The Actor: John Cusack.
Career in a Nutshell: The Evergreen Teen. John Cusack has been relevant for three decades. An impossible feat. Though he’s started to lose his edge and has a horrible reputation for being an asshole there is no denying his talent, moxie, taste, and fantastic and diverse career.
Must see Work: Better Off Dead. The Grifters. Grosse Pointe Blank. Say Anything. High Fidelity. Being John Malkovich. Eight Men Out. Pushing Tin.
Closest Brush With Comic Book Cinema: 2012 could have been a comic if it was a comic written by a monkey they test AIDS on. The Raven wanted to be that kind of movie. Pushing Tin sounds like a movie about Tony Stark building a shit hatch in the Iron Man suit. Grosse Pointe Blank unspools like a Warren Ellis book with a little more heart. Tapeheads!
Comic Bookish Traits: The Loner. An antihero. Unflappable. Cool as the day is long. Surprisingly agile despite perceptions. Explosive.
Ideal Pairing: He has the look of Dr. Strange and he certainly can sell intelligence, but the dialogue wouldn’t sound right coming out of Cusack. He’d be able to pull of Preacher‘s Jesse Custer now that he’s got a little road weariness to him. He’s still vital enough for it and he can sell the attitude. That said, the role I think he really would be ideal for is The Authority’s The Midnighter. Tough as nails, Batman with a meaner streak, huge chip on his shoulder… and gay as a football bat. What a colossal gig it would be and Cusack would rock it.
If CHUD Had a Say: In actuality he’d be a good candidate for The Punisher or as one of those oily bureaucrats that populate these kind of films. His days as an action lead are on the wane but he’d be amazing in the Kick-Ass series or in another darker, lower profile franchise.
Likelihood: 75%. He’s getting to that stage in his career where he might be up for a supporting role in one of the post-Nolan DC flicks.
Previously: Philip Seymour Hoffman.