Actors to voice the main 'Monsters 3' villain?

[randallsnape7]

As we all know, each voice actor in an animated movie carries something unique to the film - a basic demeanor, a few personality quirks, a signature smile. OBVIOUSLY... the winner is NOT going to be Steve Buscemi, who voices the VERY REDEEMABLE, and aw, so lovable Randall Boggs... but when we think about what KIND of villain Randall will be up against in 'Monsters 3' when he takes his heroic stand in the climax, one can't help but start wondering WHO will end up voicing Randall's ultimate enemy.

The kind of actor we imagine in our minds will more or less influence our perception of the main villain's mannerisms, how he will conduct himself in his diabolical schemes against the monsters of Monstrpolis, and whether or not he'll make us laugh nervously, or just make us downright frightened for the monsters' safety. He also must have a captivating and mesmerizing personality that, in a backwards way, will rehabilitate Randall in the minds of even the general 'Monsters' and Pixar fans. Roll the whole thing together, and that is a PRETTY tough act to pull off, and honestly speaking, only a seasoned and skilled voice actor will be able to provide that unique, villain touch.

Assuming that the villain will be a HUMAN, instead of a MONSTER, the villain will obviously have to be able to threaten Monstropolis in his own unique way - in a way that will make even Waternoose's villainy look like a walk in the park. Being Randall's future adversary, he will need to act like NO monster around can scare him, and yet be absolutely terrified (possibly due to a phobia of chameleons) once Randall shows up to save the day! Who do you think should voice the main 'Monsters 3' villain? Feel free to express your own opinions on whomever you vote for!

[randallsnape7]

My vote: Diedrich Bader

Reason: Every role I've seen him in, he's rather charming to watch, because he has a relaxed, cool demeanor to everything he's done. As Warp Darkmatter in 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command', Bader does a good job at playing Warp/Agent Z with a relaxed suaveness, and of course, in the MONK episode "Mr. Monk and the Naked Man" (Episode 3, Season 6), he played a naked - yet innocent - young man named Chance Singer.

For 'Monsters 3', I think a cool, laid-back, and suave demeanor like Diedrich Bader would be appropriate for the villain: "Whoa, monsters! This is just a precaution... the CDA isn't gonna cause ANY trouble! We're just gonna step into the factory... take a look around... and investigate whomever is responsible for the human contamination. It's our job! We'll get outta here before you know it..."

30 minutes later

"OH... man, I'm sorry it's taken this long for the CDA to clear things up. Actually, we've... had to imprison several of the monsters at the factory. You would be AMAZED at the kind of corrupt politics that go on in a business! We may... have to case the whole factory if we don't find the real culprit. Ah... sorry for the inconvenience."

30 minutes later

"WHOA... you think you can scare ME? Nah... I'm not a child. I am not afraid of monsters. The real question should be: Are YOU afraid? (Ah... never mention your fear of chameleons.)"

[pitbulllady]

I'm still not too keen on the whole idea of there being ONE villain, one "baddy", who is bad for the sake of bad. That's just too "Disney". The notion of "collective evil", people who are part of a belief system that threatens the monsters or at least the MI factory, perhaps with one leader but all nonetheless acting as one accord, is more frightening, like a government agency that has become corrupt with power, one trying to hang ONTO that power, trying to justify their own existence in light of changing world/social circumstances. They could perhaps have an ally in some crooked politician, who is "in their pocket" or vice versa, but a group that already has power is going to be much more of a threat than one person, as their threat will be much harder to prove, especially if you yourself already have some serious credibility issues, as Randall will surely have! Randall not only has to battle that corrupt collective entity, but his own past, as well, his own doubts and his own anger and hate. He would have to question whether or not it would be worth it to try and save the career of someone like Sulley, and his ultimate decision, perhaps unexpectedly from the audience's perspective, would be his ultimate redemption. ANYONE can help someone they care about, but it takes a genuine hero to help someone who has hurt them and whom they have despised! From a fellow "Monk" fan, I wouldn't mind the politician in question to be played by someone who is already a Pixar voice actor alumnus, Craig T. Nelson. I have seen him play this role with chilling results, and believe me, he's got that smooth, laid-back, good-ole-boy demeanor that can turn ice-cold SCARY in an instant down-packed! On his own, though, this character would be more of a "straw tiger", and it's the group that will be the real threat. I really don't go with the whole "phobia of Chameleons" thing, sorry-because Randall does not really look ANYTHING like a Chameleon, and anyone who is genuinely afraid of him just because of what he looks like isn't going to be a threat at all, except in a comic slap-stick sense.

Think of this: we have a secretive and powerful government agency already in place, the CDA. They are on the verge of becoming obsolete now that the truth is spreading that human children are NOT toxic and are not a threat. Comedians, unlike Scarers, have to take time to build a rapport with their assigned human kids, to find out what makes them laugh, and in the process will inevitably discover that the kids are not toxic, and will spread that around like wildfire. The CDA will be looking for a reason to justify their existence, like I said, and forming an alliance with someone in the Human World, who can perhaps validate the monsters' original fears in exchange for some favor or another, will help preserve them, and that's where Randall's abilities can come in very handy, to accidentally discover this alliance or at least the plot of create havoc at MI. Randall not only has to make that choice whether to reveal what he knows, but whether to help stop that, all the while battling with the fact that no one is going to trust him. This is where Boo can be brought in, because Sulley cares more for her than anything, and to the CDA, she can be used as a prime example of how human kids are invading the Monster World and must be stopped at all costs. If Randall does something that in the process saves HER, nothing else will matter to Sulley, and he will finally trust Randall.

Something else to consider, though, and that is some of the MU characters. Where do any of THEM fit into this story? Some of those characters are VERY popular, as popular or more so than even Randall, and I honestly think it would be a mistake on Pixar's part to simply forget them after Party Central. Randall, Mike and Sulley aren't the only ones who have been-let's face it, JERKS-and who need to redeem themselves.

pitbulllady

[randallsnape7]

Yeah... good point! I personally like Dean Hardscrabble enough that I would LOVE to see her return for 'Monsters 3'! I won't deny that!

By the way... you have NO idea how close I came to including Craig T. Nelson on that actor list because I knew he was in 'The Incredibles'. I wish there was some way I COULD add him to the poll... any suggestions would help, if possible. If best left alone, that's okay too. The point is I DID think of him when creating the poll.

Nice analysis of Randall having to truly understand that when he decides to do the noble and right thing, he KNOWS that nobody is going to trust him... I think it takes TREMENDOUS courage to make amends when you feel like everyone has given up on you; to fully commit to doing the right thing, knowing that the very people you are trying to reach out to have already marked you off their list and are leaving you behind, and have hurt you emotionally. Due to your past mistakes, they really don't WANT to see you or deal with you again, because no one really EXPECTS you to do that right thing... EVER. That's one of those instances where your character and moral fiber are truly put to the test. To repent and make amends IS to do the right thing, and you never need PERMISSION from anyone to express that repentance from the depths of your soul.

As far as public acceptance, Randall is going to have to recognize his crucial opportunity like a cruise ship that has already left the dock. He's going to have to quickly hop in his spiritual/emotional rowboat and paddle relentlessly... very, very desperately... in order to reach safe shores.

P.S. I actually have some secondary preferences on those villain candidates: Like you said, Craig T. Nelson, or possibly Thomas Haden Church, Gary Oldman, Howie Mandel, Christopher Lloyd, Andrew McCarthy, or Steve Valentine.

[pitvipersnake]

Shouldn't you decide what the villain's going to be like (at least vaguely) before deciding who will play them? I know the actor adds their own personality to the part but they have to know what the part is. I don't know, I'm not very good at recognizing actors.
I also agree that a group would be more of a threat than one single baddy. The CDA would certainly be a good candidate. Or there could be group of monsters who want Monsters Inc. to go back to scaring because it's "traditional", it's "the monster way", make children laugh is "undignified", etc. etc. They could get themselves organized into a real threat.
One question: Why are you assuming that the main villain of a third Monsters film will be male? I'm not criticizing, I'm just curious.

[randallsnape7]

Well... if you'd like, I could do another thread examining potential actresses. I never said it HAD to be one way... this thread simply opens up topics for discussion. I don't really have anything against villainesses, although, since we are talking Disney, it would be extremely important to avoid the stereotypical 'wicked stepmother' personalities. No 'Cruella De Vil' caricatures, either. But yeah... I can create a 'villainess' thread.

The main thing to keep in mind is, WHOMEVER the villain is, Randall will have to be the one to ultimately defeat him/her.

[randallsnape7]

Additional comment: I hear what you're saying about the villain, but as you can imagine, it's hard to simply COME UP with a villain - not knowing if they will be a politician, a scientist, etc., and at the same time, having them be someone that isn't a mere cop-out of some other villain we've seen before.

I would say pretty confidently that it's easier to think of actor personalities when creating villains that when you're creating heroes, or even anti-heroes, for that matter. As we see with Mike Wazowski, Billy Crystal provides energy into the main threesome of the 'Monsters' films, John Goodman as Sulley, just as that casual, serious, get-along kind of guy, but Steve Buscemi as Randall is very interesting.

As how to properly analyze what Steve Buscemi actually brings to Randall is very intriguing. I'm pretty sure he didn't have that V.I.P. priveledge of Alan Rickman on 'Harry Potter', when J.K. Rowling herself took Alan Rickman in private and explained to him confidentially what happens to Severus Snape in the series finale. I'm sure Steve Buscemi just had Monsters, Inc. to deal with, and voiced Randall as someone who was frustrated and wanted to outdo Sulley, or something... but whatever it's worth, I think by now - whether he realizes it or not - Steve Buscemi is now in that same situation as Alan Rickman: He now has a rather ambiguous character in Randall, and it could very well be that Steve Buscemi's performance will turn out to be the heart and soul of the entire 'Monsters' series. He IS the series, in my opinion.

Obviously, when you've got that, casting a TRUE villain to permanently dethrone the APPARENT villain is actually relaxing fun. The actor the audience gets (and I say this from seeing many 'threequels' as news about them comes out) is almost like an added bonus to the whole thing. Besides, the most important thing is when audiences see Randall's backstory, they get to truly meet him and (dare I say it?) fall in love with him. Just the mental image of seeing a young Randall Boggs around the age of 5-7 years old makes me want to melt, smile, and cry - all at once.

Like other films, the issue at stake in 'Monsters 3' is Randall's redemption, but the news of a new villain appearing in the movie, and the actor that voices him is like "Oh, COOL! Randall gets to go up against HIM? That'll be interesting." I could actually say that about all 14 actors I put up there on the poll list. Any of them would be REALLY good, but only one can win.