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Den of Thieves

Recasting Couch

Ali Larter; young Nick prequel; keep existing cast

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:01Read transcript
  • Recasting: Ali Larter's Landman character as Big Nick's ex-wife, with a joke that she would respond less gracefully and might stab him.
  • A prequel about young Nick's football years and entry into Los Angeles policing is proposed after discussing Timothée Chalamet's next role.
  • An earlier proposal would give Butler a funny sidekick played by Dave Chappelle.
  • The Chappelle idea receives immediate objections; the proposer ultimately says he was wrong despite imagining gun training and jokes at Nick’s expense.
  • The existing cast is ultimately retained.
  • A funnier Bosco is proposed, with Flea invoked as a model for someone who could mock Nick.
  • Shane Gillis as Murph is offered as another example of a cop who could supply a few jokes about Nick.
  • Nicolas Cage would have suited Big Nick in the mid-to-late 2000s but has aged out of that version.
  • Pedro Pascal is a contemporary Big Nick possibility, with physical credibility and apparent behavioral authenticity important to the role.
  • An unspecified Wagner is another possibility; the transcript does not establish a surname.
  • Ben Affleck is proposed for a mid-to-late-2000s version.
  • Liev Schreiber as Big Nick would create a brother-against-brother pairing with Pablo; the audience groans at the idea.