Who Should Play Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Film?

Mass Effect 2 hasn’t even been on retail shelves for two solid weeks but has managed to sell over 2 million copies as well as rack up a hefty amount of critical acclaim.

Sure, the sequel isn’t perfect, but there’s one point we can all agree upon – the Mass Effect premise, and its relative universe, is one of the best stories out there – and by “out there” we don’t just mean within the video-game market.

There’s no denying the Mass Effect franchise has serious long-term potential. Recently, our sister site Screen Rant covered the rising interest in a Mass Effect film adaptation. With industry critics throwing the notion of Mass Effect 2 as a viable game of the year contender, it’s clear the franchise isn’t simply going to slip into hibernation until BioWare is ready to release the third title. As a result, a film adaptation seems like a pretty viable possibility.

BioWare isn’t likely to let Uwe Boll turn Mass Effect‘s rich source material into B-movie garbage – but that doesn’t mean that we, as fans of the franchise, shouldn’t encourage the developer to aim for the stars.

To that end, we’d like to present to you the top five individuals we believe should be considered for the role of Commander Shepard in the inevitable Mass Effect film. Keep in mind, our choices are not based solely on who could pull off the look (especially considering half the Commander Shepards in existence look nothing like the one BioWare slapped on the cover of the box), though that certainly was a factor. We also took into consideration individuals who could embody the difficult choices and heroic qualities that make Shepard a great protagonist – even if Shepard does dip into that “renegade” side once in awhile.

The Obvious Choice: Matthew Fox

BioWare might as well have brought Fox in when modeling the default-Shepard. Fox has accurately portrayed Jack Shepherd as he faced a number of morally ambiguous decisions (which should be familiar when playing Commander Shepard) - who to save, how much to sacrifice in order to achieve the greater good? Jack (like the Commander of the Normandy) can be a self-righteous jerk ready to give rousing speeches – even when no one is looking for one. In addition, Fox didn’t look completely ridiculous in the Speed Racer “Racer X” suit – which provides a bit of hope that the N7 armor will be an even better fit. Though, some of us are still having a difficult time forgiving him for his contribution to Vantage Point – at least Commander Shepard isn’t likely to be shouting “¡Tranquilo!”

The Renegade Choice: Dominic Purcell

Purcell may not be a mirror image of Commander Shepard, but he’s certainly got enough physical attributes in common. He can can also provide broad acting chops, having played wrongfully accused death-row inmate, Lincoln Burrows, on Prison Break for four seasons. Casting Purcell who has certainly played his fair share of bad guys (most notably Ulrich in Mission Impossible II as well as Drake in Blade: Trinity) would likely allow the filmmakers to delve a bit deeper into Shepard’s “renegade side” – upping the intensity in scenes where other actors might play it a bit nicer. That said, a few years back, Purcell gained a few personal “paragon” points when he was flagged down by a woman with a choking baby and subsequently performed CPR until paramedics arrived – saving the kid’s life.

Continue reading our choices for who should play Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect film…

« 1 2 »