The reason I thought Burns was brilliantly cast as God is in my opinion God should be played by someone very old, but very very sharp. Here are a few people I would put in the God role:
1. Mel Brooks(I know they wanted him originally)
2. Abe Vigoda
3. Kirk Douglas
4. Betty White
In the John Denver Role:
1. Ben Stiller
2. Ellen Degenerous
3. Ray Ramono
I would make God contact the main character by E-mail
Oh god, not Ben Stiller! Besides, he doesn't come off as "pure" enough. John Denver was the type who would say "H-E-Double Toothpicks" and be sincere enough to pull it off. Ray Ramano might be good enough to pull it off. I could believe him in the character.
As for God, that's a toughie. I'd hate to go with a woman as a gimmick. Even Morgn Freeman as a black god came off gimmicky. My god, Is Kirk Douglas still alive? I like Mel Brooks. He's got a good face for it as does Eli Wallach.
You wanna go off the leash though? Have Steve Buscemi play off of Betty White's god. that would be vicious!
And no one in their right mind opens up an email from God. That just screams "virus alert"! If anything, do it by cell phone- even texting. I can see curiosity getting the better of you if the caller ID brings up "God".
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I think I can answer the E-mail criticism with the fact that Jerry did not respond to a letter from God right away either. It was not until it showed up I think in some lettuce that he took it more seriously. The thing about an E-mail is can delete an E-mail, but what if you couldn't delete it, or move it to the trash. That would get your curiosity.
shareNot on the computer through the internet. That would get me scared that I was hacked. but that's just me, I suppose. if it got to the point that the e-mail was haunting me and undeleteable, I would likely wipe my hard drive completely before ever opening it. And then I'd be pretty pissed off at god for making me zero-out my hard drive.
And after a completely wiped hard drive, if the email still showed up? Yikes! I think Id be MORE scared to open it than curious!
But not everyone is as paranoid of viruses as I am. My wife would open it, respond to it and click on every pop-up ad that followed. So in the arena of a Hollywood film, it would work, I suppose. Just as naked, showering co-eds will investigate a strange noise in the abandoned campgrounds armed with just a towel.
My "#3" key is broken so I'm putting one here so i can cut & paste with it.
Freeman and White as God would be "gimmicky"? Good God, sometimes I believe we live in a modern world with smartphones, computers, and Internet and then you realize those things are just a medium and means to show how backward we really are. I'm really surprised you didn't say, "Mel Brooks as a Jewish God would be gimmicky"
shareDon't bother, it's perfect.
sharedidn't they remake this with bruce almighty, with just a slightly different angle
"the day I tried to live, I learned that I was alive"
John Denver's part could be played by Duane Johnson and GOD could be a plus sized minority Woman (Oprah ) so it will be more politically correct for our more enlightened age. Lots of wrap music on the soundtrack of course and maybe some big explosion at the end.Maybe Duane could play his character as gay also.
shareWhat if Duane just played it with an exaggerated lisp and limp?
shareFor God:
1. Lloyd Bridges
2. Leslie Nielsen
3. Mel Brooks
4. Madeleine Kahn
For John Denver's role:
1. Owen Wilson
2. Mark Ruffalo