Sharlto Copley Goes from ‘D9′ to ‘A-Team?’

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 10, 2009

SharltoCopleyATeamMurdock

A while back, our friends over at Blackfilm narrowed down the casting competition for the role of B.A. Baracus in Joe Carnahan’s take on The A-Team. It was either going to rapper The Game or fighter Rampage Jackson – both unconventional choices – and we learned last week that the role had gone to Jackson. Probably because of how awesome his nickname is. Although, the B.A. in B.A. Baracus stands for “Bad Attitude,” so he might have to dial it back down from “Rampage” a bit.

Well, now Blackfilm has a rumor spreading around that District 9’s Sharlto Copley has been approached to play the pilot Howlin’ Mad Murdock.

This would be both 1) huge considering he’s only been in one movie and b) not all that surprising since it was an indie sci-fi movie that handed everyone’s ass back to them as they left the theater. Still, it would be a major role for a non-actor-turned-actor to snag.

I realize I should be singing the praises of Copley, but there’s a nagging question on my mind. What about his District 9 performance would make a casting director think he’s right to play a delusional psychopath who’s only decent at hiding his insanity? On the acting side of things, it seems obvious that Copley has some natural talent, but the character of Murdock also impersonates famous people and has mastered myriad different foreign accents.

What do you think? Who do you want to see in the role?

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martisco

The people behind A-Team probably saw "Hellweek," the short promotional film that Copley did in which he had a hilarious little performance as a psychopathic American former Green Beret drill sargeant.

chille

While I absolutely think Copley deserves more work, I don't think this role is right for him.

Goober99

the guy would be perfect. He's brilliant at doing foreign accents - is constantly making jokes, impersonating people. He's a archetypal prankster. This would be a great casting

Karyn

Interesting comments about your concern regarding Copley's ability to portray the complex character of Murdock....these two lesser known facts about this talented South African actor may be of interest and are particularly relevant.
Copley happens to be extremely good at accents, eccentric impersonations and improvisation (he improvised almost all his lines in D9)...now combine that with his acting talent and I predict his portrayal of Murdock will kick ass!!

shamwowboy

Sharlto said that when he was younger he could always mimic accents and pretend to be different people using them, so the accents thing should be no problem for him. I love that he's in this movie and I have faith that he'll do a BRILLIANT job, but this movie doesn't seem up to his level of acting, meaning he's too good for it. He deserves something more original and up to his scale, but he accepted the offer, so there's no going back. He'll own this role; he's a godly actor. <33

Howlin' Mad Em.

The character of Capt. H.M. Murdock is not a delusional psychopath. He is stated in the A team series as having paranoid delusions and intermittent memory loss, though these are not apparant when on missions. Murdock's psychiatrist states in one episode that he knows everything about reality but chooses not to live in it. Murdock did present as eccentric, appearing to use his 'insanity' as a cover and a weapon and also for entertainment. he is a complex and intriguing character played brilliantly by Dwight Schultz. All the best to Shalto Copley.

Howlin' Mad Em.

The character of Capt. H.M. Murdock is not a delusional psychopath. He is stated in the A team series as having paranoid delusions and intermittent memory loss, though these are not apparant when on missions. Murdock's psychiatrist states in one episode that he knows everything about reality but chooses not to live in it. Murdock did present as eccentric, appearing to use his 'insanity' as a cover and a weapon and also for entertainment. he is a complex and intriguing character played brilliantly by Dwight Schultz. All the best to Shalto Copley.

Sharlto Copley Goes from ‘D9′ to ‘A-Team?’

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