What If You Could Make a Movie: The Snow Crash Dream Cast

Considered by many to be the first Steampunk novel, "Snow Crash" is a futuristic tale that blurs the lines between a sort of post-apocalyptic future world and the vast future of the Internet, now known as the Metaverse. Blending the gritty Steampunk world with virtual reality technology and AI creatures, it's a story to interest most fans of the science fiction genre.

But if the casting call went out tomorrow, who would you choose to bring these magic characters to life? After careful consideration, I've come up with a magical dream team that I would not only love to see work together, but I think would pull audiences from across the board.

My Dream Cast for Snow Crash

Hiroaki Protagonist, aka "Hiro" - Hiro was a difficult one for me to cast. The main reason being that I wanted to find a capable Afro-Asian (or Blasian) actor that could pull off the role, but I honestly couldn't think of any who fit the part, physically. I did consider actor/model Tyson Beckford for a bit, but he was long in the tooth for what I was looking for. Granted, he made for good eye-candy during sword fighting scenes, but he just wasn't what I envisioned. In the end, while a bit on the pale side, I did think it would be interesting to see Musician/Actor Miyavi cast in this role. I think he has the style to be able to pull off a Steampunk genre, he has a rather ageless look about him, and I can really see his sense of humor and his personality lending itself well to a character who is has a problem deciding if he's going to moonlight as a hacker, a pizza delivery guy, a CIC intelligence agent... or the undisputed in-Metaverse sword fighting champion.

Y.T., aka "Yours Truly" - For the role of Y.T. I wanted someone who wasn't so blaringly obvious that she'd steal the show, but I didn't want anyone who would completely disappear into the background either. I had thought about Dakota Fanning a bit, but I've recently seen her in some similar roles and I'd really like someone fresh. In the end, I decided to go with Saoirse Ronan - a young teenage actress from Ireland. Making her debut in 2003, this 16-year old actress has been raising eyebrows after receiving multiple award nominations from her role of Briony Tallis, in the film Atonement.

Juanita Marquez - Much like with the role for Hiro, I wanted to find an actress that had a certain look about her, as well as one that was a competent actress. Jaci Velasquez is fairly new to the silver screen, though she shone brilliantly in the comedic "Chasing Papi." I'd really like to give her a role she can sink her teeth into and I think she'd offset my chosen Hiro, Miyavi, very nicely.

Da5id Meier - When I think about this role, I instantly think of a relatively unknown actor by the name of Tom Tate. While he's fairly new to the silver screen, he has that polished look that I think of, when I think of a young and successful businessman. I was hoping to go for someone who had that sort of dry British humor that would lend itself well to a prologue friendship, yet would still have that sort of "I got the girl, nenr nenr" ambiance. Tom Tate seems to pull off both aspects very nicely and he has a very infectious voice for those who are familiar with Dante's Inferno.

Dr. Emanuel Lagos - In a nutshell, I'd love to see Jeff Goldblum in this role. Why? Because he oozes witty intelligence in almost every role he plays, yet he's just kooky enough that I could see him as someone that would enjoy being hardwired to the Metaverse. If that's not reason enough, he gets axed fairly early into the story - a fun and daring move, killing off a big name right at the start. I think Jeff would have fun with this one.

Uncle Enzo - I hate to be cliché` when it comes to picking a Sicilian mafia boss named Uncle Enzo but, let's face it, just about any one of those guys from The Sopranos could pull it off nicely. Uncle Enzo is pretty stereotypical and, in this case, going with a stereotype would just make the part all the better. Worse case scenario? De Niro. I love me some Robert De Niro.

L. Bob Rife - I was trying to think of an actor that just seems so darned likeable, no matter what kind of character he plays. He doesn't have to be drop dead sexy but he has to be charismatic. Johnny Depp always strikes me as having that kind of charisma, but I've always envisioned Rife as being more mature than Depp's younger looks. George Clooney, perhaps?

Dmitri Ravinoff, aka "Raven" - The role of Aleut mercenary, Raven, was an easy one for me and not because of the Twilight Saga either. When I think of Native American actors, I automatically think of Gil Birmingham. Granted, he's not exactly Aleut, but I think he could pull off the role very well. Plus, I think it's a role that he could have a lot of fun with - sort of a loose cannon kind of character.

The Librarian - Without a doubt, my choice for this role would be Angelina Jolie. Why? Because she has a gorgeous voice and who wouldn't love her purring research information at them?

And that covers most of the major characters of Snow Crash. Who would you like to see cast in the various roles?