I haven't met that many of the Miles-era characters yet (I'm on page 50 of "Warrior's Apprentice"), but someone on my LJ suggested Brendan Fraser for Ivan, which strikes me as an excellent fit.

Sela Ward may be a bit too conventionally pretty for Cordelia. Claudia Black would kick all kinds of ass in the role, but I can't imagine her as a red-head at all.

I just don't see Cordelia as a Mary Sue. For one thing, she's clearly not beautiful. There are too many scenes in which someone said, "So that's Aral's Betan," clearly not understanding the attraction. Also, I tend to think of Mary Sues as characters who always do everything right. Most of Cordelia's decisions about Miles can be reasonably seen as either heroic or insane.

When I think of Mary Sues, the two characters who come to mind are both male. There's the hero of Jerry Ahern's Survivalist books, who, in the first book, safely lands the commercial aircraft he's on when the pilot is disabled. I think the ability to land the plane is a clear Mary Sue attribute. There's also E.C. Tubb's Dumarest series, in which, in every book, there's a scene in which Dumarest does something like catch a knife in midair and someone says, "Fast. I've never seen a man so fast." It could be that books like that have set my Mary-Sue Meter pretty high.

Claudia Black is the only actress in the current crop who seems at all Cordelia-like to me. Still, Miles is the real problem. There just aren't that many hyperactive dwarfs who are actors.

There just aren't that many hyperactive dwarfs who are actors.

Or, from another POV, too many actors are too short, so you lose the distinction.

I keep thinking one of the hobbits would do well as Miles, forgetting their perceived shortitude was from forced perspective shots. Both Dom Monaghan and Billy Boyd are apparently around 5'7", making them way too tall for Miles. I'm trying to remember if there is anyone around Danny Strong's height (5'2") who could fit, but coming up entirely blank.

I propose Peter Stormare as Bothari.

I think using CGI/forced perspective would make Miles infinitely easier to cast.

I think using CGI/forced perspective would make Miles infinitely easier to cast.

Was just about to post that. A short actor + cheating = Miles.

Seth Green is a wee man. So is David Faustino.

Other heights.

I suppose in other contexts people like Seth Green, Michael J. Fox and Danny DiVito could be considered hyperactive dwarfs.

(OT comment on the height list: My sister went to high school with Little Jimmie Dickens' daughter. She's 6 feet tall.)

I knew exactly who needed to be Bothari, and it's gone. Peter Postelwaite, maybe?

Actually, I was just thinking about Liam Neeson. He looms very well, and he's got the profile and the chops to make Bothari both scary and sympathetic.

So! I just happened to start Brothers in Arms, and there is lots of relevant information to current conversation. It's the one with Earth, and they describe London as 'nearly two millennia' old, so what does that make the time-frame, o people who know how old London is now? Also, Ivan is described as in great shape (looks great in clothes), with affable, even features and wavy dark hair. So now I want him to be Jude Law.