All the blockbusters Nathan Fillion would rock in
King of the nerds Nathan Fillion has led plenty of nerdy franchises in the past. We’ve seen him as Serenity Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly and Serenity, Lemony Snicket’s brother Jacques in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and superhero Green Lantern in the animated DC films since 2011. It was hard to imagine how Fillion might one-up the career he’s already had.
Then news broke that Fillion will join the cast of James Gunn’s Suicide Squad reboot. Fillion obviously is no stranger to the superhero world after his work on DC’s animated films and portrayal of Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Fillion gets the chance to join a mainstream film after being a leading man on television for the past few years, on both Castle and The Rookie.
Fillion hasn’t been in a blockbuster franchise since his small role in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Clearly he’s leading man material; no one can shut up about how awesome he is in Firefly and how much everyone loves Captain Mal, and there was only one season of that series. As Nathan hops back into the world of franchises, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a leading man in another franchise.
Being the king of the nerds, there have been talks of Fillion joining many different franchises over the years – and half of thosee rumors end up being about franchises Fillion is a fan of anyway. Let’s go over the franchises Nathan Fillion would kill in if he got the chance to make an appearance.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Thanks to James Gunn, Fillion has appeared in two separate roles within the MCU. In Guardians of the Galaxy, he was the prisoner who got a whole lot of Groot shoved up his nose. Though not in an actual role in its shooting script, Fillion was portrayed as an Easter egg in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s movie poster background as Simon Williams, better known as Wonder Man.
Since Fillion’s scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ended up on the cutting room floor, Wonder Man technically hasn’t yet made an official appearance in the MCU. But Fillion fans and comic fans alike want the man back for a real Wonder Man film.
In the comics, Wonder Man is best friends with Beast, who’s appeared in Fox’s X-Men franchise. The rebooted X-Men at Disney would be a great chance to reintroduce Beast and bring Fillion back as Wonder Man.
Star Trek
Fillion was already captain of a starship, so why not join the first real sci-fi franchise? Fillion himself is a huge Trekkie, even once having discussed how much he fanboys when he runs across William Shatner. He would be the perfect fit for Star Trek, no matter if he joins one of the CBS All Access shows or the film franchise.
It may seem silly to cast Nathan Fillion as captain again – but as mentioned, no one (including us) can shut up about how much they love him in Firefly. He was a true ship captain in audiences’ eyes, so if he put on a Starfleet uniform, Fillion would make a great captain of a Federation starship.
The Walking Dead
This may seem random, but Fillion himself is a huge fan of the show. After the season six finale, he penned a love letter to The Walking Dead for Entertainment Weekly. With the universe growing even bigger thanks to the upcoming Rick Grimes movie and both Fear the Walking Dead and A New World, there are plenty of places for Fillion to find a spot.
The best idea for both Chief Content Officer of TWD Scott Gimple and Nathan Fillion would to cast the latter in the Rick Grimes spinoff film. The Walking Dead still has a lot of diehard fans, though we’re not 100% sure why due to the faltering quality of later seasons. By adding a big name like Fillion, it could interest non-fans to check out the film.
Uncharted
You’ve hopefully seen the fan-made short film of the video game Uncharted starring Nathan Fillion as protagonist Nathan Drake. If not, why the hell not? We already knew Fillion was an action man, but even within Uncharted’s small budget, he killed it, embodying the role of Drake. He’d be perfect for a feature version.
Fortunately enough, the full-length Uncharted film is scheduled for release in 2020, currently with Tom Holland on board to play a young Nathan Drake. It’s unknown if the movie plans on following a different story than the games and focusing on a younger Drake, or if he’ll just be used for flashbacks. Either way, we’re rooting for someone to reach out to Fillion to cast him as middle-aged Nathan Drake.
Doctor Who
The king of the nerds of course has been asked about appearing in the longest running sci-fi television franchise of all time. When he was asked back in 2013, Fillion tweeted “If Moffat asked, I’d eat a cat turd.” Obviously, Steven Moffat is no longer running the show, but Fillion could still find himself appearing on Doctor Who if the fans got their way.
Even back when Matt Smith was leaving and they were looking for the twelfth Doctor, fans were campaigning for Fillion to take the reins of the Tardis.
Doctor Who usually sticks with British actors for its lead, but other actors from around the world have been used in side plots and even as companions. Fillion still has a chance to accompany Jodie Whitaker in a later season as a companion. And who knows, maybe he’ll be the first American Doctor! Commence flame war.
