Next Summer: Frasier Gets Mutated

[Furious D]

Grammer To Play Blue Beast in 'X-Men 3'
Fans of Kelsey Grammer are set to find him tough to recognize in his next project - he's playing a furry blue monster in the second X-Men sequel. In X-Men 3, the former Frasier star will play oversized mutant Beast, who has not yet appeared in any of the franchise's installments. While there has been a shocked reaction to Grammer's casting, producers of the movie insist he's the perfect choice for the part - because Beast is the most intelligent of all the mutants. Snatch star Vinnie Jones is also set to undergo a huge image overhaul when he plays villainous Juggernaut in the movie. His character is a 900 pound metal-clad battering ram. The sci-fi series stars Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn. The movie, to be directed by Matthew Vaughn, is set to debut in May next year.

What do you think, good idea or bad?

[iEatBrainMatter]

I think good. He has the voice down.

[El Duderino Diablo]

I liked the fella that we saw playing Hank McCoy in a wee snippet (giving a television interview) during X2. I thought he looked fitting in the part of the pre-Beast Hank McCoy. Kelsey Grammer voicing beast though? I'm not so sure about that but I'll try to keep an open mind.
Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut though... I like that, a lot.

[Rory L. Aronsky]

Kelsey Grammer voicing beast though? I'm not so sure about that but I'll try to keep an open mind.

Well, he did put on a convincing Russian accent in "Anastasia" (1997) as Vladimir and was pretty good as Stinky Pete in "Toy Story 2". I like that choice.

[AmaiStina]

Well, he did put on a convincing Russian accent in "Anastasia" (1997) as Vladimir and was pretty good as Stinky Pete in "Toy Story 2". I like that choice.

how much of what we see of his Beast will be due to makeup & costume? how much to CGI?

it would be so funny if there was blue body paint involved & no one read the warning label on the bottle that says if worn on the skin for more than X number of hours and paint does not wash off to seek medical help immediately.

Kelsey could turn into a smurf.

[Furious D]

how much of what we see of his Beast will be due to makeup & costume? how much to CGI?

It'll most likely be Kelsey's heavily made up head on a CGI body. Which would make the part fairly simple for him.

[Seedy Edgewick]

Grammer's a good choice. He's got the vocal inflections to come across as super-intellectual, and he's got the acting chops to pull off a decent character.

I see three ways of going with this:

(1) All-CG Beast. Grammer would provide voice only. I think this is the worst way to go, since CG will always look like CG, and Jar-Jar proved that CG characters will serve to disrupt the suspension of disbelief.

(2) All-costume Beast. Grammer would appear in closeups and dramatic scenes, but a stuntman would fill the suit for action. Probably the best choice, but it precludes the massive proportions of the blue furry incarnation of Beast.

(3) Costume Beast for drama & closeups; CG Beast for action & long shots. Basically a middle ground between (1) and (2). Grammer would do all the acting.

Of course, there's always the possibility of a return to the "original" Beast, who was neither blue nor furry, although still possessing the character's strength and agility. I just hope they don't do some bullshit "disguise" technology that somehow "projects" an image of a "human" Hank McCoy over a blue, furry beast. I'm getting real sick of that cop-out in movies.

[GiGi]

I think it is great. Kelsey Grammer is a trained classical shakespearean actor who has held his own weight with stage greats. We have only really got to see one side from him in his long running "Frasier Crane" role, and a comedic side at that. I think he coudl branch out and really surprise a great deal of people.

I have read his autobiography...I think it's called "My Life So far"...the guy has had a hard life. His dad was shot and killed when he was young; and then his younger sister was raped and murdered, stuffed in a dumpster. Kelsey had to go identify her. Between lots of failed marriages and alcoholism, I'm pulling for the guy.

[AmaiStina]

I have read his autobiography...I think it's called "My Life So far"...the guy has had a hard life. His dad was shot and killed when he was young; and then his younger sister was raped and murdered, stuffed in a dumpster. Kelsey had to go identify her. Between lots of failed marriages and alcoholism, I'm pulling for the guy.

:eek:

what about his mummy?

[mr_lackobreath]

Henry McCoy turned into the blue, furry Beast trying to develop a cure for being a mutant. Maybe a possible cure for mutation will be the plot of the movie and Henry will not change until the end of the movie. What I wonder is, will Juggernaut be a mutant or will his powers come from the ruby?

[Seedy Edgewick]

And how is Phoenix going to fit into all this?

Maybe, with Phoenix's appearance, Hank McCoy will embark on a quest to cure mutation, with the blue furry results we're discussing.

I have a feeling Juggernaut will be a mutant like everyone else. In a comic book universe, you need different origins for different characters, especially villians. In films, which must play to a much broader audience, you need to keep things consistent and simple. The ruby story would require too much exposition; we don't want X3 to become "The Origin of Juggernaut." If he's simply a mutant, we can introduce him and move on. Remember, in the comics, Sabretooth originated from the same Canadian weapons program that produced Wolverine. In the film, he was just another mutant.

[mr_lackobreath]

I forgot about the whole Phoenix business. I am sure the movie will not involve the Shi'ar at all.

The ruby story would require too much exposition; we don't want X3 to become "The Origin of Juggernaut." If he's simply a mutant, we can introduce him and move on. Remember, in the comics, Sabretooth originated from the same Canadian weapons program that produced Wolverine. In the film, he was just another mutant.

Hopefully they keep Juggernaut as Xavier's half-brother and not just some hired muscle that has no real motive for his actions. I think not playing on the Sabretooth/Wolverine relationship diminished the importance of Sabretooth. Sabretooth is supposed to be the foil for Wolverine. He is the killing machine Weapon-X wanted Wolverine to be.

[GiGi]

From the internet:

Grammer was born February 21, 1955, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. His parents divorced when Grammer was very young, and he was raised by his mother and grandfather in New Jersey and then Florida. Tragedy followed Grammer's family: his father was murdered when Grammer was just thirteen years old; seven years later, his sister was raped and murdered after leaving a restaurant in Colorado, and his two half-brothers were killed in a freak scuba-diving accident five years after that. Grammer developed a substance abuse problem, and eventually ended up in the Betty Ford Center, for both alcohol and drug abuse.

Grammer was born on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and was raised by his mother and grandfather, first in New Jersey, and then in Florida. After the death of his grandfather, the 12-year-old Grammer was drawn to the works of William Shakespeare, which fostered his love of the English language.


Guess his mom lived to a ripe old age. I honestly could not remember. I also had forgotten about his half brothers. The guy seems to be cursed. Anyhoo, his book is interesting reading. :)