Someone please tell me this is a joke. Pitt would be totally wrong. A pretty boy, a decent actor in some ways (he was good in Seven) but he is completely wrong for such a part. Russell Crowe might be better, so long as he does not punch any more hotel concierges.

Pitt and Lips? Yeah, that'll be a winner. Or, as Bill the Cat puts it----pppphhhhhhbbbbbtttt (sound of a very long, juicy raspberry).

Gary Cooper used to say that he wished he had acted in the Hollywood version of the Foutainhead after he understood the book. Although I think that the job he did was O.K.

However, there is the question of the script.

In the Fountainhead film there was a lot of wimping out (for example the building that gets blown up is not a government housing project for the needy).

But Atlas Shrugged without the politics is not worth doing - surely even the Hollywoodheads must see that?

They will not make any money if the politics is left out or is distorted into modern "liberalism".

There was a time ... when Micheal Douglas and Kathleen Turner could have done this.

Johnathan,

Beg to differ re: Brad Pitt. Once a pretty boy, he finally "got it" (to quote The Mrs.) with Twelve Monkeys, and he's now a brilliant actor.

As for the actual post: okay, so with Jolie, I would have TWO reasons not to see Atlas Shrugged.

As some wise guy once said about Apocalypse Now: an unreadable novel was turned into an unwatchable movie.

Now for the next in the series...

I always thought it would be interesting to reunite George Clooney and Julianna Margulies for those roles. I liked their chemistry on "ER".

On the other hand, are we all forgetting that there is actually VERY little interaction between Galt and Dagny, even in the last parts of the book? Shouldn't we be talking about who would play Reardon and Dagny?

"Reardon and Dagny"

Of Hollywood personalities working at present, the closest to my mental image of the two would be Hillary Swank and (don't laugh) Michael Bay (okay, go ahead and laugh). But then he couldn't be a worse actor than director, that wouldn't be possible, would it?

And Francisco? Fifteen to twenty years ago Antonio Banderas would have been choice numero uno, but he's a little long in the tooth now. Keanau Reeves a few years ago if he could act might have been a possibility (I'm going solely on looks and not talent here, obviously) Maybe do some talent scouting in Latin American telenovelas ... The guy from Y tu mama tambien has the right kind of soulful Latino charisma, but he's short (a deadly sin for Rand).

Lillian? No contest, it would have to be Patricia Clarkson.

John Galt's face shouldn't be seen, he's more of an abstraction than a character anyway.

Pitt and Joli would be okay as Ragnar and Kay Ludlow (but both are minor characters)

Scarlett Johanseen as Cheryl.

Please god no. Not Jolie. She is so irritating, I'm tired of seeing her, and her lips look like a puckered sphincter. I don't mind Brad Pitt as much- but I'd still rather see someone new. With big name actors I can never suspend disbelief.

Yeah he was so wonderful in Mr & Mrs Smith...oh wait as was she.

I wanna see a film version of Elvis Shrugged.

The Samizdatistas should just go ahead and make their own version of Atlas Shrugged. It would be a low budget, low tech samizdat film using hand-held cameras and other stuff you can work on with home equipment. Post it in installments on You Tube.

Rather than curse the darkness, light some video candles.

I'm not convinced that any film could truly represent the book, not least because everyone who reads it will respond differently. The film won't be like Starship Troopers where a great book was turned into an entertaining film, but so different from the book the two can lead separate, happy, lives. I certainly agree that Jolie and Pitt are a bad choice. How about some actor with more arthouse credibility for what should be the main male character, Reardon - Bill Sage, Martin Donovan or Robert Burke.

As long as the script is true to the story. This is a perfect way to introduce my wife to Ayn Rand as she loves hearing/reading etc. anything about these two.

18 years ago Raul Julia would have made a good Francisco.

In the final analysis, it isn't who stars, but who directs and who does the adaptation for the screen play. For those Heinlein fans out there, need I mention Paul Verhoeven's version of "Starship Troopers"?

Let's hope the screenplay isn't as poorly written as Ayn Rand's entire body of work.

Ignore the troll please

I admit I have never read 'Atlas Shrugged' - 'The Fountainhead' was bad enough.

Who's John Galt?

(*Sigh*, I couldn't resist.)

I think Pitt has the capacity to carry off the John Galt character, but Jolie just doesn't have the right kind of personality to portray Dagny, IMO. It requires a no-nonsense, I-don't-need-no-man kind of woman, like Kate Hepburn to play that role. Catherine Zeta Jones might be able to do it convincingly.

how about halle barry for the role of cheryl?

I loathe Angelina Jolie and Pitt, both of them are horrible, overrated actors. Heath Ledger could do this very well and.....i am not sure of Dagny. I would never want any Rand works to be made movies, she was against them. Hollywood screws stories up anyhow and they couldn't possibly put all of Rand's work in a movie, missing a single point would be a betrayal to her entire work. Person who don't appreciate her work are to be pitied as they are living mindless lives.

"Mr. Ayn Rand = Jack Kerouac for New English 80s yuppies" would be a more convincing troll if he realised that Ayn was female