Kevin’s Fantasy Draft: Command and Conquer: Liesbesman, Renner, Beckinsale, Hiddleston

(Editor’s Note: The following is part of The First Cosmic Book News Fantasy Hollywood Draft; keyword being “fantasy”)

Command and Conquer: First Strike

by: Kevin Faltisco

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2006:]]My fantasy Hollywood movie is a Command and Conquer adaptation that could potentially span somewhere around four movies. I would not want a simple rehashing of the events that take place in the games themselves, but rather, a side story of sorts that takes place during the same timeframe. Jonathan Liesbesman will direct all the movies as he has experience with war films that feature very intelligent aliens using a traditional chain of command (for when the alien race of The Scrin get involved).

The Picks and extras:

Jonathan Liesbesman – The director of Battle: LA is capable of portraying combat between humans and aliens which will be the main focus as the command and conquer story starts to unfold and the Scrin are introduced. He also was able to capture large scale battles as well as follow a small group of soldiers on the ground and make it all seem relevant and connected which would be pivotal to the success of a Command and Conquer movie.

Jeremy Renner – Well versed in the role of playing a slightly egotistical badass, will fit very well into the role of a Commando from the world of Command and Conquer. Commandos are the elite soldiers of GDI forces whom in the game were able to one-shot-kill any infantry and plant C4 on any building destroying it immediately upon detonation. There will be plenty of room for ego with this role, and he will most certainly be able to be a hardcore badass.

Kate Beckinsale – Jeremy’s female commando partner — who was picked as a little nod towards Tanya from the Command and Conquer: Red Alert series. Tanya was a dual pistol wielding chick who tore apart anyone in her path without breaking a sweat. Sound like another role we have already seen her in?!

Michelle Rodriguez – A staple in most humans vs aliens movies who has proven herself as an actress capable of pulling of a grizzled infantrymen or pilot on numerous occasions.

Charles Dance as Commander Sheppard – With his recent work in Game of Thrones playing Tywin Lannister, he should have absolutely no problem playing the leader of GDI’s military forces. His voice is also naturally strong and commanding, which was how Commander Sheppard was depicted in C&C.

Judi Dench – Her role in several James Bond films sets her up perfectly to play a high ranking GDI officer who is willing to pull some string to get what she wants, even if it meant she would have to attempt to save face afterwards. She, too, has a very commanding voice and is not afraid to raise it while acting, which when dealing with commandos you will almost always have to do, seeing as they tend to let weapons do the talking…

John Cleese – The man who has been portraying Q in James Bond films since the passing of Desmond Llewelyn is the perfect choice to play the head of GDI’s scientific division tasked with exploring the potentials of tiberium and tiberium harvesting.

Joseph D. Kucan – The man who has pulled off the iconic role of Kane in every C&C game featuring Kane is the only choice to play this role because putting anyone else in the role would be pure blasphemy.

Tom Hiddleston – His work with the Loki character is absolutely astounding and makes him the perfect choice for a main character in Nod’s army. The slightly psychotic undertone that he gave his character will serve him well in the role of the head of The Black Hand, and will synergize with Kane’s very well.

Cillian Murphy – Yet another actor who can pull off psychotic villains and also has played a crazy scientist, which he will do again. Playing the head of Nod’s research and development team it will allow viewers to see the intentions of Nod more clearly and far faster than it was in the games.

The Movie:

A meteorite smashes into the earth near the Tiber river in Italy, leaving behind a substance dubbed Tiberium that has peculiar properties. It is [[wysiwyg_imageupload:2007:]]able to absorb minerals from the soil and crystallize them; however, this process causes extremely toxic gases to be expelled. The scientific community is quick to respond to this new resource and it rapidly becomes the most sought after resource with trade markets opening up almost immediately. Meanwhile the quasi-religious secret society of The Brotherhood of Nod has somehow foreseen the capabilities of Tiberium and has already made ways to harvest it.

The Global Defense Initiative (GDI) has been protecting the majority of the free world with the help of the UN from any and all adversaries. GDI combines armies from America, and Europe mostly, with a few other smaller countries contributing resources to the defensive effort. Sensing an eventual war with GDI, Nod massacres the inhabitants of a village and quickly runs a smear campaign that declares GDI as the perpetrators. As a result, GDI’s loyalty and discipline is called into question and their funding is cut. They must now work to protect the free world from Nod’s forces with limited supplies and strive to keep the greatest minds of the world safe, as it has become clear that Nod is targeting leading scientists around the world.

While the majority of GDI’s forces race around the world to gather up the scientists and secure vital assets to Tiberium research and defensive strong points, an elite task force of GDI commandos and support units are sent on a classified mission to acquire the location of Nod’s main base of operations and find its headquarters. It is also believed that Nod is working toward putting a much grander plan in motion to dissolve GDI entirely.

Since the games allowed for you to play through the campaign for both GDI and Nod, there is potential for the series to swing both ways in terms of who “wins” at the end of each movie allowing for a series that follows in the footsteps of Star Wars where certain movies are more focused on a particular side coming out on top.