Pendergast Task Force discussion
Who would play Pendergast?
I always thought David Caruso would be a good choice but he is getting older now......
The danish actor ture lindhart:) There are the police man in engels and demons:)
I've said this on the Amazon site as well. BRAD DOURIF as Agent Pendergast with GARY OLDMAN playing Diogenes. I think that's a winning combination!
How old do people think Agent Pendergast is???? I Just took a look of BRAD DOURIF and he is old... ;)
It's not how old he is, but how old he LOOKS. He doesn't look as old as he actually is - he's a phenomenal actor! And Pendergast is not a young lad.
Okaii I'am just wonder sometimes how old he is;)
I still don't think Pendergast is quite that old though. I figured he was in his 30's starting with Relic and since it's been about ten years I figure he's in his early to mid forties.
I disagree with that. I'd have to go back to find out if they hint at his age, but I believe he starts out in his mid forties. I've always envisioned him as an older man.
I think the same like Tara Relic in the 30's and 40's in the last book's;)
I still disagree. I'll check it out to be sure, but by the time he appears in RELIC, he's already a very seasoned SPECIAL FBI agent. You don't just rise to that status. That takes some time and experience. I'll go back to Relic and see if there is any indication of his age.
Okaii there are many there are talking about him in the books like he is young :)
I actually emailed Preston & Child. I'm sure they know how old he is. I figured in RELIC he's in his mid to late 40's. I think by Relic, he had a wife who died Africa already, so if he's in his thirties, he had to have graduated from some police academy, be there long enough to be accepted by the FBI, go through THEIR training program, get married, then have a seasoned FBI career - I'm guessing all of that would take AT LEAST 5-10 years in and of itself. Remember, when we meet Pendergast in Relic, he's already very experienced. He has a vast knowledge of a variety of subjects and ideas. He's travelled quite a bit, and is fluent in several languages. He's very well read and has very intimate training in all sorts of disciplines. How would have time to do all these things in his in his thirties? I don't think that's very realistic. How many thirty-somethings are that refined and have such a vast knowledge of so many detailed disciplines? Actually, the mansion in New Orleans was burned down in 1971 (he says so in CEMETERY DANCE) and I believe he was a teenager by then. If memory serves, I believe that Diogenes fled and went away to school or something like that? So if he was a teenager in 1971, that means by Cemetery Dance he's in his mid-fifties. I may be wrong about how old he was when the mansion burned down (I'd have to go back to Dance of Death or The Book of the Dead - I can't remember when he was hypnotized) and he has that memory. I can't recall if the mansion being burned was information by Aunt Cornelia and I seem to remember a series of letters from Diogenes. I guess I answered my own question!
Lanie
Okaii I see:) You are probely right!!!! :)
Does anyone remember the guy who played Mr. Stamper in Tomorrow Never Dies? His name is Gotz Otto. He's 6'6" and had white blonde hair in the movie. really looks the part but he's german so not sure if he could do the accent...
Yah he couldt play him.... Just loking in Google:)
I think after reading Fever Dream, I figured him between 40-44 years old. i was surprised by his quick and notorious rise to fame in the FBI but if your as awesome as Pendie, I guess it's ok. Fox Moulder was pretty young too!
Also if you look up Pendergast on Wiki, there are more details on his life. He is Diogenes' older brother and Diogenes was born in 1962.
Timothy Olyphant. Dressed up the right way. He's still relatively young, long and lean like Pendergast. And has a certain draw with coaching could pull off the accent.
I think Scott Speedman would be a great choice for Pendergast. He was in the tv show Felicity and played a albino/vampire in Underworld. He has a very angular face and is about the right age if the movie was "Still Life with Crows" I think Selena Gomez would make a good Corrie Swanson (the teenaged assistant)I always wanted her to come back in another book.
Pendergast - Paul Bettany ( with that Peter Facinelli from Twilight styling )Diogenes - Ralph Fiennes (very menacing)
or - Damian Lewis ( isn't D-Pendz a ginger anyways ?)
Smithback - Justin Bertha, Jude Law, Casey Afleck
Lanie wrote: "I've said this on the Amazon site as well. BRAD DOURIF as Agent Pendergast with GARY OLDMAN playing Diogenes. I think that's a winning combination!"maybe ten years ago ? ;)
Lanie wrote: "I actually emailed Preston & Child. I'm sure they know how old he is. I figured in RELIC he's in his mid to late 40's. I think by Relic, he had a wife who died Africa already, so if he's in his thi..."This is Pendergast, his timespan for gathering knowledge is not measured in the same way as a regular person's.
hmm I'm at a loss for Pendergast, but I think Mads Mikkelsen from Clash of Titans, Casino Royale, and King Arthur would do a good job as Diogenes..He played Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and he pulled off a great villain who is pale and has a working right brown eye and a messed up left blue eye...
You all have it so wrong! WHo couldplay Agent Pendergast the best? I say Crispin Glover would be perfect! He's weird, has thelook, and would do justice better than anyone else mentioned
First, I would like to confess that Pendergast blows my mind; Preston and Child are easily my favorite authors. As to who I think would make a worthy actor to play Pendergast? Well, there's this guy who used to live a few houses down from me was perfect: tall, pale, blue eyes, but he wasn't an actor.... Paul Bettany could probably pull it off, though, given his role as Silus in the DaVinci Code.http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/G...
I think Linus Roache would make a great Pendergast!
Not an actor but Anderson Cooper has the white hair, pale eyes thing going for him.If its an actor...then Ralph Fiennes would do nicely~
I like the Timothy Olyphant suggestion. I also think Daniel Craig would make a good Pendergast.
Hi everyone. This is exciting, I love the Pendergast novels. I think William Fichtner from 2001's "What's The Worst That Could Happen" would be perfect. His age is about right, and in that movie he has the Pendergast look. What do you think?
Where yall at? Lets have some fun discussion.
Bart wrote: "Where yall at? Lets have some fun discussion."Coldwater, Michigan
message 56: by Lanie (new) May 29, 2010 04:00am It's not how old he is, but how old he LOOKS. He doesn't look as old as he actually is - he's a phenomenal actor! And Pendergast is not a young lad.
In Fever Dream in the first chapter when describing both Pendergast and Helen...it says they are in their late twenties...and it was 12 yrs ago...after the death of Helen the story starts again in the present day...I would have to gues that A.X.L Pendergast is in his early forties.
I say Paul Bettany as Pendergast and Damien Lewis as Diogenes. Michael Cain as Proctor. Vincent D'Onofrio as Vinnie D'Agosta and Kate Beckinsale as Laura Haywood.
"I say Paul Bettany as Pendergast and Damien Lewis as Diogenes. Michael Cain as Proctor. Vincent D'Onofrio as Vinnie D'Agosta and Kate Beckinsale as Laura Haywood."That is perfect! I've always loved Paul Bettany for Pendergast -- he's actually who I picture as I read the books.
"Gwyneth Paltrow as Wren."
"How about Naomi Watts as Wren? "
"Anyway, Wren, with a worldly look or stoic one. Maybe Sigourney Weaver or Juliette Binoche."
Um... Wren's a dude.
Tamla wrote: ""I say Paul Bettany as Pendergast and Damien Lewis as Diogenes. Michael Cain as Proctor. Vincent D'Onofrio as Vinnie D'Agosta and Kate Beckinsale as Laura Haywood."That is perfect! I've always lo..."
Excellent point and one that should not be ignored! LOL
Jason Isaacs - the senior Mafloy, Patriot villain, enchanting, dangerous, excellent actor = Pendergast
Sorry gang, but the perfect actor to play Pendergast is Guy Pearce from L.A Confidential with the slicked back hair dyed the right color the right suit...perfect. He s got the charm, the right cheekbones. the right build. the right age, the right look overall. Like someone else said I would cast Damien Lewis as Diogenes, Liv Tyler as Constance, the guy from Community who plays Jeff Winger to play Bill Smithback, Dina Mayer to play Nora Kelly, and Angelina Jolie to play Viola. Anyway that's who I see in my minds eye when I read these fantastic books.
I've always thought that Pendergast looked a lot like Tim Gunn. I am sure it is difficult to think of Tim as tough but he is certainly suave enough, but not an actor.http://www.papermag.com/2008/11/fashi...
As an alternate I would choose Neal McDonough or Ray Finnes.
Yes I can see it now - Penderast(played by Gunn) turns to D'Agosta and says " Ok Vinnie make it work"
Wren is a guy! I read through all of these old posts and I'm surprise no on else suggested Alexander Skarsgård. He's very tall and thin, has light skin, hair and eyes, and looks great in a suit. He's a versatile actor too.
http://skarsgardnews.com/news/wp-cont...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002907/
I like Paul Bettany for Diogenes. The others... well, I don't know.
I am a recent Pendergast-obsessive, so I'm a bit late to the party, but here are my 2 cents...As Pendergast, I love the thought of Ralph Fiennes, or Robert Pattinson (with blond hair and a bit of aging makeup) or Peter Pascinelli -although I have neither read the Twilight series nor seen the Movies. But, oddly enough, my personal Pendergast doppelgänger is non-actor Anderson Cooper from CNN :-))
Sam Waterston would really be a great Pendergast, though he's just a bit too old. If he could be crossed with Vincent d'Onofrio, that would be great.
Mads Mikkelsen as Diogenes... He played Le Chiffre in Casino Royale...bad guy and something wrong with his left eye...and hes pale.
Lanie wrote: "I actually emailed Preston & Child. I'm sure they know how old he is. I figured in RELIC he's in his mid to late 40's. I think by Relic, he had a wife who died Africa already, so if he's in his thi..."I realize I'm a little late with this but I think the timeline that Preston and Child have developed for pendergast is way off. Even though they said Diogenes was born in '62, in the first chapter of the first book of the Helen trilogy "Fever Dream" the timing is 12 years prior and he described them to be in their "late twenties". Fast forward twelve years and that would put him in his late thirties to early forties. Since this is the most current book, I think that that is what we should go on. No offense, but Brad Dourif to play Pendergast is so far off in my opinion it isn't worth mentioning. He is a terrific actor though, but I would be surprised if you could find one other person to agree with you. In the book "Brimstone" one of the characters describing Pendergast compared him to a Roman statue. Also, in "Fever Dream" when he tracks down Helen's old boss she tells him he hasn't aged a day in 12 years. He definitely is handsome, young, tall, thin but lean.
Perhaps Michael Fassbender (with dyed blonde hair) as Pendergast and Paul Bettany or Damien Lewis as Diogenes? Emma Watson (dyed hair dark) or Keira Knightley as Constance. Donnie Walhberg or Vincent D'Onfrio as D'Agosta. Gemma Aerterton or Kate Beckinsale as a young Helen Esterhazy. Rose Byrn, Evangeline Lily, Kate Beckinsale, Roslyn Sanchez as Captain Hayward. Jude Law as Smith Back. I could go on but I'll stop there for now :) ps I think Mads Mikkelsen as Diogenes would be quite brilliant.
Leah wrote: "Wren is a guy! I read through all of these old posts and I'm surprise no on else suggested Alexander Skarsgård. He's very tall and thin, has light skin, hair and eyes, and looks great in a suit. ..."
Thank you for mentioning that Wren is a man! I was very perplexed by earlier posts. Also, I'm kind of in love with A Skarsgard... I have thought about him in the role but there's just something that doesn't fit right. Maybe he's not polished enough? I don't know I guess I have him ingrained in my head as Eric from true blood and I can't really see him as the suave southern gentlemen that Pendergast is painted to be. But I definitely wouldn't complain if he was cast!
On the "Ask Preston & Child" group yesterday, DP and LC stated they could see a younger Christopher Walken or, now, Johnny Depp playing Pendergast.
Anyway, Wren, with ..."
Oh I agree with Juliette Binoche. She would be perfect. I also think that Simon Baker would be a great Bill. Simon is Australian but does a great "American" accent on his Mentalist show. Still stuck on who could possibly play Mime. And I did have a great rainy stay-in-the-house-and-read weekend. Hope you had the same.