D&D General Who should play Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in a D&D biopic movie?

[Rafael Martin]

Who should play Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in a D&D biopic movie? I know there would be other people that need to be cast in the D&D movie, but I want to start with them first. What do you think?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Channeling them ....

Gygax would say, "Brad Pitt, of course! He's the spitting image of me. Put him in a beard and some glasses, and only Mr. Pitt can portray that Gygax dignity with verisimilitude."

Arneson would say, "The person Gygax wanted. I'll have that guy."

 

[Sacrosanct]

Dennis Franz and Rob Reiner. Cuz why not?

 

[Aldarc]

Why pretend like our opinions matter when we all know Hollywood is going to cast Chris Pratt and Scarlett Johansson for the roles?

 

[payn]

Ethan Suplee and Paul Walter hauser?

 

[BookTenTiger]

Andy Serkis in a mocap suit, playing both.

 

[Helpful NPC Thom]

Me. I'm damned sexy.

 

[Jmarso]

Need some good character actors- the types who can be nearly unrecognized in the makeup, like Gary Oldman or Tom Wilkinson.

 

[Willie the Duck]

I mean, what era are we talking? Mid-late 20s Arneson and mid-30s Gygax when D&D was being hammered out? Put beards on Timothee Chalamet as Arneson and John Krasinski or Daniel Radcliffe as Gygax and the visuals would probably work. They all do good work when they have something good with which to work and aren't too visually iconic that people would look past the characterization and see the famous actor behind it.

In later life they both ended up as chubby bearded men which is something that Hollywood makeup can work with pretty well (although a Christian Bale/Jared Leto gain-weight-for-role scenario would also work). That said, Zach Galifianakis could look close to like either (with some grey hair added or subtracted, depending on time setting) and do the actual characterization of either of them very well. I know there's probably someone else like that who could take the other role.

Need some good character actors- the types who can be nearly unrecognized in the makeup, like Gary Oldman or Tom Wilkinson.

Exactly. A Tom Hanks/Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise/Jim Carey trying to makeup their way into the character would probably just not work.

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[Norton]

Can we get M. Emmet Walsh for one of them? Too bad Wilford Brimley and Scott Wilson have passed.

For younger-ish versions, reunite McConaughey and Harrelson from "True Detective" and as a hoot have them play them the same way.