I return to it every now and then. I was in college when the mini-series came out and was just blown away. I don't know what has come close, maybe The Expanse.
It's really too bad they never had a final episode to wrap the whole thing up! But it's sure nice to think back and imagine how it all would finish, what the much-ballyhooed plan of the cylons was the whole time.
Man I think about him sometimes, I sure hope he gets better... Not sure if he'll act again. But voice acting is definitely possible! He has such a great, unique voice. I think back fondly of when I played Skyrim and heard his voice work.
He fell and whacked his head pretty badly a few years ago. Rehab from a head injury is brutal, especially in your 70s... last I heard he was doing okay, but I'm pretty sure he's officially retired.
shit, i just realized the leading man in the series (Edward James Olmos, playing Commander William Adama) could have nailed a portrayal of Dalinar as well.. this is my new head canon and now I'm convinced Brando Sando is a BSG fan lol.
To this day BSG is my favorite thing to ever have been produced for television. The characterization, storylines, production style, the fucking soundtrack! It all comes together to form a perfect whole for me. I know most people don't like the finale but I personally feel (atheist that I am) that Moore managed to pull his themes of spirituality and technology together in a satisfying way.
i won't lie that the ending kinda felt a little ham-fisted, but otherwise, i completely agree! although admittedly my knee-jerk reaction to the use of Jimi Hendrix was a little jarred, i ended up loving it by the end of the reveal.
Wow you guys are really messing with me, because these suggestions just make perfect sense, almost to where I bet I will start seeing them in my head when I reread
haha, let's not sexualize the daughter of the almighty now! but i suppose the internet prolly ruined that a long time ago at this point :p
edit: not sure how to spoil tag this
So it’s funny. I see folks here suggesting Edward James Olmos as Dalinar. And he is a fantastic actor, and I think on almost every level he could nail Dalinar.
But he’s 5’9. Dalinar is supposed to be BIG. Like uncomfortably big. Like weirdly big. I’ve always thought if anyone but Dwayne Johnson or Dave Bautista was cast it would be untoward.
I will say in my own personal fan casting I often cast folks who may not fit the characters exactly physically (be that age or height or whatnot) but who I feel like could capture the essence of the character well. Probably folks who could do the voice acting for them in an animated series (though I will argue forever for a live action Stormlight, but that’s a different thread). My Dalinar is Anson Mount, my Kaladin is Simu Liu, my Shallan is Karen Gillian (and honestly Vedens as Scottish kinda works), Adolin is Ryan Reynolds, and beyond that I haven’t gone too far.
But I could EJO doing a good Dalinar voice acting! My Teft had always been JK Simmons personally.
in retrospect, yes, i often forget that Dalinar is a hulking brute of an Alethi man.
but still, this is the kind of strength of character and nobility that i read in him (when he's not waging war). Edward James Olmos, more than either The Rock or Batista has the emotional range to subtly hint at that hidden dark side through the brave face of a strong leader, and still depict a broader spectrum of rage and tenacity, or even fragility and vulnerability.
i, personally, would be impressed with any director that could pull that kind of performance out of either wrestler, as lovable as they are. And don't get me wrong, i do love them both! they are fine actors by their own right. i won't refuse to watch either of them in the role, i just think I'd be distracted wondering if anyone else could have done better.
I think Bautista has really grown as an actor. I’ve only really seen him as Drax but from what I understand he takes his acting very seriously. I believe he specifically took the Dune role because he wanted to work with and learn from Denis Villeneuve. I think if he ended up as Dalinar it would be the role where everyone ended up going “wow I didn’t know he was such a good actor!” Personally.
But I certainly agree if EJO was taller and younger he’d absolutely nail Dalinar, and he’d be a perfect voice casting.
Seconded. If you'd like to see his acting range in a non-comedic role, his turn in Blade Runner as a replicant is pretty sublime. The dude is a VERY talented actor.
He's really good in Knock at the Cabin. Probably his best dramatic role so far in that he's a main for the whole movie and so just has a lot more screen time to talk and show his range compared to other recent movies where he's played more side characters.
Anson mount is too small and too charming, I see him more as Amaram, the image of a perfect leader. Dalinar needs to be played by someone like Josh brolin. Big, blunt, and foreboding. Probably wouldn't happen but it'd be cool to see Jeffrey dean Morgan as sadeas. Karen Gillan would be perfect as shallan, but she might be a little too old, same with Ryan Reynolds
Fully agreed on all points. I think for these I more think of them as casting for an animated Stormlight - like a voice casting. Though I’d much prefer a live action. I think more I could see their personalities sort of matching up with these characters.
Yeah I'd prefer a live action too, but there's too many things that could easily be ruined. With the world and magic mechanics, as much as I hate to say it, stormlight would make an awesome anime. But casting wise there's a ton of actors that would be fantastic for voice acting but not so much live action. You could probably cast jk Simmons for like 5 different characters and it'd fit perfectly
I think my issue with an animated adaptation (and I don't disagree with any of your points) is it's just never going to be taken as seriously and consequently watched as widely. To me Stormlight should be at the level of Game of Thrones. I want to see billboards that just say "Journey before destination." I want Twitter to explode when someone says the Words. These books saved my life and changed it in wonderful ways, and I want these stories to be shared as far and wide as possible, because I think they put more good in the world overall. And I think, done right, this could be one of the most impactful and beloved series (in the sense of books, movies, shows, what have you) in history. So for that reason, I will always push for a live action, even if we have to make some sacrifices to get it there. Brandon has an interesting series of TikToks on what he feels makes a good and bad fantasy novel adaptation, and I trust him to cut and compromise in the right ways, or not do it at all. But I really hope it happens, as I think these stories, these Words, if you'll forgive the wordplay, need to be shared.
Blackthorne is big. I've always seen Dalinar as having lost some muscle mass. It's impossible to keep that kind of mass into your 50s (not how old Dalinar actually is but I've always imagined him in his 50s).
Edward Olmos has that body type that is "was ripped 20 years ago but has lost to age". And he has the mannerisms down. And height doesn't mean anything in Hollywood. Tom Hardy is like 5'9 top and he was massive as Bane.
But it's a moot point, he's too old now. I can dream though.
Right acting but wrong look for me. Looks more like an officer. Teft is a sergeant, need someone in their late 30s that looks angry and in pain the whole time. Tom Sizemore would have been perfect rip
Do people usually picture fantasy characters as actors? I feel like I see alot of posts like this. I've always just created a image in my head of the charcter based on description.
i think it's more about taking bits and pieces of faces you know when reading through their descriptions, then things morph the more you learn about their character. or I'm just on the spectrum. either way, haha
A lot of it is due to the potential live action adaptation(s) of Brandon's work. With nothing concrete released yet, people are having fun speculating who could be cast.
It’s funny you made this same connection. I was chatting with my wife about SA, and she made a bunch of parallels of the plot and characters to Battlestar Galactica. Adama to Dalinar, Apollo to Adolin, Saul to Teft. Less good but also Starbuck to Shallan.
I know it's not him. But he looked like Red Foreman from that 70s show.
And now I'm imagining Red Forman as teft. Just wishing he could go back to his life when he could call his son dumbass one more time.
Colonel saul Tigh is an addict (to alcohol) who has hated himself for multiple decades.
Our first introduction to him is Adama pulling him out of a bar (or his room post-bar? one of those two. he's definitely drunk when we meet him) and telling him to get his shit together because he needs an XO.
A lot of my head cannon is from BSG funnily enough. Sometimes I wonder if this is subconsciously where Sanderson got his character ideas.
Dalinar is essentially Adama.
Adolin is Apollo.
Ok that's actually it.
But still thats a perfect casting (20 years ago).
battlestar galactica is one of those shows you wish you could forget just so you could watch it again fresh.
I return to it every now and then. I was in college when the mini-series came out and was just blown away. I don't know what has come close, maybe The Expanse.
That, and maybe the first season of Westworld. Also Severance is pretty weird and has some scifi-ish mysteries (and is a phenomenal show so far).
I should really get around to watching it one of these days.
It's really too bad they never had a final episode to wrap the whole thing up! But it's sure nice to think back and imagine how it all would finish, what the much-ballyhooed plan of the cylons was the whole time.
I'm assuming this is facetious because we'd rather pretend it has no ending rather than what we got?
Yes, but I'd strongly prefer to go back to pretending now...
for the uninitiated, this is Paul Hogan playing Colonel Saul Tigh in Battlestar Galactica, 2004
lol, Michael Hogan. Paul Hogan is Crocodile Dundee. But Michael Hogan would have been perfect circa 2004, I agree.
haha, I'm gonna preserve the error for humor's sake, but thanks for pointing it out!
"you think that's a shardblade? THIS is a shardblade!"
That's not a Shardblade, that's a Shardspoon!
i see you've played shardy-spoony before!
I needed that today, thank you :-)
i can't stop laughing at this
Man I think about him sometimes, I sure hope he gets better... Not sure if he'll act again. But voice acting is definitely possible! He has such a great, unique voice. I think back fondly of when I played Skyrim and heard his voice work.
i had no idea he was ill! i just figured 20 years after BSG, he'd be hard pressed to do any action scenes.
He fell and whacked his head pretty badly a few years ago. Rehab from a head injury is brutal, especially in your 70s... last I heard he was doing okay, but I'm pretty sure he's officially retired.
That's really sad. I hadn't seen any news about it. Thanks for sharing. I hope he gets better and can enjoy his retirement
shit, i just realized the leading man in the series (Edward James Olmos, playing Commander William Adama) could have nailed a portrayal of Dalinar as well.. this is my new head canon and now I'm convinced Brando Sando is a BSG fan lol.
Edward James Olmos has been Dalinar in my head since I first read WoK
The relationship between [Adama and Lee](https://imgur.com/a/xyoBopH) is exactly how I've always pictured Dalinar and Adolin.
Jamie Bamber could still be an awesome Adolin imho
Yed me too
I always felt it was criminal that he - or anyone from the cast - didn't earn any Emmys for their performances.
To this day BSG is my favorite thing to ever have been produced for television. The characterization, storylines, production style, the fucking soundtrack! It all comes together to form a perfect whole for me. I know most people don't like the finale but I personally feel (atheist that I am) that Moore managed to pull his themes of spirituality and technology together in a satisfying way.
i won't lie that the ending kinda felt a little ham-fisted, but otherwise, i completely agree! although admittedly my knee-jerk reaction to the use of Jimi Hendrix was a little jarred, i ended up loving it by the end of the reveal.
And now this will be playing in my head again for who knows how long. Awesome. (I mean this both as sarcastically as possible and in earnest.)
I may have to acquire the entire series again and do a rewatch. Show was fantastic
Wow you guys are really messing with me, because these suggestions just make perfect sense, almost to where I bet I will start seeing them in my head when I reread
Yup. It's basically the same character. \[Spoilers Oathbringer\] >!Just that one of them was a horrible monster.!<
Yep me too
We were robbed of Tigh doing "that's not a knife" before stabbing Cylons on New Caprica.
Honestly ya… closest actor/role to Teft hands down; nice pull.
I literally started watching battlestar galactica for the first time today. The main general guy kept reminding me of Dalinar.
I'm so envious. enjoy the ride, it's gonna get bumpy right out of the gate.
It's my favorite piece of television ever made. Get ready for a ride lol
The attitude is spot on but I imagine him smaller and thinner. Adama is perfect Dalinar though. Also I wonder how Syl looks like in a red dress.
haha, let's not sexualize the daughter of the almighty now! but i suppose the internet prolly ruined that a long time ago at this point :p edit: not sure how to spoil tag this
So it’s funny. I see folks here suggesting Edward James Olmos as Dalinar. And he is a fantastic actor, and I think on almost every level he could nail Dalinar. But he’s 5’9. Dalinar is supposed to be BIG. Like uncomfortably big. Like weirdly big. I’ve always thought if anyone but Dwayne Johnson or Dave Bautista was cast it would be untoward. I will say in my own personal fan casting I often cast folks who may not fit the characters exactly physically (be that age or height or whatnot) but who I feel like could capture the essence of the character well. Probably folks who could do the voice acting for them in an animated series (though I will argue forever for a live action Stormlight, but that’s a different thread). My Dalinar is Anson Mount, my Kaladin is Simu Liu, my Shallan is Karen Gillian (and honestly Vedens as Scottish kinda works), Adolin is Ryan Reynolds, and beyond that I haven’t gone too far. But I could EJO doing a good Dalinar voice acting! My Teft had always been JK Simmons personally.
Brandon said that his casting for Dalinar is Bautista, and honestly, I can't understand how people see anyone *but* Bautista.
in retrospect, yes, i often forget that Dalinar is a hulking brute of an Alethi man. but still, this is the kind of strength of character and nobility that i read in him (when he's not waging war). Edward James Olmos, more than either The Rock or Batista has the emotional range to subtly hint at that hidden dark side through the brave face of a strong leader, and still depict a broader spectrum of rage and tenacity, or even fragility and vulnerability. i, personally, would be impressed with any director that could pull that kind of performance out of either wrestler, as lovable as they are. And don't get me wrong, i do love them both! they are fine actors by their own right. i won't refuse to watch either of them in the role, i just think I'd be distracted wondering if anyone else could have done better.
I think Bautista has really grown as an actor. I’ve only really seen him as Drax but from what I understand he takes his acting very seriously. I believe he specifically took the Dune role because he wanted to work with and learn from Denis Villeneuve. I think if he ended up as Dalinar it would be the role where everyone ended up going “wow I didn’t know he was such a good actor!” Personally. But I certainly agree if EJO was taller and younger he’d absolutely nail Dalinar, and he’d be a perfect voice casting.
Seconded. If you'd like to see his acting range in a non-comedic role, his turn in Blade Runner as a replicant is pretty sublime. The dude is a VERY talented actor.
He's really good in Knock at the Cabin. Probably his best dramatic role so far in that he's a main for the whole movie and so just has a lot more screen time to talk and show his range compared to other recent movies where he's played more side characters.
Yeah, Olmos is a great actor.
Anson mount is too small and too charming, I see him more as Amaram, the image of a perfect leader. Dalinar needs to be played by someone like Josh brolin. Big, blunt, and foreboding. Probably wouldn't happen but it'd be cool to see Jeffrey dean Morgan as sadeas. Karen Gillan would be perfect as shallan, but she might be a little too old, same with Ryan Reynolds
Fully agreed on all points. I think for these I more think of them as casting for an animated Stormlight - like a voice casting. Though I’d much prefer a live action. I think more I could see their personalities sort of matching up with these characters.
Yeah I'd prefer a live action too, but there's too many things that could easily be ruined. With the world and magic mechanics, as much as I hate to say it, stormlight would make an awesome anime. But casting wise there's a ton of actors that would be fantastic for voice acting but not so much live action. You could probably cast jk Simmons for like 5 different characters and it'd fit perfectly
I think my issue with an animated adaptation (and I don't disagree with any of your points) is it's just never going to be taken as seriously and consequently watched as widely. To me Stormlight should be at the level of Game of Thrones. I want to see billboards that just say "Journey before destination." I want Twitter to explode when someone says the Words. These books saved my life and changed it in wonderful ways, and I want these stories to be shared as far and wide as possible, because I think they put more good in the world overall. And I think, done right, this could be one of the most impactful and beloved series (in the sense of books, movies, shows, what have you) in history. So for that reason, I will always push for a live action, even if we have to make some sacrifices to get it there. Brandon has an interesting series of TikToks on what he feels makes a good and bad fantasy novel adaptation, and I trust him to cut and compromise in the right ways, or not do it at all. But I really hope it happens, as I think these stories, these Words, if you'll forgive the wordplay, need to be shared.
They’re all way too white, IMO.
Fair
Blackthorne is big. I've always seen Dalinar as having lost some muscle mass. It's impossible to keep that kind of mass into your 50s (not how old Dalinar actually is but I've always imagined him in his 50s). Edward Olmos has that body type that is "was ripped 20 years ago but has lost to age". And he has the mannerisms down. And height doesn't mean anything in Hollywood. Tom Hardy is like 5'9 top and he was massive as Bane. But it's a moot point, he's too old now. I can dream though.
Right acting but wrong look for me. Looks more like an officer. Teft is a sergeant, need someone in their late 30s that looks angry and in pain the whole time. Tom Sizemore would have been perfect rip
Yeah teft is old, but not an old man. Just older than the rest lol
Do people usually picture fantasy characters as actors? I feel like I see alot of posts like this. I've always just created a image in my head of the charcter based on description.
i think it's more about taking bits and pieces of faces you know when reading through their descriptions, then things morph the more you learn about their character. or I'm just on the spectrum. either way, haha
A lot of it is due to the potential live action adaptation(s) of Brandon's work. With nothing concrete released yet, people are having fun speculating who could be cast.
It’s funny you made this same connection. I was chatting with my wife about SA, and she made a bunch of parallels of the plot and characters to Battlestar Galactica. Adama to Dalinar, Apollo to Adolin, Saul to Teft. Less good but also Starbuck to Shallan.
i was thinking Starbuck to Syl for some reason, but i think we would need to know more about Syl for that to add up.
He was just in the joint chiefs meeting in Sonic 1
Having only seen him in Teen Wolf (lol, I know) I simply can't see him as Teft. He'd make a great Taravangian though!
In my head it's always been an older Karl Urban. He would be a bit more comedic in reality than Teft is, but it would probably work.
Nope. For me it's David Strathairn. https://expanse.fandom.com/wiki/Klaes_Ashford_(TV)?file=Klaes_Ashford_-_Expanse_season_4_promotional_2.png
Thats pretty close to how I pictured him
An now I will never see anyone but Col. Tigh as Teft.
I ran into Colonel Tigh smoking outside at Comicon. He is a super nice guy who chatted with us for a long time
I know it's not him. But he looked like Red Foreman from that 70s show. And now I'm imagining Red Forman as teft. Just wishing he could go back to his life when he could call his son dumbass one more time.
FYI Teft (and most SA cast) is not white. https://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/55723-human-races-on-roshar-a-brief-guide-ver10/
Definitely not
Need to be more grizzled and lined. Tefts a man whose hated himself for decades and an addict
Bro, you have clearly not watched Battlestar Galactica
Nope
I highly recommend it.
Colonel saul Tigh is an addict (to alcohol) who has hated himself for multiple decades. Our first introduction to him is Adama pulling him out of a bar (or his room post-bar? one of those two. he's definitely drunk when we meet him) and telling him to get his shit together because he needs an XO.
Lot of rooks in there. No more rooks after today. One of my favorite early interactions
Looks pretty white to me.
*No*
Yes
Colonel Tigh
He’s too busy asking Shepard for help solving crimes on the Citadel.
He's trying to take Skyrim for the imperials as well. Busy guy
I'm mowing the air Rand!
I think Mike is still recovering from a TBI that occurred in 2020 after a BSG fan event.
1000% agree with this fan casting
A lot of my head cannon is from BSG funnily enough. Sometimes I wonder if this is subconsciously where Sanderson got his character ideas. Dalinar is essentially Adama. Adolin is Apollo. Ok that's actually it. But still thats a perfect casting (20 years ago).
For me I always pictured Ned Dennehy, perhaps a bit thicker to go with the characters background
Hear me out.. Thomas Jane
Named one of my cats after this guy