View the above-mentioned old casting for Alis on the Dream Cast Alumni Page

Myau performed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop: Yes, Myau should be a Muppet. Computer-generated effects could easily make Myau come to life, but I think our favorite Musk Cat warrior would look best with that little spark of life Jim Henson's Creature Shop could inject. As for a voice, I think Kevin Clash would do a good job. He's the Muppeteer responsible for voicing Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, Clifford on Muppets Tonight!, and Elmo on Sesame Street. Now, I don't mean to say that Myau should sound like Elmo, or like Splinter, or like Clifford. I'm just saying Kevin Clash has proven himself to be able to produce a wide variety of voices, and he would give Myau a memorable one, as well.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Odin: Okay, so he's probably the obvious choice, but I also think he's the perfect choice. Anyone who's a fan of Schwarzenegger's knows he has the acting ability, and anyone with eyes knows he's got the looks. But the biggest drawback to casting Arnold as Odin (according to critics of the idea) is his accent -- Arnold's, not Odin's. Personally, I think this is not a problem. In fact, I like what I hear when I picture him saying, "I guess if Medusa can stop me, I don't have much hope of killing Lassic, do I?" His salary alone would probably take up a fifth of our budget, but dammit, I don't care. Give the man a Laconian Axe.

Alexander Siddig as Noah: Siddig is best known as Doctor Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but a turn as Noah in a Phantasy Star movie would make him the star he deserves to be. I think he'd be simply perfect as Alis's Esper companion. Siddig's Brittish accent would voice Noah perfectly; in fact, I can't imagine lines like, "Our duty is clear; we must protect the planets of the Algol System from evil," any other way. Aside from his accent, however, he usually speaks in a soft tone that I find completely appropriate for Noah. And physically, he would be taller than Melissa Joan Hart as Alis, but not as tall as Arnold Schwarzenegger as Odin. In short: he's perfect. Get his agent on line two.

Jeremy London as Nero Landale: Much like Gryz in Phantasy Star IV, I think this is another one of those castings where voice is the most important consideration. Pretty much any 20-something actor could be Nero with a little blue dye in the hair and a little "Robotcops just kicked my ass" makeup on the face. I've chosen Jeremy London because in Nero, we need an actor who can evoke sympathy from the audience quite quickly, as well as someone who will sound right telling his sister that his dying wish is for her to find a man named Odin. London's voice is soft and just a tad raspy. I find it perfect for Nero's dialog, and London the perfect Nero. Now if, for whatever reason, Jeremy London wouldn't be available for this role, after careful, careful consideration, I have decided that Jason London would, I suppose, be a pretty good second choice.

Jonathan Frakes as The Governor: We don't see much of the Governor's personality in the game itself, but Frakes definitely looks like he'd fit the role, and I think he's a good enough actor to make something up personality-wise -- building off of my screenplay, of course. (Oh, you mean I didn't mention who my Dream Script Writer for this project would be? Silly me!) I think Frakes has a natural charm that would suit the Governor well. And besides, hey, Riker hasn't made it to captain yet in Star Trek: The Next Generation, so let's make it up to Frakes by putting him in charge of a whole planet, eh?

Warwick Davis as Master Tajim: This role would indeed require Davis to wear a fair bit of make-up, but considering some of his past roles -- such as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi and an evil leprechaun in Leprechaun -- the make-up for Esper Master Tajim would be a piece of cake. I don't simply choose Davis for this role because he's under four feet tall, and because Tajim, as well, is vertically challenged; I choose Davis for this role because even in full Ewok costume, his acting was good enough in Jedi to get himself promoted from background Ewok to lead Ewok -- a promotion George Lucas personally performed. Davis is a true talent, and I'm sure he'll duel with Noah and damn near kick his student's ass very convincingly.

James Cromwell as Dr. Luveno: I originally cast Ray Walston in this role, but when he sadly passed away, the role had to be recast. (William Hickey is the only actor allowed to remain in a Dream Cast even though he is deceased -- see below.) As always, Christopher Lloyd comes to mind, because in his role as Doctor Emmett Brown in Back to the Future, he very much resembles Dr. Luveno. But Lloyd can't be Luveno for two reasons; one, he's already Raja in the Phantasy Star IV Dream Cast, and two, that would be too easy. That brings us to James Cromwell. He's an actor who possesses an incredibly wide range, as evidenced by his diverse roles in The Green Mile, Clear and Present Danger, Babe, and several Star Trek roles. Star Trek... oh yes... didn't James Cromwell play Dr. Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive? To use a phrase my grandmother uttered in many church basements, "Bingo!" Just for that, even if Ray Walston were still alive, I would almost give Cromwell the role anyway... but Walston was Mr. Hand, so he has to get props for that. James Cromwell, you are Dr. Luveno. And Ray Walston, wherever you are... "aloha."

View the above-mentioned old casting for Dr. Luveno on the Dream Cast Alumni Page

William Zabka as Dr. Luveno's Assistant: Every time I play Phantasy Star, and every time I see Dr. Luveno's assistant with his blonde hair and folded arms, and read his most favorite line of dialog -- "I'm busy. Don't bother me." -- I always think of one thing: Johnny, the Cobra Kai whom Daniel-san laid the smack down on in The Karate Kid, one of the greatest movie series of all time. Considering that movie was made in the early- to mid-80s, I know there's no way William Zabka -- the cool guy who portrayed the cool Johnny -- still could pass for a teenager, but Dr. Luveno's assistant's age is never given, and based on his in-game image... it seems to me he could be anywhere from 18 to 35. Give Zabka the Dream Casting... and "Sweep the leg, Noah!"

Kenny Baker as Hapsby: Before you say, "What the hey is he doing casting Hapsby?" let me spit out just one sentence, and two words: Kenny Baker is the guy who played Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Phantom Menace. 'Nuff said. Just check out the picture to your left, in which you can see Mr. Baker in the Artoo costume. Now just think of him in a similary-styled Hapsby prop. Wouldn't that be so cool? I'd even consider letting him voice Hapsby. I think he'd have to admit, asking Alis and her friends where in Algo they want to go is much better dialog than "Beep boop twlerp beep beep bop!" Plus, folks, answer honestly -- where else are we going to find someone who is experienced and well-versed in the challenging, demanding, and always overlooked come Oscar season craft of portraying the three foot tall robots that come from another galaxy, fly spaceships, and chat with the heroes? Hmm?

Jennifer Lien as Suelo: Once I sat down to really think about Dream Casting this character, this one became a no-brainer. About the only physical trait of Suelo's we get out of the game is long blonde hair, right? Well, Jennifer Lien has long blonde hair. We also know Suelo's a healer, and Lien played one for three seasons plus two episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as Kes. Next, consider Lien's voice, which, even if you're not a "Trekkie" or "Trekker," you still may have heard, if you've seen the cartoon version of Men In Black, on which Lien plays Elle. Lien's voice is the most soft-spoken voice I've ever heard in my life. (Well, I take that back, my aunt Anne speaks even softer, but my aunt isn't a big name Hollywood actress.) Her near-whisper of a voice, which just oozes kindness, and her caring smile would be perfect for Suelo's famous dialog, "You are welcome here at any time." I'll say! You are welcome in my Phantasy Star Dream Cast at any time, Jennifer Lien!

Father Benedict Groeschel as The Church Priest: "Sabras Cabras Sabas Bass!" There aren't all that many religious television shows, but the most notable would be the Eternal Word Television Network (ETWN). So, I figured one of the priests from EWTN would be perfect for this role. Since it's essentially a cameo, my criteria was strictly physical resemblance. And so, I chose Benedict Groeschel. I love watching his shows on EWTN, and with his long white beard he looks just like the PSI priest. So how many EXP till I reach the next level, Father?

William Hickey as Damor the Soothsayer: The picture alone doesn't do this casting justice. You have to see William Hickey in action (he played Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Grandpa Wrigley in the "When Petes Collide" episode of The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Uncle Freddy in The Jerky Boys) to understand why he's absolutely perfect for the role of Damor the Soothsayer. Damor is nuts, and to be perfectly honest, Hickey seems as if he is, too. He talks with this strange, whiny voice that would be just perfect for lines like, "Do you contradict the great Damor?!?" The biggest drawback to casting Hickey in this role is that, sadly, he passed away in 1997. But ya know, I don't think a simple thing like death would keep the mighty Damor down, so why should it stop us here? This is, after all, a dream cast!

Alan Rickman as King Lassic (also in Phantasy Star IV): Just watch Rickman as terrorist Hans Gruber in one of my all-time favorite movies, Die Hard, or as the Sherrif of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and you'll know he's one of those actors who can play great, evil villains, and they just don't get much more evil than King Lassic. Also, when it comes to Lassic, acting ability is the number one consideration, as we really never get a good look at the bastard's face. In terms of speech, Rickman's Brittish accent would be perfect in the role, and I feel he would bring a charming (yet chilling!) tone to lines like, "Ah, my children, you have done very well to come this far." Rickman gets the role, with a special runner-up "understudy" nod to Patrick Stewart from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Fistan as The Cop Who Would Not Let Alis Pass: Originally, over on the Phantasy Star IV Dream Cast page, Leonardo DiCaprio was cast as Chaz Ashley. Most people didn't like that very much, so I held a contest to let my site's reader's pick the new Chaz. Anyone could submit a nominee for the voting, and anyone who did submit a nominee was entered into a secondary contest, one to determine who would win this, the most coveted role in any potential Phantasy Star I movie... the role of the cop who said to Alis, as she was attempting to leave the city of Camineet, "You may not pass." Of all my readers, it is Fistan, and only Fistan, who possesses the thespian gifts necessary to portray such a role. The Academy should just hand him the Oscar now, he is so talented! ... That, and his name was chosen at random out of all those who submitted a nominee. Congratulations, Fistan, you, uhhh... won a huge prize. I think.

Dark Force created with CGI technology: The absolute only way to accurately put Dark Force up on the silver screen would be to put him there via computer. The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition proved that movies can flawlessly feature fully computer-generated characters. As long as the right special effects house was employed, such as Industrial Light and Magic or Digital Domain, Dark Force can be brought to life without a hitch... and it won't even take 1000 years! As for a voice, this Dark Force does not speak in the game, but if we have it speak in the movie, Tim Curry would give an excellent performance.

				I am haunted by nightmares every night.
Please send all comments and feedback to mike at ripplinger dot us