Wacky Casting

Some of you may have had the same reaction I did when you heard the news that actor Jerry O'Connell has been cast to play the role of Herman in Mockingbird Lane, the remake of The Munsters that's in development -- "What???" I think O'Connell is a fine performer and I've enjoyed his work since his early days in Stand By Me and My Secret Identity and later in Sliders, but I can't picture him yet in the part that Fred Gwynne made famous.

This isn't the only recent casting choice that has people scratching their heads in disbelief. What do you think of Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor in the television movie Liz and Dick, which is in production. Personally, I'm rooting for her to turn her life around -- she started out as such a talented young actress and it would be great if she can put all the tabloid nonsense behind her and surprise her critics with a comeback for the ages.

Sometimes, casting choices are just plain ridiculous. I never bought Rosie O'Donnell as Betty Rubble in the live-action version of The Flintstones, and although many thought he did a fine job, I still thought Anthony Hopkins as the disgraced U.S. President in Nixon was a stretch.

There are times, however, when the public mocks or decries what seems to be a poor casting choice, only to have it turn out to be a brilliant decision.  Tom Cruise proved the naysayers wrong as Lestat in Interview with the Vampire and some claim that Michael Keaton turned out to be the best Batman.

Some crazy casting never materialized. Remember when Michael Jackson was planning to play Edgar Allan Poe? That would have been...interesting.

What do think? Will Jerry O'Connell be terrific as Herman Munster and will Lindsay Lohan be believable as Liz Taylor? Let's wait and see.