Imagine: You’re a movie producer and you’re getting ready for your next project. You have your top three choices of actors for your movie, but the studio is forcing you into taking on a fourth star and the genre of your new flick. What movie will you make?
That was the challenge faced this week on the latest episode of For The Watercooler, For The Win’s pop culture podcast. Hosts Matt Scalici and Caroline Darney were joined by FTW’s Blake Schuster, and the trio drafted their stars before a randomizer gave them a fourth actor and a genre.
So which movie would you like to see? Read the synopses of each here, and listen to the draft as each contestant explains their picks in the full episode below. Then head to Twitter (@mattscalici) or Instagram (@forthewatercooler) to vote for your favorite fictional project.
Movie 1: Bioshock Infinite
Drafted Cast: Barry Keoghan, Anya Taylor-Joy, Cillian Murphy
Random Cast: Henry Cavill
Random Genre: Video game adaptation
In steampunk 1912, private investigator Booker DeWitt (Keoghan) is hired to rescue a young woman named Elizabeth (Taylor-Joy) from the flying city of Columbia and return her to New York City. However a simmering class war within Columbia threatens to derail the mission and unravel the secret behind the city’s mysterious god-like founder, Zachary Comstock (Murphy). Henry Cavill appears in a cameo as Andrew Ryan.
-Blake Schuster
Movie 2: Suspicious Minds
Drafted Cast: Glen Powell, Zendaya, Angela Bassett
Random Cast: Austin Butler (doing the Elvis voice)
Random Genre: Low-budget horror
Charlie Stone (Powell) and Elizabeth Frye (Zendaya) are a happy couple on a long weekend in Memphis to support their best friend, Nick Pemberton (Butler) as he opens his new Elvis-themed bed-and-breakfast. They’re joined by Estelle Davis (Bassett), a mysterious but brilliant guest, along with a handful of other Graceland enthusiasts. Things start out charmed, but end up bloody as guests start getting picked off one by one. What — or who — is responsible for this gruesome weekend?
-Caroline Darney
Movie 3: The Winner Takes it All
Drafted Cast: Florence Pugh, Margot Robbie, Dev Patel
Random Cast: John Cena
Random Genre: Musical biopic
You’ve heard their songs in the runaway smash hits Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! Now, discover the incredible story behind the songs – the story of the biggest global pop stars of the 1970s, ABBA. Florence Pugh and Margot Robbie star as Agnetha and Frida, two Swedish singers who form a band with their husbands/songwriters Benny and Bjorn (Patel and Cena, respectively). Triumph, heartbreak, and musical genius ensue.
-Matt Scalici
