Brad Pitt I've heard he has even expressed interest in Atlas Shrugged

Your singling out the Fisker car(s) is totally wrong: Priced one lately? Definitely outside the reach of anyone who has not succeeded, and in total keeping with the 'smarts' that are paramount to being a 'producer' (gas was $40+ in Part 2).

Add to that the pure aesthetics of these cars, and the class they add to their movie owners, and you have a perfect choice. It probably wasn't an accident that Francisco drove a Porsche...he didn't give a hoot where his money was going....

P.S. I re-watched both parts last night, and I think you are wrong about their quality and lasting impact. Part 2 is my favorite, and I would like to see a relatively unknown play John Galt in Part 3. Any large actor will bring along viewer's prejudices, and preconceived images, of their past roles.

Somehow I think that the right actor will relentlessly solicit this role, and for all the right reasons.

Who would hire someone based on ideology, a bureaucrat or a capitalist? If the search is limited to people who walk in lock step with us, the position will not be awarded to the most deserving. In other words, is the job going to be given or awarded?

Dr. Ben Carson could be a great John Galt!

Jim Cavizel would also be fine

Guy Pearce deserves strong consideration. He has the acting chops, he is not "a star" (possibly by
his choice), and he can portray "the looks" (huge diversity of roles), calm intensity with a mind working behind those eyes. He is 45 y/o, but can easily look 5 to 8 years younger, and could believably be romantically chosen over Francisco and Rearden.

Looked up "Conservative" actors and there is a list of about 146. Many well known, but older and some passed. It was incomplete though because many other known ones were not on it. 2 older ones I love who would have been good, Tom Selleck or Kurt Russell. The "Rock" might be good, but A william Levy comes to mind. He is young and actually from Cuba. I remember him saying on DWTS that people do not realize how bad communism is in Cuba, how bad the people had it. He tried briefly to describe what it really meant and how wonderful America is. He would be able to grasp and hopefully convey Rand's message due to his understanding of Communism. He is a hunk too!

Gary Sinese could do it

There were so many great actors that came out of WWII that it seems as though there are several to choose from the Iraq & Afghanistan wars. Time to groom some new actors to take back the Hollywood culture to follow in John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart footsteps!

Russel Crowe

It is more important that the actor be a good actor, and have an appearance similar to Galt's description. I don't really care if the actor disagrees: this is a motion picture, and I vote for a quality motion picture. That doesn't mean casting a "star" it just means casting someone good at acting.

I see mentions of John Corbett and Timothy Olyphant, and I think either would at least look the part, even though they are older than Galt is described (30s, as I recall). No matter who it is though, he should have copper hair, just like Dagny should be angular. It was mentioned so many times in the book, that ignoring it in the movie is just disappointing (see casting of Dagny and others in part 2).

A poorly made movie isn't going to cause people to THINK as much as a well made movie will. When the movie is distracting in its bad-ness, the message gets completely lost.

Somewhere there is a complete unknown who is perfect for this role. Find that guy.

Y'know, there might be some bankable leverage in that choice! I like his relatively low-key, thoughtful delivery when speaking in Congress as well as his relatively youthful appearance.

And most late-night emcees would be scared shitless to interview him, eh? :)

That's one reason I do not favor Gary Senise. He's been around a LOT in a variety of movies and unless he's slathered with makeup, he's just so RECOGNIZABLE that I feel he'd be distracting ... seen more as the Actor and not as the Character he's portraying. But as an Actor, he's hard to match.

Or maybe Talon Smith --- from Stars Earn Stripes?

I preferred the main cast in AS1 for the most part, though I thought Franciso in AS2 was better-cast.

As for the special effects, some of them in AS2 were annoying to me, as an engineer... when Dagny's train hit maximum speeds, it probably couldn't have taken those short-radius turns at those speeds... and it would have been pretty easy to create them with more plausible and larger radii. Or bank the turns? Try not to violate TOO many laws of physics, even if the story is fiction. It's not meant to be Science Fiction, too...

B is the only way
Ted Nugent Tom Sellick

I do not see an actor portraying John Galt unless he would have the understanding and passion for Any Rand's ideas. To cast some mediocre talent for this part or someone like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon or another leftwing ideologue would be an absolute insult to the character of John Galt and thesis of Atlas Shrugged.

I think the biggest challenge will be someone in Hollyweird that would fit B.

IDEALLY both A&B would be the proper answer but its not realistic. So A is my choice. If I may suggest an actor to play John Galt: Brett Cullen. I'm not crazy about DB Sweeny playing Galt.

Indeed -- Gary Sinise, or Jim Caviezel.

I agree with your assessment and I think either Paul Bettany or Alan Tudyk would excel in the role.

A and B.

If AS3 IS well-made and well-received, I don't want anyone on tour or in a TV interview who would in any way argue against the philosophy of The Book. That would be stupid as well as self-destructive.

Second, JG, as I pictured him during my first three readings of AS, was someone younger than Hank Rearden and maybe younger than Dagny, but not much. Mid-30s at most.

---Someone who's been through engineering and philosophy schools AND had a decade or more to solidify his ethics, morals, philosophy and inventions before realizing the cancerous threat that government has/had become.

Without both ingredients, I think the total effect of AS3 would be greatly diminished.

And so is Matt Damon....probably the two worst ideas.

George Clooney.....? Are you on Drugs ? He is a devout Socialist Liberal Democrat.

Pierce Brosnan would be a good candidate