Five Actors Better Suited for the CONAN Villain Role than Stephen Lang

The man rocks a mean coffee mug.  That, we cannot take away from the grizzled, bleach blonde Stephen Lang, who thumped Sam Worthington a time or two in AVATAR.  I guess that makes the guy suited to play the villain role, because news broke today over at Latino Review that Lang has been offered the part of the heavy in the Marcus Nispel-directed reworking of CONAN.

What say us?  Well, before we give our own, person opinion, let’s give a description of who the people behind CONAN were looking for.

Khalar Singh is in his 40s to 50s, Asian or Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mongol, Turkish, or Persian, open to all ethnicities; commanding in size and manner, a warlord and formidable warrior, brilliant, cruel, weathered and tanned by the many campaigns he has waged and won. He is driven in his quest to find the Queen of Acheron and has been building an empire to do so.

Okay, Lang is 57, and he seems like the kind of man who could easily be driven to build an empire under the bones of his crushed enemies.  He also seems like to hear the lamentations of their women, but that’s another story altogether.  What really cries foul in this whole decision and screams of reactive cinema is the second line of description on Singh.  Asian or Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mongol, Turkish, or Persian.

Stephen Lang is from New York City, and, were it not for the $2.5 billion AVATAR has made worldwide, his name wouldn’t even be in the running for the CONAN Role.  In fact, I would go so far as to say this is probably the worst example of reactive film making I’ve seen in recent memory.  Okay, Michael Bay using “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” to show off the new Camaro in TRANSFORMERS probably beats it, but this is right up there.

Don’t get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with Lang.  He is a fine actor, and AVATAR along with PUBLIC ENEMIES last year proved he has what it takes to show off his bad ass side.  However, there are fine Asian and Middle Eastern actors out there who would probably be more suited to play the role of a man whose surname is Singh.  Besides, we want Lang free and clear if they ever decide to bring Cable into the X-MEN movies.

Here are just five of those suitable choices:

Tadanobu Asano

Where he is from: Yokohama, Japan

Where you know him: ICHI THE KILLER, SURVIVE STYLE 5+, MONGOL

Personally, who I think would be the ideal choice is a man whose move to high-profile, Hollywood fare I’ve been championing since first seeing him going crazy in Takashi Miike THE KILLER.  Asano has what it takes to play villainous, charming, and absolutely insane.  Plus, as we’ve seen from most of his movies, he has what it takes to stand up to someone like Conan physically.  He’s young.  Asano only turns 38 this year, but, as proven in MONGOL, he wears the weathered look well.  Of course, worry not if you’re a fan of Asano.  He can next be seen in Kenneth Branagh’s THOR, and that’s just about enough to make up for him not getting this part.

Oded Fehr

Where he is from: Tel Aviv, Israel

Where you know him: THE MUMMY (’97), THE MUMMY RETURNS, RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPE and EXTINCTION

Okay, maybe not the best choice when it comes to acting ability or in regards to filmography pedigree.  Oded Fehr hasn’t made the best choices in his career, and one has to look at his work on Showtime’s “Sleeper Cell” to see the best acting the man has to offer.  Regardless, he is quite cool, and could definitely teach Jason Momoa a thing or two in the charm department.  He is 39, so that puts him just outside the casting’s age requirement.  Of course, they put the offer out to Stephen Lang.  Their requirements are flimsy at best.

Hiroyuki Sanada

Where he is from: Tokyo, Japan

Where you know him: THE LAST SAMURAI, SUNSHINE, SPEED RACER, “Lost”

Sanada should have broken out a long time ago.  It’s been seven years since THE LAST SAMURAI, and it is still easy to reflect how memorable he was in the small but effective part of Ujio.  Since then, he’s had bit parts here and there, and is more than likely going to achieve some notoriety with his turn as Dogen on this final season of “Lost.”  Of course, Sanada has been acting in film since his tiny part in 1974’s THE EXECUTIONER.  Since then, he has put on around 70 films to his credit.  He would be perfect for the part of Singh.  At 49, he’s in the perfect age range for the part, he’s very cool, and he has proven time and time again he has what it takes both in the acting department and the physical department to bring the villainous role to bad ass life.  Oh, you aren’t sure about the physical side?  Just watch the first 10 minutes of this week’s “Lost”. You will be proven wrong.

Choi Min-sik

Where he is from: Seoul, South Korea

Where you know him: OLDBOY, LADY VENGEANCE

Gotta be honest here, I only know Choi Min-sik from three films, the two mentioned above and TAE GUK GI, but only one of these roles proves he has what it takes for the Singh part in CONAN.  Granted, there probably aren’t any Ace Hardwares anywhere in Cimmeria, so it may be hard for Singh to get his hands on a claw hammer.  Nonetheless, I’m sure Min-sik could find other, more dangerous weapons just as suitable as he found that damned hammer in OLDBOY.  Plus, he took on around 50 or 60 guys in OLDBOY and made it look convincing that he was winning.  I’m sure he would have no issues at all with making Momoa look like a chump.

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Where she is from: Tehran, Iran

Where you know her: THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, “24”, “FlashForward”

Okay, I know what you’re thinking.  This is ridiculous and I must be smoking something very pure if I think Shohreh Aghdashloo would make a decent villain(ess) in the upcoming CONAN movie.  But think of how interesting and different it would be for Marcus Nispel and crew to rewrite the character and make it a female antagonist who has, somehow, built an empire around her shoulders.

Sean Hood was recently brought in to do a fresh rewrite on the screenplay, anyway, and, while he isn’t the last bastion for groundbreaking screenwriting, he could have a few tricks up his sleeve.  Sure, there probably wouldn’t be any hand-to-hand action between Singh and Conan if this were to come to pass, but that’s what henchmen are for, right?  I say screw conformity and go with the freshest and most interesting (not to mention about as distanced from “reactive” film making as you can get) choice imaginable.  Role with Aghdashloo as Singh.  If for nothing else, I just want to see what she looks like with bleach blonde hair.

CONAN is set to begin filming later this year.