Should Frank Langella be the voice of Skeletor in the new movie?

[Captain Atkin]

Although many people have mixed feelings about the original film, one thing everyone agrees on is that Frank Langella was great as Skeletor. Last week, Frank Langella won a Tony Award, and beat out Christopher Plummer ("General Chang" in Star Trek 6) for Best Actor! This got me thinking... if the new movie gives us a "CGI Skeletor", should they cast Frank Langella again to be the voice of the character?

I have posted a poll in this forum. Would love to hear what everyone thinks about the possibility of him ever coming back to the role.

[Dave-Man]

He has done all right in other movies that he has been in as well. If we want Skeletor done right, it's gotta be him or Alan Oppenheimer. Even the guy that they hired on the 2002 series tried to sound like Alan.

[The Juggernaugt]

I would like to see Alan O. do the voice again, just like Transformers has Peter Cullen returning in the role of Optimus Prime, I say bring back the original voice, hopefully if they did do a cgi Skeletor it would look much more like a mixture of the filmation & MYP versions.

[Orko's Magic Hat]

Absolutely 100% yes! I love Frank Langella's portayal as Skeletor, his voice is spot on and has that terror sound in it, Alan O's voice of Skele I've grown to dislike and the MYP Skeletor's voice is second to Langella's.

[krosfyah]

it would be good but I don't see why it can't be another really great actor.
I don't mean to sound as though I am attacking anyone and their ideas because yes Langella was a great skelly and would be a great skelly, but there seems to be this movement lately or at least lately i've noticed it where if one person shows success and accomplishment doing one thing - people on the internet think that only THEY should do that thing. IE Peter Jackson...anytime a fantasy movie is mentioned he is THE MUST HAVE director. prior to spider-man 3 everyone said SAM RAIMI MUST do so and so. I mean yes I want my fantasy movies to be up to the LOTR level of quality but Jackson isn't the only guy in town.

so I wouldn't HATE for langella to be skelly I'd love it in fact BUT I'm open for letting someone else get a shot to blow us away.

Also i'd prefer that the actor PLAYING skeletor also be the voice of skeletor. it's not a necessity but I'd prefer it.

[Dave-Man]

Hmm. Maybe they can get Hugo Weaving to play him... (Just kidding, all you Transfans, although I personally think Hugo would play a good Skeletor)

[Baena]

I vote yay.

The obnoxious voice in the toons works for the toons, but for me, it doesn't work for a live action film. I liked how Langella was more bassy, more sinister and creepy in some aspects better for a film. And it'd be a nice nod.
Not necessary to make a nod, I understand your sentiment there too Krosfyah.

Keep it sinister and evil, even bassy for me.
None of this nasal kackley high pitched shriecky voice thanks.

[Eamon]

I fail to see the point here to be honest.
They will most likely have a name actor to play Skeletor and I doubt he'd want his voice dubbed.

For the record Langella does have the perfect Skeletor voice.

[Flor2099]

I love the MYP Skeletor the most. I think the movie voice should sound like that (not necessarily the same actor though)

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I said no. Skeletor will have to have at least some hint of that high-pitched whine in his voice from the cartoon to be recognizable to most. I thought the MYP series did a great job of keeping that element while making him a more threatening villain.

I would want something more to that effect.

Personally, I don't think Langella's performance as Skeletor was all that great, and of all of the aspects of his performance, IMO his voice work is the most forgettable as (to me) there was just really nothing special about it. Maybe it wasn't bad (unless you count the fact that it was nothing like the cartoon series as bad), but it wasn't all that great either, IMO.

[customcrazy]

I said no. Skeletor will have to have at least some hint of that high-pitched whine in his voice from the cartoon to be recognizable to most. I thought the MYP series did a great job of keeping that element while making him a more threatening villain.

I would want something more to that effect.

Personally, I don't think Langella's performance as Skeletor was all that great, and of all of the aspects of his performance, IMO his voice work is the most forgettable as (to me) there was just really nothing special about it. Maybe it wasn't bad (unless you count the fact that it was nothing like the cartoon series as bad), but it wasn't all that great either, IMO.

The first movie was a big flop and most fans hated it. I wouldn't do anything that would get people to start drawing comparisons, it would only hurt the new film. So I guess that settles it, I will have to be the voice of Skeletor! Ok, that probablly isn't the best idea either. But seriously, I say stay away from anything to do witht he original.

[Captain Atkin]

The first movie was a big flop and most fans hated it. I wouldn't do anything that would get people to start drawing comparisons, it would only hurt the new film. So I guess that settles it, I will have to be the voice of Skeletor! Ok, that probablly isn't the best idea either. But seriously, I say stay away from anything to do witht he original.

You can't blame an actor for the flaws of the original movie. I also don't think having Frank return to do the movie would hurt it at all. Look at the Transformers movie. There were plenty of horrible Transformers episodes in the 80's, but they still cast Peter Cullen again to be the voice of Prime. Why did thay do that? Because he was the best!

Same goes for Langella as Skeletor. Here you have an award winning actor with a theatre background who can make the cheesiest lines sound like Shakespeare. I guarantee they are going to do the Darth Vader thing, where one actor plays the "body", and another provides the voice.

[Megatron]

Yes, even though the '87 LAM was really bad, Langella was absoloutley brilliant as Skeletor!

His voice was perfectly evil!

[Skeletorfan]

I would love Frank to reprise Skeletor's voice! That would be awesome! He was amazing in the original movie!

[Lord_Of_Destruction]

I guarantee they are going to do the Darth Vader thing, where one actor plays the "body", and another provides the voice.

Not necessarily. If they do a full origin and show Keldor become Skeletor they may just have the same actor provide the voice. With Vader you needed two different people because he had to be tall and menacing but have a deep mighty voice. James Earl Jones has THE voice but not the physical stature while David Prose's voice was all wrong for the character (I mean have you ever heard his voice? he has a very thick accent) heck they went and got a third actor for his unmasking in ROJ.

But for Skeletor I can see it going either way. But really if they have him as Keldor anywhere in the film, unless it's a teenage Keldor who looses his face, they'll probably use the same guy.

[SKELEPIMP]

I have to completely and utterly disagree with Langella getting any props for his voice as Skeletor.

IMO the cartoon voice from the original was far superior as it had the sound of a Ghost...Where as Langella sounded like a person...he looked like a person...etc...I hope the actor they use will try to add that spooky/ghost vibe that the original had so well...Perhaps, I'm making not sense...


.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

You can't blame an actor for the flaws of the original movie. I also don't think having Frank return to do the movie would hurt it at all. Look at the Transformers movie. There were plenty of horrible Transformers episodes in the 80's, but they still cast Peter Cullen again to be the voice of Prime. Why did thay do that? Because he was the best!

Well, they did it because of how recognizable and iconic he was in the role. Plus, despite the TF movie not technically being G1 based, clearly G1, the original incarnation of the Transformers, is still heald in high regard as the most popular and most well known template for the TF to be based on. I don't think any one single varation of Transformers since then is as recognizable as the original series. And Cullen's voice is part of that recognition.

With all due respect, you are grasping at straws with the "Transformers had some bad episodes" arguement. There were still good episodes, and the show as a whole was very popular. I don't think when people found out that Cullen was doing the voice for the movie, they said, "Well, I don't want him doing the voice because he was the voice from the cartoon series and there was this one episode that I didn't like..."

In the case of MOTU, if anyone's voice is going to be the basis for Skeletor (whether that means getting the original actor back or getting a new actor to replicate the voice of the original), it should be Allen Oppenheimer. The Filmation cartoon series was the first incarnation of He-Man on TV, and the most watched and the most popular. It had bad episodes, too, but that doens't mean we shouldn't use it as a template.

The MOTU movie, however, was pretty much a complete flop. And no matter how many redeaming qualities we try to find in it, the bad tends to outweigh the good.

Perhaps having Frank Langella doing the voice in a new movie wouldn't hurt the movie, per-say, but it wouldn't help it either. Aside from a few die-hard MOTU fanatics (who also happened to like the 87 movie, or at least Langella's performance in it), no one is going to rush out to see the film because of his voicework being in it. And, I think that if people get to the movie, and the voice is based more on Langella's performace in the old movie rather than the more recognizable Skeletor voice of the Filmation and MYP cartoon series, I think a lot of people (like people who vaguely remember He-Man from when they were kids, with He-Man and Skeletor being the most memorable parts for most) will be disapointed.

Anyway, with how bad the 87 movie is generally regarded, I think they are best to try and stay as far away from using anything from that movie as a template for a new one, even if it is an aspect that tends to be better than most others from the film. They should do all that they can to avoid repeating those mistakes.

[CRAZYMOTUFAN]

No, No, No Please No........

[customcrazy]

You can't blame an actor for the flaws of the original movie. I also don't think having Frank return to do the movie would hurt it at all. Look at the Transformers movie. There were plenty of horrible Transformers episodes in the 80's, but they still cast Peter Cullen again to be the voice of Prime. Why did thay do that? Because he was the best!

Same goes for Langella as Skeletor. Here you have an award winning actor with a theatre background who can make the cheesiest lines sound like Shakespeare. I guarantee they are going to do the Darth Vader thing, where one actor plays the "body", and another provides the voice.

But they aren't getting somebody from a bad Transformers film. That is the voice people associate with Prime, and the film won't be compared to the cartoon becasue it's a different medium. For example I wouldn't have a problem with a cartoon voice over aritst to be used in the MOTU filem. I just think using a live action actor fromt he terrible live action movie would gte poeple remembering that awful movie which is exactly what you don't want. It's nothing against Frank. I also wouldn't have Dolph Lungren or Courtney Cox in there.

[Dr_Evil]

I one word, No. If it were me I'd electronically synthesise his voice rather than use an actor in order to make him sound supernatural (ie. a ghost).

[Vahn]

For the love of God, NO!

Frank Langella was great, and arguably the best part of the Masters movie, but if he isn't going to be in the new movie, why in the world would he provide the voice for SKELETOR!? A case could be made for Alan Oppenheimer or even Brian Dobson, but I see no reason they can't just hire someone who can be both the voice and the body (John Glover).

And regarding a CGI SKELETOR, if I see that I'm walking out of the theater. I sat through that whole Mummy Returns nonsense waiting to see a decent fight, and when the 'Scorpion King' showed up it was some vommit-inducingly bad CGI. SKELETOR is not some gelatinous creature that would be impossible to represent with a human actor; he's a man with a skull face. If the filmmakers can't manage that without CGI, they may need to find another career.

[Dr_Evil]

For the love of God, NO!

Frank Langella was great, and arguably the best part of the Masters movie, but if he isn't going to be in the new movie, why in the world would he provide the voice for SKELETOR!? A case could be made for Alan Oppenheimer or even Brian Dobson, but I see no reason they can't just hire someone who can be both the voice and the body (John Glover).

And regarding a CGI SKELETOR, if I see that I'm walking out of the theater. I sat through that whole Mummy Returns nonsense waiting to see a decent fight, and when the 'Scorpion King' showed up it was some vommit-inducingly bad CGI. SKELETOR is not some gelatinous creature that would be impossible to represent with a human actor; he's a man with a skull face. If the filmmakers can't manage that without CGI, they may need to find another career.

So, you don't believe he could be more supernatural than just a guy with some make-up, just another guy in a Halloween costume?

[Captain Atkin]

For the love of God, NO!

Frank Langella was great, and arguably the best part of the Masters movie, but if he isn't going to be in the new movie, why in the world would he provide the voice for SKELETOR!? A case could be made for Alan Oppenheimer or even Brian Dobson, but I see no reason they can't just hire someone who can be both the voice and the body (John Glover).

And regarding a CGI SKELETOR, if I see that I'm walking out of the theater. I sat through that whole Mummy Returns nonsense waiting to see a decent fight, and when the 'Scorpion King' showed up it was some vommit-inducingly bad CGI. SKELETOR is not some gelatinous creature that would be impossible to represent with a human actor; he's a man with a skull face. If the filmmakers can't manage that without CGI, they may need to find another career.

Ummm... how many years has it been since The Mummy and the Scorpion King came out? CGI has come a long way since those days! I imagine we will see a CGI skull over a real body. Look at Ghost Rider! That looked fantastic, and just goes to show how far CGI has come.

[Mirage]

It's been almost twenty years since the last MOTU film.


Can't we find someone who's a LITTLE more current than Frank Langella?

[Captain Atkin]

It's been almost twenty years since the last MOTU film.


Can't we find someone who's a LITTLE more current than Frank Langella?

Hey now! The guy just starred as Perry White in Superman Returns! Thats a pretty recent movie (not to mention, an iconic role) if you ask me.

Lets not start showing age discrimination on here, people!