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'Bewitched' remake: Casting suggestions for Samantha and both Darrins
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News broke Tuesday (Aug. 9) that CBS and Sony are developing a remake of the 1960s sitcom "Bewitched." Our first thought was "Another remake?," and our second was "Hope it's better than the Nicole Kidman-Will Ferrell movie."Then, as it tends to do, our minds wandered to casting the roles of suburban wife and witch Samantha (played by Elizabeth Montgomery in the 1964-72 series) and her mortal husband Darrin (played by Dick York for five seasons, then by Dick Sargent). We have several ideas for Samantha -- some conforming to the pretty-blonde archetype set by Montgomery, some not so much. And since the change from York to Sargent is such a part of the show's history, we've gone ahead and suggested a few pairs of Darrins as well.
Samantha, going with type: We immediately thought of Sarah Chalke, the former "Scrubs" and "Mad Love" star (we know she just signed a deal with 20th Century Fox, but since we're blue-skying here, all our suggestions are irrespective of what the actors might actually be doing at the moment). We could also see Kelly Ripa in the part, along with "Chuck" star Yvonne Strahovski, who's really sharpened her comic game during the show's run.
Samantha, against type: Soon-to-be ex-"Desperate Housewife" Eva Longoria has comic chops and a mischievous spirit that you'd want in a Samantha. Ditto Rachel Bilson. Gugu Mbatha-Raw ("Undercovers") hasn't done a lot of comedy work, but we bet she could pull it off. And Alyson Hannigan is both funny and experienced at playing a witch.
Darrins: Look-alikes Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal aren't exactly looking for sitcoms, so we left them out of the equation. The same goes for Javier Bardem and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, unless the new "Bewitched" turns out to be a very dark take on the material. Among the pairs we came up with: Zachary Levi and Josh Radnor, who don't look too much alike but both play befuddled very well; Will Estes and Ben McKenzie (maybe Samantha could be married to a rookie cop learning the ropes?); Zach Braff and Tom Cavanagh (since they played brothers on "Scrubs"); and Seth Meyers and B.J. Novak. In a nod to the similarly named actors who first played the part, we would take Braff and Levi as a pair too.
Who would you cast in a "Bewitched" remake? Do you think it's a good idea?
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This is being filed in my brain index under 'unnecessary' and 'played out'. Create a new "Bewitched-esque" show rather than remaking be "Bewitched". It has failure written all over it.
I'd love to see Erica Durance (Smallville's Lois Lane) as Samantha. Durance can masterfully switch between comedy, drama, romance, and action. She can play sassy and friendly. She's also no stranger to fantasy. I think she'd be a perfect fit.
This is Stupid! This show was great when it first aired but now it wouldn't work. the original bewitched had a certain kind of charmp; elegance..Especially an innocence that today's programming has since lost and I can't see anybody take the Role Samantha and do it justice..and Endora..Nobody can do as good as the original..What I don't understand is why can't these writers come up with an original idea instead of copying off of successful hits that have had their time to shine..and besides, what kind of success could they hope to have when a good portion of the older people who loved this show are going to ban it anyway..This is going to Fail..
Remember the reboot of Wonder Woman?
Maybe some things should be left alone.
Kristin Chenoweth, Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Silverstone, Cameron Diaz
Hey, it worked for Hawaii Five-O
Uhh, why are you listing Darrins in lookalike couples? The actor got changed because he left, NOT because it was a plot point that they have to keep in a remake! O.o;
So, how about a list of individual comedy actors, not irrelevant action/drama guys that happen to look the similar.
Love to Yvoone Strahovski as Samantha.
Definitely agree, it would be all kinds of perfect and hilarious for Yvonne Strahovski and Zachary Levi to be cast as Samantha and Darrin. She would be the cutest Samantha ever.
Ugh. None of the suggestions for Samantha work for me. Push comes to shove the only actress who I think would work in the part would be Amy Adams, and only if she more or less played Amelia Earhart from Night at the Museum II without the accent. The Bewitched movie didn't work, but Nicole Kidman was perfect as Samantha; if she were 10 years younger I'd be rooting for her.