Retro-Cast: If Moonrise Kingdom Was Made In The 1970s

Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson’s 1965-set coming-of-age film about the blossoming young love between an orphan Khaki Scout and his pen pal, a girl who loves fantasy novels and has aggressive tendencies, became a favorite of critics and fans alike when it premiered in 2012. Praised for its talented cast, the film became one of Wes Anderson’s highest-rated features to date.

But how would the cast differ if the film, an ode to the 1960s and young love, was shot only 10 years after it was set instead of nearly 50? With an original cast stacked with seasoned professionals and bright-eyed novices, this version would feature Alan Alda, Gene Wilder, and an up-and-coming Jodie Foster among others.

Jodie Foster As Suzy Bishop

A girl who steals library books to have a secret to keep, Suzy Bishop navigates the crashing waves of adolescence and the choppy waters of her parents’ imminent separation. A troubled child prone to violent outbursts, she is introverted and wise beyond her years, two traits that don’t help her make friends. Her relationship with Sam, as well as her skills with lefty scissors and her trusty pair of iconic binoculars, make Suzy feel like a fleshed-out character beyond her aggressive tendencies.

Played by charming newbie Kara Hayward, Suzy is a great protagonist for any young actress to play. Jodie Foster rose to fame in the 1970s with roles in films like Freaky Friday, Bugsy Malone and Taxi Driver. Her role in 1972’s Napoleon and Samantha proves Foster has experience playing a child on the run through precarious terrain.

Mike Lookinland As Sam Shakusky

An orphan with behavioral issues who is unsuccessful in finding community within his Khaki Scouts troop, Sam Shakusky runs away with his pen pal, Suzy Bishop. Talkative, awkward and often blunt, the boy is described as “emotionally disturbed” by his foster family and fellow troop members. When he’s with Suzy, he forges his first real connection since his family died.

Mike Lookinland was an established child actor by the time the mid-1970s rolled around. Known for his role as the youngest brother, Bobby, on The Brady Bunch, he has experience playing the overlooked but clever character and the talent to bring the precocious tween and his quirks to life.

Alan Alda As Scout Master Ward

As the leader of Troop 55, Scout Master Ward takes his job and title seriously. An 8th-grade math teacher out of uniform, he’s a stickler for the rules and spends much of the film tracking down Sam and Suzy with the rest of the search party. His utterance of “Jimmy Cricket, he flew the coop,” when he discovered the missing scout is one of the best quotes from Moonrise Kingdom.

Edward Norton brings the devoted Scout Master Ward to life in the 2012 version. Comedian and beloved M*A*S*H star Alan Alda would be a fitting replacement in the 1970s. He’d be able to convey the character’s dedication to training his Khaki Scouts and as well as the uniform he wears with the humor and heart required for the role.

Sean Connery As Captain Sharp

Island Police Captain Duffy Sharp tries to balance the hunt for the missing tweens with keeping the secret of his affair with Suzy’s mother. The character is a little more complex than first presented, and Bruce Willis makes his case to become one of Anderson’s new go-to actors with his performance.

By the mid-1970s, Sean Connery had already played the titular James Bond in six of his seven James Bond films. Much like Die Hard star Willis, Connery would be a great fit for the bachelor police captain and he would go on to play more father figures, including Henry Jones in the Indiana Jones franchise, the following decade.

Gene Wilder As Walt Bishop

An attorney and father of the four Bishops who live at Summer’s End, Walt has become stuck in an unhappy marriage. Unsure of how to care for his troubled daughter, Suzy, and no longer in love with his wife, Laura, the Bishop patriarch has become emotionally drained, and his exhaustion is evident all over Bill Murray’s face.

In 1971, Gene Wilder played one of the most iconic roles in his filmography: Willy Wonka. Near the film’s climax, the wacky chocolatier abruptly goes from upbeat to angry, and he shows his emotional range throughout the film. Much like Murray, Wilder is known more for his funnyman roles, but his performance as Eugene Grizzard in Bonnie and Clyde displays the comedian’s dramatic talents.

Ellen Burstyn As Laura Bishop

Laura Bishop, like her husband Walt, is an attorney. Unlike her husband, she is unfaithful to their miserable marriage. Most of Laura’s screen time is dedicated to her search for Suzy or showing the inklings of her affair with Captain Sharp, but the talented Frances McDormand uses her limited time wisely, and the unhappy mother of four becomes one of Frances McDormand’s greatest roles.

Ellen Burstyn has experience playing the mother of a precocious and troubled child, making her a fitting replacement for McDormand in the role of Laura. During the 1970s, she played that kind of role in films like Alice Doesn’t Live HereAnymore and The Exorcist.

Ed Asner As The Narrator

Bob Balaban appears throughout the film as he narrates Moonrise Kingdom. He shares his knowledge of New Penzance and the adventures of Sam and Suzy with the audience as he travels across the small island. The narrator taught Sam about cartography for an accomplishment button, and he becomes involved in the plot of the film after trying to break up a fight among the adults on the pier.

As the grumpy Lou Grant on the 1970s hit The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff, Lou Grant, Ed Asner won five Emmys and became a household name. While his voice acting career started in the 1980s, his gruff delivery and dry humor would be recognizable to fans and fit the film’s atmosphere.

Madeline Kahn As Social Services

Never referred to as anything but the name of the department she works for, Social Services becomes the force many of the characters in Moonrise Kingdom are trying to outrun. Originally played by Tilda Swinton, she plans to take Sam away and place him into “Juvenile Refuge,” something Captain Sharp says sounds like jail.

While the situation Social Services plans to put Sam in is far from funny, Swinton plays the character with a hilarious air of superiority based on her place of employment and the power it gives her. In the 1970s, Mel Brooks’s go-to funnywoman Madeline Kahn would be cast in the role, and the two-time Academy Award nominee would make the mantle of Social Services her own.

Parker Stevenson As Cousin Ben

An older relative of Skotak, one of Sam’s fellow Troop 55 scouts, Cousin Ben works at a larger Khaki Scout summer camp called Fort Lebanon. Along with the Camp Ivanhoe field mates, Sam and Suzy seek out help from Ben at the camp. He performs the “wedding” between the two leads before taking them to a crabbing boat to help Sam avoid Social Services.

Jason Schwartzman, one of the director’s most frequent collaborators, played the role of Cousin Ben. Parker Stevenson, best known in the decade for playing Frank Hardy on The Hardy Boys, would be great in the role of the older Falcon Scout. As the more logical of the two Hardy boys, his no-nonsense attitude matches the energy Schwartzman brings to the role.

Wilford Brimley As Commander Pierce

As Ward’s superior and the head of Fort Lebanon, Commander Pierce serves as the Scout Master-In-Chief for the Khaki Scouts. Although his appearance is brief, Harvey Keitel and his thick, silver mustache are memorable parts of the film’s grand ensemble.

Wilford Brimley was a character actor for much of his career, appearing on television shows like The Waltons and in films like The China Syndrome and Cocoon. He also became the face of Quaker Oats, appearing in a number of commercials sporting his signature mustache.

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