With former It Takes a Thief star Robert Wagner having bowed out as the voice of never-seen detective agency head Charles Townsend on this fall’s rebooted Charlie’s Angels series (reportedly “due to his scheduling conflicts”), the search is on for a replacement. In The Huffington Post, screenwriter Greg Archer proposes a few articulate alternatives, including former Rockford Files star James Garner and Knots Landing’s William Devane (either of whom would probably be great).
But I would also like to suggest three more distinctive-sounding performers: Jeff Goldblum, freed from his stint on Law & Order: Criminal Intent; ex-Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors (an interesting choice, since his onetime wife, Farrah Fawcett, was among the original “angels”); and--try this one on for size--71-year-old Welsh former heartthrob, singer Tom Jones. Yes, that Tom Jones.
Any other suggestions?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
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8 comments:
Oh gosh, yes: I have a suggestion. A good friend of ours, actor J.P. Linton, does a lot of "voice of god" work -- as well as audio book narration. No one's voice is as compelling and arresting is JP's! He'd be an amazing Charlie!
http://www.jplinton-voice.com
Whenever a distinctive voice is called for, my thought is always the same. Pierce Brosnan.
Who cares?
"Who cares?" Indeed, this is not earth-shattering stuff. But sometimes it can be fun to do a bit of fantasy casting for film or TV parts. What's the harm, really?
Cheers,
Jeff
Is there any reason why Charlie can't be a woman? Perhaps Helen Mirren? Or in a genius bit of casting, Jaclyn Smith?
On the male side, James Spader would do well. And, of course, the Governator may be looking for work.
If David Janssen had been alive there would have been no contest. Ironic choice as Harry O (a great show) was too as was cancelled and I think Charlie's Angels replaced it, Farrah Fawcett & all. A TV travesty!
If you're thinking of a female voice again there's no contest, Judy Dench. Hope they never try to remake Harry O. They'd be wasting their time, never mind their money.
Thinking outside the movie/TV box: What about Robbie Robertson, late of The Band? Amazing speaking voice, distinctive and slightly raspy and hoarse. Meanwhile, I agree that Judi Dench would also be a wonderful choice. Then again: Helen Mirren rules. Always has, always will. Anybody ever see her in one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Shadowboxer? She and Cuba Gooding Jr. play stepmother/stepson lovers and professional assassins -- and not for laughs. What were these people thinking?
Here's a truly radical suggestion. Since everyone knows that Charlie's Angels is escapist fiction, why take the voice of the never-seen Charlie so seriously? Why not make it a fun part of the show, by casting a different person as the voice of Charlie Townsend every week?
You could have Kelsey Grammer do it one week, Lee Majors do it another, James Garner do it a third, and maybe have President Barack Obama stand in as Charlie the next week. Sometimes Charlie's voice could be provided by a singer (Tom Jones or Mick Jagger), sometimes by an actor (William Devane, Timothy Hutton, or maybe Robert Wagner), sometimes even an actress (Kate Jackson would certainly be appropriate, but perhaps also Judi Dench or Helen Mirren).
There's no end to the fun producers might have in finding somebody new to voice Charlie each week. Can you imagine the publicity potential that might surround, say, Julie Kavner--who already provides the voice for Marge Simpson on The Simpsons--standing in as Charlie one week, and Tom Selleck, of Magnum, P.I. fame, doing it the week after that? I see real potential here!
Cheers,
Jeff
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