that being said, it would have been much less of a distraction as the operative, than say, a member of the cast. I find ben and claudia, as much as I love them, a horrible glaring distraction on SG-1.

Essentially, this would have been a media whore thing to do, and Joss isn't a media whore. Yet. I'd like to enjoy this stuff as long as that remains true.

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:00 AM

A big-name star in Serenity would be like putting ketchup on filet mignon.

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:00 AM

...but maybe....

Jessica Simpson as Mister Universe's wife :)

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

SIMONWHO

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:05 AM

It would have made for a worse movie but better box office. However someone like Denzel would have required the box office to have been about $40m better.

I think it would have done that, largely because then the marketing people would have campaigned on the strength of his name, not the "based on that TV show you never saw" strategy that, it is fair to say, drove the mass market away.

BROWNCOATFAN1

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:10 AM

i totally agree. it would be very distracting

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