ggersten said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Mackie would be a major draw right now."
Depending on the re-write, Moses and Kitch are, I believe, supposed to be anywhere from 18-25. That was my sense when I saw it in Denver - but then, that was also the age of the actors. I don't know what the script actually calls for.
Mackie is 42. Mahershala Ali is 47. Michael Jordan is 34. Yahya Abdul-Mateen also is 34. Can they play younger? Perhaps.
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Hmm, fair point. I didn’t remember that the characters were supposed to be so young. Stanfield and Kaluuya just played characters in their early 20s in Judas, though I remember seeing some criticism online that this was problematic, on the grounds that it contributes to the harmful trend of erasing Black youth - similar to how young Black men and teens are seen as fully grown, “dangerous” adults in the eyes of society, and the justice system.
Having said that, I don’t remember the ages of these characters being particularly important. Are their ages mentioned in the script? Or just in the character descriptions? Either way, the script is being changed, so it’s all up in the air. But I guess my point is that, sadly, the persecution these characters face often continues for Black men in their 30s and 40s.
If they were to cast the characters age-appropriately, that would severely limit their options for “very big” names. Maybe Kelvin Harrison Jr.? Caleb McLaughlin? Jaden Smith? Shameik Moore? Nothing against these actors, but I don’t think any of them would be as good as the older actors I mentioned.
