Siddhartha: Film Adaptation
Siddhartha would be played by Denzel Washington.
He was an obvious choice for the lead role as Siddhartha. I mainly picked him because of his role in the movie The Book of Eli where he was not only a stunning actor, but was able to keep the whole journey entertaining. Although The Book of Eli was an action movie and Denzel is known for playing action roles, I have complete confidence that he would be able to keep the audiences attention in his journey to find enlightenment.
The person playing Govinda would be no other than Jonah Hill.
Jonah Hill is an amazing actor that would add some comical relief in such a serious journey. He is often depicted in movies as the sidekick to the main actor and he does it so well. Some examples would be 21 & 22 Jump Street and The Wolf of Wall Street. This makes it an unquestionable decision for him to play Govinda who is a friend and follower of Siddhartha.
Kamala would be played by Megan Fox.
Sadly known for movies such as Transforms, Jennifer's Body, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Megan Fox is the definition of a seductress. She is not only gorgeous, but has that hard to get look making her perfect for the role of Kamala. Although she is not the best actress, her beauty will be more than enough to get audiences to watch the movie.
Siddhartha's son would be played by Jaden Smith.
Choosing Jaden Smith to play the role of Siddhartha's son was an easy choice because he could play the role of a bratty child with easy. Often pictured as immature and annoying, just like Siddhartha's son, Jaden would fit the role perfectly.
The role of Vasudeva would easily go to Morgan Freeman.
After his depiction as God, Morgan Freeman is the icon of wisdom in Hollywood making him an easy choice to play the wise ferryman, Vasudeva. No doubt he would have no problem getting along with Denzel while casting and seeing these two together on the big screen again would be a true gift. Morgan Freeman is wise, kind, and comical making him the perfect actor to play Vasudeva.
Kamaswami would be played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
After films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Great Gatsby, and Django Unchained, Leo is the symbol for the upper class which makes him the perfect choice to play Kamaswami the rich merchant. Classy, adaptable, and a natural gentleman ensures that the audience will definitely enjoy every minute that Leo is on screen.
Buddha would be played by Liam Neeson.
Best known for the movie Taken, Liam Neeson can play a character that is as wise and humble as Buddha. Although Liam is commonly known for doing action movies, he can play a wise character and it would definitely be interesting seeing him in this light. His years of being an actor allows him to draw from different experiences to play the role of Buddha.
Setting
Although I want to stay true to the old setting an go back to India to film, I just do not think it would be interesting. I think the beginning of Siddhartha's journey will take place in America and he will travel to China to visit the Buddha then return to America after coming to the conclusion that Buddha cannot teach him anything. This way people will be able to relate on some level of the story because they can relate to the landmarks and popular places. Siddhartha's setting is always changing so as long as he does not stay in one spot the locations will stay true to the story. The setting will mostly take place in New York and China.
Changes
A couple changes I would make is take over all the weird imagery from the book Siddhartha because it would just confuse the audience and make it harder to relate to. I would definitely make it more modern such as changing the merchant to a Wall Street stockbroker for is a self-made millionaire because now a days the youth can relate and become inspired by self-made millionaires. Another change I would make would be to change the ferryman to a retired sea captain who goes to fishing and Siddhartha would eventually learn from the fisherman and the sea instead of just being a ferryman.
