ThunderCats Movie: Casting Adam Wingard’s Reboot

It was recently announced that Adam Wingard would be writing and directing a brand new ThunderCats reboot. This announcement is coming off the success of his latest film Godzilla vs Kong, though there hasn’t been any word yet on casting for the movie. This means that potentially anyone can be tapped to fill the roles of this upcoming fantasy epic. The added benefit of ThunderCats being a known property is that you don’t need to cast huge stars, but rather have the brand itself be the selling point.

ThunderCats was part of a wave of action-adventure cartoons in the 1980s that became insanely popular among kids of the time. The show, along with others like He-Man and Transformers, was primarily a commercial for the toy line that featured the various characters from the series. This was a fairly common practice thanks to Ronald Reagan eliminating old regulations when it came to advertising for children, but even so, ThunderCats became instantly beloved. It created a franchise that has spawned video games, merchandise, and even reboots of the cartoon in 2011 and 2020. Despite its place in popular culture there has yet to be a big-screen adaptation of the show. Different feature film versions of ThunderCats have been in development for decades, but none of them have managed to get off the ground. The closest it ever came to happening was a CGI animated film announced in 2007 but canceled by 2010.

This is where Adam Wingard comes in. The You’re Next and The Guest director has been a lifelong fan of ThunderCats, even going so far as writing a script for a ThunderCats movie all the way back when he was in high school. Coming off of his success helming Godzilla vs Kong he’s proven that he can deliver on big-budget spectacle, which, paired with his passion for the franchise, makes him the perfect choice to take on the project. There have already been fantastic reinterpretations of classic 80s cartoons, like 2018’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power but this film has the potential to set the bar for cartoon to film adaptations. Part of that is choosing a good cast to fill in these iconic roles. These are just some of the actors who might be a good fit for the Thundercats and the various other inhabitants of Third Earth.

Lion-O: Ludi Lin

Lion-O is the young and fearless Lord of the ThunderCats and the main protagonist of the tv show, and Ludi Lin could be the perfect actor to portray him. In the original series, Lion-O is actually a child trapped in the body of a young man. When the Thunderians fled the destruction of their homeworld and traveled to Third Earth, Lion-O’s suspension capsule malfunctioned which caused him to physically but not mentally age. If Wingard’s movie uses this plot point, the actor playing Lion-O would need to be able to capture this child-like energy along with Lion-O’s leadership qualities, his nobility, and his physical prowess as a warrior. Ludi Lin is not only a skilled martial artist but also an incredibly likable screen presence. He broke out by playing Zack in the 2017 Power Rangers movie, where he showed off his talent, fun energy, and emotional range and parlayed that into a fierce role as Captain Murk in Aquaman. He’s also set to play Liu Kang in this year’s Mortal Kombat.

Cheetara: Haley Lu Richardson

Haley Lu Richardson is one of the best actresses working today, and she could bring so much to the role of Cheetara. A brave and cunning warrior, Cheetara is one of the most capable members of the ThunderCats team and often serves as a voice of reason. Richardson could provide Cheetara with believability and a real sense of pathos. She’s been absolutely stellar in films like The Edge of Seventeen, Columbus, and Support the Girls playing a wide variety of roles in different genres. She has the range but hasn’t applied it to any large franchise films yet so ThunderCats could be her chance to play in that space.

Jaga: Keith David

Jaga is like the Obi-Wan Kenobi of the ThunderCats franchise. In his youth, he was a great and noble warrior, but he dies saving the rest of the main cast early on in the story. He then becomes a ghost on Third Earth and serves as a mentor for Lion-O as he takes up the responsibility of the Sword of Omens. A role like this would require a wise presence with a commanding voice (as his ghost form will likely be primarily CGI) and there’s no one better suited than veteran character actor Keith David. While he is often known for his more sinister performances like Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog, when it comes to both on-screen appearances and voice acting, Keith David has over 300 IMDb credits and has played every type of character you can think of. With a voice and a history like his, he could believably be a noble leader giving sage advice from the grave and could make the most out of whatever limited amount of screen time he might be given.

Tygra: Noah Segan

Noah Segan is another highly experienced character actor most well known for being a frequent collaborator of writer/director Rian Johnson, playing memorable roles in films such as Brick, Looper, and Knives Out. While these have often been either comedic or sleazy roles for him, he’s capable of changing things up with a role like Tygra. Tygra is often seen as Lion-O’s second in command and is a staunch, level-headed warrior, scientist, and architect. Even without his work with Rian Johnson, Segan is experienced and talented enough to bring those qualities to the part and serve as a calm counter-balance to Ludi Lin’s Lion-O, who would be more brash and upbeat in his leadership.

Panthro: Mike Colter

Panthro is the chief mechanic, engineer, and pilot for the ThunderCats along with being one of their most physically strong warriors. Mike Colter, best known for starring in Luke Cage on Netflix, could be a great fit for the role. He has the physical presence, the intelligence, the charm, humor, and anger that all mix together into Panthro’s unique personality. It has the makings of a solid supporting role within the story that an actor like Mike Colter could really embody and make his own.

WilyKat and WilyKit: Faithe Herman and Evan Alex

The pair of siblings sometimes referred to as the Thunderkittens, Kit and Kat were the same age as Lion-O when their spaceship left Thundera, but their suspension capsules didn’t malfunction and so they stayed as children. They were trained and equipped by Jaga in order to adapt to their new home on Third Earth. Evan Alex and Faithe Herman, two young and very talented up-and-coming actors, could be potentially good fits for the Thunderkittens. Both have some experience with genre pieces. Alex is mostly known for starring in Jordan Peele’s Us while Herman has been a part of bigger budgeted projects like Shazam! and HBO’s Watchmen. They’re both right now at an age right on the cusp of becoming teenagers, so they could believably participate in whatever action scenes are required of them and they could grow up alongside however many sequels follow Wingard’s first film.

Snarf: Tom Waits

It has been argued that nobody likes Snarf. It’s a common opinion, even from people who know very little about ThunderCats, that Snarf is just an annoying sidekick of the kind that was common in 80s cartoons. The 2011 and 2020 reboots of the show both decided to have Snarf not speak and be more of a pet to the ThunderCats than a person. Wingard’s film may do something similar, but that is a mistake for one simple reason: it is objectively funny to imagine Tom Waits playing Snarf. Waits is similar to David Bowie in that he is one of the most successful examples of a musician becoming an actor as well. He’s had great performances in films like Seven Psychopaths and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Snarf is technically the oldest member of the ThunderCats and used to be a nursemaid to Lion-O before Lion-O’s transformation into an adult. Having Tom Waits’s signature gravelly voice come out of Snarf as he plays an old and crotchety version of him that’s always talking about the old days and constantly worrying over Lion-O has the potential to provide really great comedic relief to the film.

Mumm-Ra: Richard Brake

Lastly, the villain of the story: Mumm-Ra. Mumm-Ra is an immortal demon-priest that has preserved his life thanks to his mastery of dark magics. He is a classic 80s cartoon villain and while, like He-Man & the Masters of the Universe‘s Skeletor, his seriousness was sometimes played for laughs, a live-action version of him demands the kind of menace that often goes along with reinterpretations of these characters. Richard Brake could bring that menace. He’s often been cast as villains over the years in movies and shows such as The Mandalorian, where he played Valin Hess, Joe Chill in Batman Begins, Thor: The Dark World, and Spy, with one of the more memorable examples being the original actor to portray the Night King on Game of Thrones. Just watching him in the Season 5 episode “Hardhome” can be enough to convince you what he could do with an even more substantial role like Mumm-Ra.

Adam Wingard is a unique emerging voice in the world of genre filmmaking. Whoever he decides to cast in his version of ThunderCats would no doubt be able to recognize the passion he has for the franchise, just like his passion for something like Godzilla vs Kong. With any luck will be able to match that level of passion and help bring the world of the Thunderians to life.

About The Author