Ladies of Fox, I never even thought of that! In that case, I ALL IN for Megyn Kelly! Talk about a fiery beautiful woman!

I agree. When "New Individualist" touted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for the moive, I bought six copies and put them away as collectibles, but what little I have seen of her - Laura Crofft, Mr. & Mrs., Smith - does not carry or deliver anything that I imagine of Dagny Taggart.

Angelina Jolie would be HORRIBLE! She doesn't have the style needed for the part.

One: Taylor Schilling was perfect as Dagny. She is beautify, fiery, and believable to be a COO of a RR with her tenacity.
Two: Samantha Mathis flat out ruined Part II for me. Why would you start a movie looking at her ugly face flying an airplane for 5 minutes?
Three: There is no way whatsoever that Samantha should be re-hired. However, you won't get Taylor back because now she is doing a new series called Orange is the new Black. She would also probably be miffed she wasn't asked to do part II.
Four: Considering the entire series was messed up by casting all new actors for Part II than were cast for Part I, why not get an entire new cast yet again. Maybe you could mix and match some from both movies. I don't know, I just never understood the reason to go to a whole new cast in the first place when so many from Part I were so good. People tend to get attached to characters from movies. It would be like casting Sean Connary as Han Solo in the second Star Wars movie.s You just don't replace Harrison Ford, no matter who it is...

Wow, Janine Turner said that? No wonder she doesn't get much work in Hollywood now. I always liked her, though.

Yes, I was thinking of Sela Ward, too.

Speaking of Jeff Allen, I was sorry to see that they didn't give his story the same treatment that Rand gave it in the book. His story binds the mystery of 20th Century Motors to the origin of the phrase "Who is John Galt", and illustrates how socialism strangles the desires of the individual to pursue personal excellence. I was kind of picturing myself as telling Jeff Allen's story. Some days I think I'm living it.

I agree with you that they should continue the pattern of completely recasting for Pt 3. I think it hurt the series when they recast from Pt 1. It makes the story harder to follow for those who haven't read Atlas Shrugged. But now the pattern is set, so they should carry it to the end.

I think Rand described Dagny early in the book as a brunette. Catherine Zeta Jones is good.

Agree with you on Anne Hathaway.

Zivah! Now that your name has me thinking of Ziva in NCIS, how about Cote de Pablo? She just quit the show, so maybe she's available. She fits my vision of Dagny more than Taylor or Samantha.

I too AGREE . . . Pt 2 should be "RE-SHOT" with the "FIRST" cast.

Taylor Shilling projected the image of the confident young heroine whom I knew from the book. Samantha Mathis's worry lines showed us a Dagny near the end of her rope.

I agree that Deborah Wisocky as Lillian in Atlas I was the better of the two. But I have to go with Esai Morales and Jason Beghe for d'Anconia and Rearden.

(I think that the Objectivist fan community pretty much found Jeff Yagher perfect as Jeff Allen - small part then, no place in Atlas III, but the nod still applies.)

Robert Picardo was the better Dr. Stadler. The only problem was waiting for him to ask if he could use the Motor against the Borg. OTOH outside of his make-up Armin Shimerman showed himself to be a good performer. He told me at a Trekker con that he was a fan of Ayn Rand and I was happy to see him with a part.

I think that the character of Leonard Small can be left behind. You made your point. The Wet Nurse was named Tony. Long, long ago, a fan suggested Dustin Hoffman for the role. You need someone like that. He has a tough bit of work in Part III.

Casting Atlas Shrugged has been a frequent topic over the decades. Two generations of actors have come and gone. Rock Hudson for Hank Rearden; Diana Rigg for Dagny; Ron Eli for John Galt... Everyone has opinions; but ultimately, it is not really our job or we would be doing it. Testing your audience is important, but the camel is horse that was designed by a committee.

Everyone too easily sees Atlas Shrugged as a political tract. It is a psychological drama. Dagny never asked Hank for his opinion on anything. In fact, Francisco cautioned James on that very point.

Although I am a technical writer, my degrees are in social science. While corporate types gush over teamwork, the empirical truth is that the lone expert makes better choices than a hard-working team of well-wishers with good intentions.

... and we do all wish you well because we are proud of the hard work we do. But it this is the job we are paying you for. Good luck.

Initially I was disappointed with AS2 cast, but I've changed my opinion. They were both excellent. I just want the same characters from either film to be in AS3. My preference is still the cast from AS1, but I can get behind the second cast just as much as the first. Then again, if you need to change, please just give us a heads up. I was very shocked when I saw AS2 and did not see the Dagny and Hank that I came to know. Another thing, please don't limit the cast to people who are fans of Rand. Get the best talent.

Also, the Lillian from part 1 was WAY better than the toad in part 2.

There many new gulch names on this post. I wonder why this is the only post they've commented on. Why not try commenting on other posts as well, or open your own post to start a discussion....about something other than Dagny casting. It could be fun.

Taylor, no contest. She brought far more life to the role of Dagny. The only actor I thought was
better in Part 2 was the one who played d'Anconia;
he was far more animated than the 1st Francisco.
For me, his monologue on money was brilliant!

I always envisioned Dagney as a brunette. I don't have a specific person in mind, but someone who looks like a young Natalie Wood. For a today actress I would say Catherine Zeta Jones.

I would like to see a gorgeous brunette this time for the part of Dagny. An actress that can be very corporate and sensual at the same time. I'm thinking of an actress like, Angie Harmon or Bridget Moynahan. Top stars like Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Connely, even Angelina Jolie would be great but probably extremely unaffordable.

Haha, I see that in Dominique Francon! :) I agree. It's HUGE that it's not just them learning a script but totally, intimately knowing the character through having read (and believed in) the book and its principals.

I agree, I could actually see Jolie for that, so her or someone like her......

The almost complete cast change from part 1 to part 2 was a shock. But Samantha made a more-believable Dagny - still quite attractive, but mature enough that she could sell the role as operations director of the country's largest railroad. I don't know if it was just excellent makeupor a superb actress, but did anyone notice how much younger she looked when she was with Hank, or when she decided to retire to her family's cabin in the woods? But with the more-mature Dagney you also need the more-mature Jason Beghe, who I felt better fit the part of Hank. Of the Part 1 cast, I would definitely bring back Graham Beckel as Wyatt(not a shock because the Wyatt character doesn't appear again until part 3 of the book).

For consistency's sake, the third part should have an all new cast. But they'd have to be better than either previous group. Jodie Foster is a bit too old, although she still looks gorgeous at 50. I think she could still pull off a 37-year-old Dagny. Angelina Jolie sees herself as a real-life Rand character but is too famous to be seen as anything but Jolie. Charlize Theron is too tall. But if a repeat cast is planned, Taylor Schilling is my preference.

Thinking about who I might see in the part, I think Kate Beckinsale just might be able to pull it off. She's a bit more mature than Taylor, but she has the look that I think might work. What do y'all think?

Hands down: Taylor.
The critics don't really want to see a superstar carry the Rand message in a successful movie. Go with Taylor!!!