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Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:
Yep, Harrison Ford would be awesome. I see Mal's Pa as a restless younger son of a wealthy family who pissed off and disappointed his parents and traveled around the 'verse for a while having adventures until finally settling down with a wife totally unsuitable to his parents but was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Any resemblance to any American, Aussie etc pioneers or baby boomers is totally not intended.

Mal's M is problem as I have a picture of her in my head. Attractive, yet a steely strength about her. Intelligent and able to discipline and be a Ma to a growing boy and to lead dozens of ranch hands. And an astute business woman.

No actress I know of can project all these qualities.

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Originally posted by teethgrinder:
IF another season of FIREFLY or a sequel /prequel to SERENITY is in the horizon , Who would you like to play the role of Mal's
dad?

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What about the rest of his family? The rest of the crew's family?

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Originally posted by zzetta13:

Wytchcroft, Gary Coleman as Books arch enemy? Mini-Book? One thing is for sure, he wouldn’t have any trouble damaging knee-caps, they would be about eye level.

Z

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Originally posted by zzetta13:
Reading over the list of “family” candidates you guys sure have picked some good ones. Harrison Ford and /or Mark Hamill and yes even William Shatner all would be excellent bids for Mal’s father. As for Mal’s mother, a tough as nails yet deep with her love, Katharine Hepburn is a very good choice. To bad she has gone to that big other verse in the sky, so too George C Scott.

As for as Wash’s father ( or maybe uncle, on his mother’s side) I could see Slim Pickens, Maj Kong in Dr. Strangelove, do the honors. And James Earl Jones as Book’s pop.

Wytchcroft, Gary Coleman as Books arch enemy? Mini-Book? One thing is for sure, he wouldn’t have any trouble damaging knee-caps, they would be about eye level.

Z

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Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:
How about Gary Cole as Wash's demented flight instructor? He does creapy evil really,really good (see the last episode of DH this year. He gave Nathan a good beating too.) but can also do comedy (Office Space).

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Originally posted by Quietude:
Course Mal would have to kill him, ain't no room in the Universe for two Reynolds'es.

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Originally posted by Misstressahara:
I'd like to know where one came to the conclusion of life expectancy being 120 years?

I can't see Harrison doing it, it would be great but I don't think his ego would allow it.

As for his mother, I don't know why but I keep seeing Maggie Smith or Judi Dench (though I realize they may be too old. As a grandma maybe. To see where Mal's ma got her strength.

As for Jayne's Pa, there was only one person I saw who could pull off fathering such a tough, hardass man like him. Jack Palance. I mean think about it. He even has the same body structure as Jayne and can, I think, be quite intimidating to someone like him. It's too bad he's gone now. I can't see anyone else pulling it off well.

And quite possibly Bruce for Mal's dad. He can do older well. If anyone ever saw the made for TV movie about the blind mountain climber, Cambell played his dad, and pulled it off so well it took me a second to realize the man in the gray wig was Bruce. He's an amazing actor who can do comedy AND drama. So don't count him out for his age.

Though I agree, with so much awesome between the two of them it may cause a rift in the space time continuim.

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Originally posted by SpaceAnJL:
Nah, Eastwood is one of the Cobb clan. I'll go with the Ford vote. Or possibly Michael Brandon.

Jayne' father looks like Jayne will in thirty years. A grey, gaunt man, weathered and worn by time until there’s the fierce ghost of strength left. But the same wolfish line to the jaw, and the seamed face holds the same blue eyes.

Kris Kristoffersen is another contender for Cobb Sr. And that guy from Numb3rs, the marine cop Granger (Dylan Bruno)? That's Matty Cobb.

Mark Harmon is the hard-bitten sarge who got stuck with the raw recruits off the gorram prairie planet. Well, it's either him, or Philip Glenister...

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Originally posted by PhyreLight:
Ermey? Oooooohhh! He's a better actor than you'd assume. He can do the tough guy one minute then be sensitive the next. Did you ever see Dead Man Walking? All around great film!

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MSB wrote:
Tuesday, July 08, 2008 06:22
Mal's mom- Dame Judy Dench. She's tough, strong, loving, but could kick your ass if she had to. She's smart and no nonsense and still a good mom... so perfect:)

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Originally posted by SpaceAnJL:
I've never quite got over Gary Cole as Sheriff Lucas Buck. Seriously scary. Given the idea floating about that Wash had an abusive father (he is the space-Xander, after all) evil!GC would do as Washburne Snr.

Other Cobb types - Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, Kurt Russell.

How about Charlize Theron? She does steely intelligence. Or Felicity Huffman? Or, of course, Lena Headey? Older ladies, we can give you Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins.

My take on Mal - his father was a city boy, sent out to teach school in a rural area. The daughter of the area's biggest rancher fell for the man, and married him despite protest. He didn't last too long - nothing to do with being weak, and everything to do with being principled - but nobody ever saw Etta Reynolds cry for him. She raised her son to do as his daddy did, and follow his own idea of right. 'Course, that led to a showdown, when she had set aside a stack of cashy money to send him off-planet to a fancy college, get him following his father's footsteps, being a teacher. And he went and enlisted. (NF vibe...) I think Mal inherited his father's ability to teach and inspire - he was good with the troops. And he inherited Etta's strength, too. 'Cos it took burning the gorram planet to bring the Independents to their knees, and even then, that woman sat in her rocker on the porch and watched the firestorm come. Ain't nothing in the 'verse could make her leave her home.

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Originally posted by SpaceAnJL:
My take on Mal - his father was a city boy, sent out to teach school in a rural area. The daughter of the area's biggest rancher fell for the man, and married him despite protest. He didn't last too long - nothing to do with being weak, and everything to do with being principled - but nobody ever saw Etta Reynolds cry for him. She raised her son to do as his daddy did, and follow his own idea of right. 'Course, that led to a showdown, when she had set aside a stack of cashy money to send him off-planet to a fancy college, get him following his father's footsteps, being a teacher. And he went and enlisted. (NF vibe...) I think Mal inherited his father's ability to teach and inspire - he was good with the troops. And he inherited Etta's strength, too. 'Cos it took burning the gorram planet to bring the Independents to their knees, and even then, that woman sat in her rocker on the porch and watched the firestorm come. Ain't nothing in the 'verse could make her leave her home.

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Originally posted by BlueEyedBrigadier:
Gotta say...having Harrison Ford be Malcolm's dad would be freaking awesome. Though having flasbacks with Indiana Solo himself wouldn't work quite right for the background I dreamt up for Mal in relation to this multi-part tale I wanna tell... Me? I like to think that Mal's background would definitely put Simon's to shame and would drive the dear Doc to fits trying to fathom how Mal's parents produced our dear Capt'n Tightpants.

To me, Mal's dad is son of a 26th century verison of Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainsview from There Will Be Blood...the black sheep offspring of a ruthless businessman, a kind and brilliant man who inherited his father's mind and skills but none of the dark cruelty, greed and cynicism that Mal's grandfather used to become one of the wealthiest men in the 'Verse not directly invovled with Blue Sun.

Mal's mom? Maybe it's an weak attempt to replicate Joss Whedon's knack for the brilliant twist nobody anticipates, but I think she's older version of Inara....creme de la creme former Guild Companion who met a man who simply couldn't be easily pigeon-holed and drove her nuts at first but eventually fell in love with him because of the same reason Inara truly wants to try something with Mal 'now': the ability to See the deeper natures of people and call them to his banner. Of course, having Mal's mother be ex-Guild raises the questions of Mal's distate for Inara's work - I picture something 'big' involving Mal's mom having to choose between the Guild and their rules and doing the right thing that leads to her expulsion - and realistically figuring out how to transition Mrs. Reynolds to being comfortable and capable of life on the Rim, even if Shadow was a world where terraforming caught on well and resources were not as scare as they would be on a planet or moon like Whitefall.

And to counterbalance Mal's secret blue-blood origins, I think Inara being Mal's opposite would be interesting to play with...a sort of Eliza Doolittle, but with much earlier access to refinement via the Companion's Guild, though through proxies until her 12th birthday, when she started her Guild training. Something like having a childhood like Kaylee's but her savant skills being in areas that draw in the attention of the Guild. Helps explain Inara's bond with her mei-mei, but her early removal from her family would allow for Inara's general outsider perespective when spending time with the crew on ship and when dirtside.

"The revenge of the beaten comes in refusing to fall." -- Mal, in "The Losing Side - Chapter 45" by jetflair

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Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:

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Originally posted by BlueEyedBrigadier:
Gotta say...having Harrison Ford be Malcolm's dad would be freaking awesome. Though having flasbacks with Indiana Solo himself wouldn't work quite right for the background I dreamt up for Mal in relation to this multi-part tale I wanna tell... Me? I like to think that Mal's background would definitely put Simon's to shame and would drive the dear Doc to fits trying to fathom how Mal's parents produced our dear Capt'n Tightpants.

To me, Mal's dad is son of a 26th century verison of Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainsview from There Will Be Blood...the black sheep offspring of a ruthless businessman, a kind and brilliant man who inherited his father's mind and skills but none of the dark cruelty, greed and cynicism that Mal's grandfather used to become one of the wealthiest men in the 'Verse not directly invovled with Blue Sun.

Mal's mom? Maybe it's an weak attempt to replicate Joss Whedon's knack for the brilliant twist nobody anticipates, but I think she's older version of Inara....creme de la creme former Guild Companion who met a man who simply couldn't be easily pigeon-holed and drove her nuts at first but eventually fell in love with him because of the same reason Inara truly wants to try something with Mal 'now': the ability to See the deeper natures of people and call them to his banner. Of course, having Mal's mother be ex-Guild raises the questions of Mal's distate for Inara's work - I picture something 'big' involving Mal's mom having to choose between the Guild and their rules and doing the right thing that leads to her expulsion - and realistically figuring out how to transition Mrs. Reynolds to being comfortable and capable of life on the Rim, even if Shadow was a world where terraforming caught on well and resources were not as scare as they would be on a planet or moon like Whitefall.

And to counterbalance Mal's secret blue-blood origins, I think Inara being Mal's opposite would be interesting to play with...a sort of Eliza Doolittle, but with much earlier access to refinement via the Companion's Guild, though through proxies until her 12th birthday, when she started her Guild training. Something like having a childhood like Kaylee's but her savant skills being in areas that draw in the attention of the Guild. Helps explain Inara's bond with her mei-mei, but her early removal from her family would allow for Inara's general outsider perespective when spending time with the crew on ship and when dirtside.

"The revenge of the beaten comes in refusing to fall." -- Mal, in "The Losing Side - Chapter 45" by jetflair

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BEB, extremely good to see you!

It seems like we think something similar on Mal's father's background. I guess that Mal's grandmother is a good match for your ideas on his grandfather.She's a matriarch that's very ambitious and likes to run every aspect of her childrens' lives. She enjoys her money and power over other people.

Mal's Ma is different altogether. She came from sturdy pioneering stock. Her grandparents were original Shadow settlers, looking for a place to set down roots and raise their family.

Her Pa ran the general store, he was a widower of middle years and his daughter and only child ran it with him. (BEB maybe you could insert your Companion here as Mal's gradmother, but the only way I can see that is if she somehow makes her way to Shadow).

Being the owner of the store, Malcolm Tully knew everyone. When Tom Reynolds landed on Shadow after a year or two of wandering around the 'verse with ideas of starting a cattle ranch he naturally looked to Mal Tully for guidance on where to buy the best cattle, buy land and meet people.

Tom was immediately smitten with Meg.Then throw in a little UST for a while and the rest they say is history. Gotta stop now because I'm giving away one of my old fics and I think parts of others.

Ed Harris or Bruce Campbell would be great as Mal Tully. Crusty, more than a bit western and great actors.

Another actor good as Mal's dad would have been a young Russell Crowe.

I'm also in the middle of a fic about how Mal gets Serenity. It came to me because I just got a new (new to me anyway!) car today. I'm sure Mal felt the same way when he first saw Serenity.





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