Deadman is a character that is long overdue a live-action adaptation. We have been talking about him again recently as there have been rumors of an animated show possibly set in DC Studios' upcoming DC Universe. If that were to be the case, co-chairmen and CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have revealed before that characters in animated projects could indeed reprise the role in live-action DCU projects.
With that in mind if the animated show does go ahead and Deadman finds his way to the DCU in live-action form, who could play the role? Well, this writer believes that there's one name in the acting world that'd be a perfect fit to play Deadman, and that person's name is Doug Jones!
Doug Jones is a man of many talents and many faces. His claim to fame is his numerous roles as non human characters in various projects as he is known to put on copious amounts of make up to fully immerse himself in the characters that he plays. His most famous bodies of work are with frequent collaborator Guillermo del Toro, in his films such as The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth, and the Hellboy films. Jones has a knack for becoming one with the make up and prosthetics to not only play the characters, and no role is more iconic than that of Abe Sapien from the Hellboy films.
His portrayal of Sapien endeared many audiences to the character and this writer would think shot Jones to super stardom. He's also well known for being a contortionist and a mime, the former of which he uses in his film roles to great effect, such as physically playing the unnerving Karl Ruprecht Kroenen in the first Hellboy movie (alongside that of Sapien). Jones has had decades of experience working in the film industry, and his talents not only as a pro in make up but in his acting ability as well, make him a giant among giants. And they also make him perfect for the role of Deadman.
Doug Jones would be a perfect actor to play Deadman
Jones, in this writer's mind, would be perfect to play the character of DC Comics' Deadman in a future adaption of the character. Jones is no stranger to playing comic book characters on the big screen. Yes, as we mentioned, he's played Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies, and he also physically played the Silver Surfer in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (while Laurence Fishburne provided the voice), which was a highlight from that mess of a movie. He's no stranger to the DC Universe either, having appeared in 1992's Batman Returns and episodes of Arrowverse series The Flash and Arrow in 2015.
Furthermore, Jones would make a perfect choice for Deadman mainly because even without any makeup, he has some physical resmeblence to the character and Deadman, specifically in the Kelley Jones comics, moved in a very surreal way (or, more accurately, hovered since he's a ghost). Jones would be perfect for this because his contortionist skills could come in handy when enacting the physicality of the character in scenes when he's interacting with others or simply moving around.
What makes this fan casting that much more viable is that, in an interview with theStreamtv back in 2015 regarding his guest appearance on the CW show The Flash (in which he played another DC Comics character, Deathbolt), he was asked about what dream comic book role he'd love to play, and he eagerly replied with Deadman. That's right, this writer couldn't believe it while researching for this article, that Jones actually said his dream role would be Deadman. What a match made in heaven!
Could Jones ever play Deadman in the DCU?
As we said at the top of this article, there were rumors not too long ago that a Deadman animated series was in the works at DC Studios, but nothing new or concrete has been stated on the status of the show. However, what's the likelihood of Doug Jones actually playing Deadman? In a perfect world the chances would be so high that nothing could derail it from happening, but we don't live in a perfect world, and there are a couple of factors that could prevent this dream pairing from happening.
For one thing Doug Jones is currently 64 years old, and any potential casting would likely come down to whether the star would want to be in a contract where he had to play a character for over a decade in animation and live action.
It's also worth bearing in mind that, if Deadman was going to be cast into the DCU, Gunn and Safran and their fellow creatives at DC Studios could have someone else in mind for that role. And we should also remember that the interview from Jones about playing DC's Deadman was almost 10 years ago, so if the opportunity presented to him today, he might feel differently about it.
Irrespective of whether Jones ever dons the pale white make-up and iconic red suit as Deadman in the DC Universe, it's still a cool idea to imagine what he could be like in the role nonetheless. Here's hoping that it does happen at some point or another.
What do you think? Would Jones be the perfect choice to play Deadman? Or is there someone else more suited for the role?