I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

So this week myself and several helpers shall be attempting to cast the new A-Team film. Now, we're not actually casting the film, I suppose it's more of a sad fantasy, like Fantasy Football without the competition. Each candidate will be awarded a score out of three, based on the original shows characters, to help my readers work out who should be cast!

Today we'll be looking at Hannibal Smith, the leader of the A-Team. As I'm sure anyone reading this already knows, he always has a plan and loves his cigars, as well as has a job as an actor. Sort of. Played by the late, great George Peppard, who could possibly fill his shoes? Well, here's a list of potential canditates...

The man himself, George Peppard


Bruce Willis

Bruce seems to be the most popular choice on the internet geek boards at the moment. But would he be any good? I'm not so sure, I think the film would end up with John McClane in the lead, being all action-hero-ish, and generally taking over the whole film. Oh, and he might actually something other than a tyre when he starts shooting. A veritable king of mad plans in the Die Hard films, Armageddon, etc.

Chris Cooper


An unlikely choice, but is it inspired? Probably best known for his role in The Bourne Identity, but has appeared in shit loads of films (my favourite is Interstate 60, bet you've never seen it). To me he has that look, and could well pull it off, but may be a bit too serious for the role.

George Clooney


Another popular choice, he definitely has the right look, but would his presence turn it from the A-Team into Ocean's 4? Still, he has the right kind of humour, I can see him getting excited over his over complicated plans, and basically turning the film into a lot of fun. Clooney might be a bit too PC to smoke a cigar, though, which would take him straight out of the running.

Mel Gibson

An interesting choice I stumbled upon on the internet, but I think he has the same problems as Bruce Willis. You'd end up with Martin Riggs leading the team, and who really wants to see Danny Glover as BA?! Of course, with Mel it could go the other way, and he'd insist it's filmed in Iraq, casting Iraquis in the key roles and the whole film being shot in foreign language with subs. Eh.

John Travolta

Very much like Willis and Gibson, except Travolta hasn't had a trilogy quadrilogy of films as the lead action star, and he more than often plays the bad guy. Good choice, and looks good smoking a cigar.

And Anne's choice...

Steve Martin

Um. Yeah. Well, I suppose if it was a comedy... although sometimes the most unlikely of choices works, and he does bear more than a similarity to Peppard...

So who do you think? Any of the above, or do you have any better nominations?