Dreamcasting # 27: The Malibu Ultraverse

[SSJmole]

I was just joking. I was just seeing if that would get any laughs. Apparently not. I'll change it back to my original castings.

I thought it was funny. I just didn't want to say ":lol: that's funny" or "are you joking" just incase you wern't and it made you feel bad

 

[ourchair]

HARDCASE -Bruce Campbell – The idea of him been a struggling actor who gets powers could be very awesome with Bruce Campbell playing him.

That's um, actually kind of awesome. The Hardcase character was so self-serious --- an amalgam of Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise and Ethan Hawke --- that for him to be a self-deprecating actor who laughs at his own struggles... would be fantastic.

MANTRA – Eliza Dushku[/B] – It's a mn trapped in a woman's body. You need a tough woman for that BUT the character should be attractive. Eliza Dushku is perfect for the part based on the descriptions.

Eliza Dushku is hot. She is unfortunately, not who I see playing a divorced mother of two.

PLUG – Ryan Phillippe – The character seems if he can figure out electronics to use his powers he must be genius. As well as that based on background he needs to be a bit dark. Ryan Phillippe can play both of those and so he is my Plug.

I wouldn't normally agree, but Plug being extremely more self-confident --- as all Philippe characters are --- than his comic book incarnation would be awesome. He should be the smiling poster boy for The Freex, in contrast to saaaay... Anything, the shape-shifting monstrosity who was once the football jock prince.

A worthy effort, Mole.

 

[SSJmole]

A worthy effort, Mole.

Thanks dude

 

[ourchair]

don't worry, langsta, i got you covered:

Hardcase: James Purefoy
Prime: James Purefoy
Mantra: RuPaul (surprised you there, didn't I?)

...o wait, RuPaul is black. damn. o well it stays.


Prototype: James Purefoy
Firearm: James Purefoy
Plug: James McAvoy
Rafferty: James Purefoy
Any other girls in the movie: Mary Elizabeth Winstead



also, I do this in jest, please dont be upset.

What the **** is this?








I hardly ever cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead. And I've probably only cast James McAvoy in one other role other than Luke Skywalker. And people usually get mad at me because I criticize THEM for switching character races.

And seriously, you've been carrying this on for two threads now. Give it a rest, you got your ****ing Ourchair points, now move the **** on.

Don't diss teh Ourchair Points. I only give them to dicks who are FUNNY.

Repeating the same joke gets nobody nothing.

Unless it involves punching a truck.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

I think Ourchair saves me for last so I die of anticipation.

 

[ourchair]

I think Ourchair saves me for last so I die of anticipation.

Chronological order, silly fool!

I'll get to you NEXT before anyone else who posts a cast, since you are right after Mole.

Pssst... George Eads is great.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

I hate you Ourchair

 

[Victor Von Doom]

My cast is virtually done. I'm just searching for pics now.

 

[ourchair]

Because I know you want to hear it sooner than later, I've decided to post comments on your cast first before I get into the plot.

So here you go Houde, my official commentificatoration on your dreamcastifying of the Ultraverse characters.

Kevin Green will be portrayed by Erik Per Sullivan, the lovable younger brother on Malcolm in the Middle. I feel Erik can have the innocence that is Prime's inner being.

When Kevin Transforms, he becomes Prime, who will be played by George Eads. George would need to work on the innocence factor, but has the physique that could pull off a good Prime.

This is a great pairing.

George Eads would make a fantastic Prime in ALL incarnations. He could be the eager boy scout of the earlier stories, the roguish "being an adult means doing anything I want" jackass, and the mature but insecure final Prime of the later stories. So he doesn't just match the physique but the fact that he DOESN'T play too many boy scouts --- which people would expect a good Prime actor to have mastered --- would help ease the transition across future stories.

As for Erik Per Sullivan, I like the fact that he still has this awkward not fully grown up look to him. He's still gawky and not exactly a Chad Michael Murray, which is exactly what Kevin needs to look like --- a credibly awkward looking teen far removed from even the appealing nerdiness of Peter Parker.

Choice, the young Ultra who melts the heart of the veteran Hardcase, will be played by Missy Peregrym who is on the current Reaper show on CW.

I didn't ask anyone to cast Choice, but what the hey. I wasn't sold on this at first read but I think it has potential to work. Choice's character was basically that of a reluctant super-endorser, brainwashed by corporate psychology to sell soda pop and cosmetic products. She spent most of her time in the comics resisting demands to 'come back to the company' which I think works well with Peregrym's characterization of a reluctant gymnast in 2006's Stick It,

Prototype is rarely seen without the uniform, but when he is, it will be the actor Nicholas Gonzalez .that portrays him. Nicholas is known for his work on the OC, and his guest stints on Grey Anatomy and Ugly Betty.

I saw this fella in Showtime's Resurrection Blvd. and I totally approve, seeing as how he played a promising med student who basically down-shifted to become a boxer, which connects well with the slacker Ruiz turning his video-gaming career into corporate superstardom.

Rafferty, a former US Agent, will be represented by, Paul Blackthrone, who plays Harry Dresden on the Dresden Files.

This is absolute ****ing genius. I **** you not.

I don't know if you realized this, but he also played the Big Bad of 24 Season 3 (i refuse to subscribe to the nonsensical "Day 3" naming bollocks). He was a rogue super-agent from British intelligent who became a disgruntled leftover of covert ops. Abso****inglutely perfect for Rafferty.

I can't say I was totally sold with everyone in your cast, but the number of scores you made? I absolutely tip my hat to you, dear sir.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

I didn't know he was on 24, never watch the show myself, but seeing him on Harry Dresden, and how, even though the show itself is horrible, his portrayal of Dresden is top notch, I knew he is a good character actor. And plotwise, it would work well.

Most of my casting was based off of my plot though, so I don't know how I feel that you went to the casting first, before the plot.

 

[ourchair]

I didn't know he was on 24, never watch the show myself, but seeing him on Harry Dresden, and how, even though the show itself is horrible, his portrayal of Dresden is top notch, I knew he is a good character actor. And plotwise, it would work well.

Most of my casting was based off of my plot though, so I don't know how I feel that you went to the casting first, before the plot.

Well, I read the plot before I responded if you must know.

 

[bluebeast]

So how much longer will this round last?

 

[Ultimate Houde]

Well, I read the plot before I responded if you must know.

Then why not respond about the plot as well?

 

[SSJmole]

Then why not respond about the plot as well?

Maybe he didn't as it's Dreamcasting the plot is not important it's the casting

 

[ourchair]

Then why not respond about the plot as well?

Because I have many other things to do.

Cut me some slack, I just finished a gigantic essay about Jericho, made PMs to VVD about his cast, wrote a book review for work and traded on the HSX when I posted my response!

*dead tired*

 

[Ultimate Houde]

Because I have many other things to do.

Cut me some slack, I just finished a gigantic essay about Jericho, made PMs to VVD about his cast, wrote a book review for work and traded on the HSX when I posted my response!

*dead tired*

You make it sound like a chore.

 

[ourchair]

They have one hope.

One hope lies within certain people.

Those people were blessed by The Entity.

The Entity that dwells in within The Ultraverse.

A Sci Fi Miniseries in three parts…
​

Plotline

First off we see a battered Firearm, walking away from a complex as it explodes. He calls, and tells his employers he's done with the business. He is holding a high tech gun in his hand, and walks off, leaving the Walkie in the ground. A darkened figure to the side nods to Firearm, telling him that they wanted him to die along with the Ultras. Behind them, a spot on the moon glows bright, and this triggers the opening credits.

YEARS LATER

Begins with Hardcase and the rest of the Squad, fighting off villains, dastardly villains. One of the Squad notices a bomb in the building, it explodes, and Hardcase is the last one. This is actually a TV program, and Kevin is watching it. He runs outside, and goes to school.

I really like this.

I'm not clear as to whether this is meant to be archival footage of Hardcase's days with the Squad, or Hardcase being in a TV program that fictionalizes his adventures with the Squad (which is kind of perverse and tasteless, but heh heh heh). Either way, it's a fast way of introducing the character while seamlessly cutting to Kevin.

A mercenary is seen, hiding behind a building, watching Kevin go to school. He pulls out a list, and smiles at it. He mentions this one will be easy, and follows Kevin. At school Kevin is going into the bathroom when Firearm pulls him aside. He has a worried look to his face, and keeps telling Kevin he needs to leave with him. He was hired by an outside source to find Kevin, and get him out of the school and to safety. They go down a corridor, when Rafferty, the merc from before, is there, smiling. He pulls out a gun, and Firearm pulls out his pistol, to which they begin to have a gunfight in the hallway. Firearm manages to escape with Kevin through a hole in the school wall, Rafferty being knocked out.

I'm getting this vibe of your Firearm being a little bit like a British Jack Bauer --- all harsh tones and impatient muttering --- and that's not a bad thing.

I like how you introduce Rafferty right off the bat. It's one thing to keep the villain all mysterious or working in the shadows or limited to fringe scenes before he makes his Big Presence-Reeking Full Reveal, but it's a more novel and exciting thing for him to show up and go, "Here I am! What, you expect me to be subtle? I kill super-guys for a living!" Not to mention the fact that this approach plays to the strengths of both Paul Blackthrone --- I swear this actor's name sounds totally made-up --- AND the Rafferty character.

This begins a trek for the first part of the miniseries, where Kevin learns the existence of super powered beings, and where he learns that he is one of them. Firearm explains that Rafferty is hired by an Edwin Mosley, a delusional Ultra who wants to kill all other Ultras on the planet. They will encounter Rafferty one more time, near the end of the mini, where he will be accompanied by Prototype, who is also working for Edwin.

I have this weird visual in my head of this entire part of the story being a road movie chapter --- long stretches of California highway and tacky tourist traps while Firearm tells his nigh-preposterous story. I'll admit I wasn't too hot on Chris Eccleston playing the character, but he totally works for this part of the story, methinks.

As for Prototype, I'm a little uncertain as to how Firearm punks his ***, but I guess we can't expect you to give a perfect blow-by-blow synopsis, eh? Whatever, you keep the ball going and you can fudge the details of what's not really important.

Once they survive this encounter, they meet Firearm's employer, Hardcase. Hardcase explains that after watching his entire team die in a blast years ago, he had saved Firearm from the same fate, and together they have been saving other Ultras from the grasp of Edwin. At the end of this explanation, Kevin realizes he truly wants to be a hero, and transforms, into Prime.

OMG. This is awesome.

At first, I wasn't keen on not seeing Prime in this chapter --- as I tend to view the character as "Underneath this protoplasmic body lies a scared and totally idiotic thirteen year old" and therefore the appeal is to strip him from Prime to Kevin rather than for Kevin to explode into Prime.

But this is great, also because you push Hardcase to the fore by making him less of the anxiety-riddled whiny Tom Cruise he's portrayed as and more of the do-gooder actor stereotype. (I'm thinking George Clooney in a blonde ponytail now).

We also chop out any unnecessary melodramatic mystery about Prime. They know he's a kid and they have to deal with that whether they like it or not. Besides the only time the kid/adult dichotomy really mattered was when Kevin was being molested by pedophiles while hitch-hiking and trying to hit on his high school crush and looking like a perv doing it in his ultra-adult form --- and between here and the last chapter, there's no room for that.

I also hope this ends with everyone saying, "Gross." or at least the line, "Can we all agree that's absolutely disgusting?"

Comments to follow for Part 2 and 3 after I eat dinner. Back in an hour.

 

[ourchair]

lThe second part we are introduced to Edwin Mosley, an angelic like being who believes he is doing good. Prototype, without his armor on, Rafferty and Plug are in the room as well. Edwin asks how the project known as Entity is going. After some more cryptic phrases, we are thrusted back Prime and Hardcase's story.

Some training exercises and we learn the extent of Prime's powers and set backs, like how he has to turn back into Kevin after a set amount of time. Firearm shows up with info about another Ultra being targeted by Edwin.

Here we meet Choice, as she is being attacked by Prototype. Hardcase and Prime rush to the rescue and save her. Here they learn about a plan called Entity, and Firearm heads out for more intel on it. The three Ultras together are prime targets for Rafferty, who attacks a third time.

Firearm, instead of finding out information on Entity, runs into Mantra. The two of them talk, and Mantra uses a phrase that reminds Firearm of one of his old warbuddies.

That's a great idea. I like how you're trying to fit in as much of the universe as possible without bogging the story down with too much unnecessary information, and making Mantra allude to a past in which Lukasz once fought alongside Firearm is a great way of communicating the character's reincarnating history without getting carried away.

I kind of imagine someone (Hardcase? Prime?) hitting on Mantra and then being told by Firearm that Mantra once took out a guy with a butter knife or something so back off. I wish you could find some way to allude to Prototype's background, but hey there can only be so much brilliance in one pitch.

You've also shoehorned Choice into the plot pretty well, even though it was not mandatory to do so. It's also still in keeping with her status in the comics. I know you've allied Prototype with the forces of Edwin Mosley, but I sort of see the entire antagonists side as an array of corporate interests allied together against the ultras in your story so it would make sense that the Choice Corporation would employ an Ultratech goon to secure her.

The story of Mantra is not told in this mini, leaving it open ended for future minis, or even an ongoing TV Series featuring everyone. The two of them look for info on Entity. They get attacked by Plug, and together they managed to escape him.

I'm a little unclear as to how you picture Plug using his powers in a combat capacity, but I do like the angle of him being an arrogant prick who sees himself as beyond human, which reminds me of the self-superior post-humans of the Ultimate universe and Authority and Planetary.

This is a great pitch.

I'm going to admit that I'm not so hot on how the entire plot works, but there're just so many good bits --- the characterization, the organization of the heroes' affiliations and their enemies' interests that it's hard not to deny its awesometitude.

Great work, Houde.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

Thank you.

Hardcase's TV show was a way I think to showcase Kevin idolizing heroes. So the bit in the past did happen, then I figured Hardcase needed money to protect Ultras and pay Firearms, so he created a show about his past. As for Prime's transformation, each end of a mini series part needs a shocking thing to happen and I choose for that to happen in the first. It could have easily happened in the second as well. If I went that route, I probably wouldn't have introduced Choice, and instead kept it to the minimum.

The way I looked at it was that Mantra's background was so different from everyone else's that it would bog down the story too much, so I didn't bother with it. Allude and move on.

I didn't want everyone against Rafferty and Edwin, so I had to devise a way for it to be one group against another. Hence adding Prototype and Plug to the roster. I envisioned Plug using nearby machinery, taking over it's circuits, for attacking capabilities.

The overall plot, I felt anyways, was a good way to introduce everyone to the universe, and use it as a launching pad to a series, which is what Sci-Fi is good at and tends to do. So I worked with the medium, and fashioned this story from it.

 

[ourchair]

You make it sound like a chore.

It's no chore, I'm just busier than I used to be. Never thought I'd find playing board catch up difficult.

Hardcase's TV show was a way I think to showcase Kevin idolizing heroes. So the bit in the past did happen, then I figured Hardcase needed money to protect Ultras and pay Firearms, so he created a show about his past. As for Prime's transformation, each end of a mini series part needs a shocking thing to happen and I choose for that to happen in the first. It could have easily happened in the second as well. If I went that route, I probably wouldn't have introduced Choice, and instead kept it to the minimum.

I didn't really think about that structural aspect of a mini-seires, but you're right on both counts, I'd say.

The way I looked at it was that Mantra's background was so different from everyone else's

I didn't think about that either, clearly you've given this a lot of thought.