Cast Party: Who Should Star in a ‘Zodiac Starforce’ Movie?
Welcome to Cast Party, the feature that imagines a world with even more live action comic book adaptations than we currently have, and comes up with arguably the best casting suggestions you’re ever going to find for the movies and shows we wish could exist.
This week I'm looking at one of my favorite comics of the last year, Zodiac Starforce, which was written by Kevin Panetta with art by Paulina Ganucheau.
Zodiac Starforce is an all-new addition to the Magical Girl genre, focused on four high school friends who are empowered by a cosmic goddess to fight monsters from a dark dimension. There's Emma, Kim, Molly, and Savanna, AKA Gemini, Taurus, Aries, and Pisces respectively. The story picks up after they've been out of the game (and not hanging out together much) for a while, but then the monsters start returning, and one of them infects Emma with a darkness for which there may be no cure. Meanwhile Savanna is becoming close to a girl whose best friend has turned against her in what at first seems like normal high school drama, but turns out to be connected to the larger more cosmic conflict.
This series would make a perfect movie because it's a contained story (although there's plenty of room for sequels). It would also be an ideal superhero story to market to teen girls. I realize in the real world nobody's actually looking to do that, but it might be a smart idea to try considering the success of properties like Twilight and The Hunger Games. Girls need heroes too, and I think if you offer them a super-team that looks like them (as opposed to the one-girl-per-team model that's so common elsewhere), they'll show up for that.
Zendaya as Emma/Gemini
Panetta & Ganucheau/DisneyPanetta & Ganucheau/Disney Zendaya's already a star, especially to the young girls who will be the primary audience for this movie. She's also radically changed her hair enough times already that Emma's platinum and Gemini's bright pink will seem right at home on her head.
Shannon Purser as Kim/Taurus
Panetta & Ganucheau/NetflixPanetta & Ganucheau/Netflix Everyone loves Barb from Stranger Things, and it would be great to see her in a more heroic role. Just give Purser a punk rock makeover and she'll be an absolutely perfect Kim.
Awkwafina as Molly/Aries
Panetta & Ganucheau/UniversalPanetta & Ganucheau/Universal Rapper turned actress Awkwafina has exactly that mix of charm and aggressiveness that defines Kim.
Stefanie Scott as Savanna/Pisces
Panetta & Ganucheau/UniversalPanetta & Ganucheau/Universal Scott has the same delicate build and features as Savanna, and casting her in this part will make a lot of Haley Kiyoko fans happy.
Amandla Stenberg as Lily
Panetta & Ganucheau/UniversalPanetta & Ganucheau/Universal Stenberg will be great opposite Scott in the story's central romance, and they'll shine even more (in more ways than one) by the movie's end.
Forrest Goodluck as Josh
Panetta & Ganucheau/RegencyPanetta & Ganucheau/Regency Josh is Kim's boyfriend and seems like a pretty solid dude. Goodweather's a promising actor and seems pretty solid himself.
Kendall Jenner as Diana
Panetta & Ganucheau/E!Panetta & Ganucheau/E! I don't mean to disrespect Jenner by casting her as the most evil of mean girls. But you have to admit she'd be really good at it.
Blake Jenner as Darren
Panetta & Ganucheau/ParamountPanetta & Ganucheau/Paramount Darren's Savanna's ex, and a real jerk even before he gets infected by Diana's evil. Blake Jenner (no relation to Kendall) has just the sort of grin a guy like this needs.
Chloe Grace Moretz as Alice
Panetta & Ganucheau/MGMPanetta & Ganucheau/MGM If you saw Moretz as Carrie, you know she can be scary, and if you remember her turn on 30 Rock, you know she can play evil. She'll be a scene-stealer in the small role of Lily's ex-friend (or more?) who gets seduced by Diana's evil.
Janelle Monae as Astra
Panetta & Ganucheau/BETPanetta & Ganucheau/BET Who better to play a goddess than actual goddess Janelle Monáe? Her ethereal presence will bring something special to the role of the cosmic being behind Zodiac Starforce.
Lorde as Cimmeria
Panetta & Ganucheau/NBCPanetta & Ganucheau/NBC Once I cast a pop star as Astra, I figured her opposite number should be one too. So I asked myself, who's the dark, spooky opposite of Janelle Monáe? And that led me to Lorde.
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