Casting the Presidents

Recently, on my Facebook page, I mentioned that I'm OK with Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln and Bill Murray as FDR (I commend the casting director for their imagination on that one. Here are my picks for other presidents:

George Washington: Liam Neeson - Based on his experience fighting the British in "Rob Roy" and "Michael Collins," he needs to play either Washington or Gandhi to fill out the trilogy. He's definitely tall enough to play Washington.

John Quincy Adams: Anthony Hopkins - he already nailed it in "Amistad."

Andrew Jackson: I have to go with Billy Bob Thornton. He's got that crazy energy that you need to play Jackson. Maybe Christopher Walken?

Franklin Pierce: Keanu Reeves - Worst President in History - Worst Actor in History. Actually, it depends on the movie. I think if Pierce is a walk-on role, definitely Keanu. If he's the main character, I think I'd go with my brother's suggestion on Johnny Depp.

James Buchanan: Derek Jacobi - I originally thought Nathan Lane, but I think I'd rather see Sir Derek in the role. Maybe cast Nathan Lane as Senator King.

Chester Alan Arthur: I would go with John Goodman. The hard part is deciding which president Goodman should play. He'd work well for Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland, Taft, and LBJ. Arthur is one of my favorite presidents, and I'd love to see John Goodman in the role.

Bill Clinton: Only Travolta can play Clinton. See "Primary Colors."

Well, that's a start. We still have plenty of presidents to cast. I'll post updates if I come up with any more obvious matches.