After several messy attempts at live-action anime, another beloved series is on its way to Netflix's chopping block. This time, it's Kōhei Horikoshi's beloved superhero franchise My Hero Academia. With Alice in Borderland director Shinsuke Sato at the helm, this admittedly terrible pitch has some chance at success, but only with the right cast.
After adapting classics like Gantz to the screen with Japanese productions, Sato is making his first-ever American film. With that in mind, he has a wide and varied world of performers to choose from. Some may just look to Hollywood's selection of big men, but All Might is a complicated character. Whoever they choose must embody both his low moments and his booming enthusiasm.
David Harbour
One of the big problems with portraying All Might in live-action is the massive change in physical size that the character undergoes. He switches between his skinny form and his bulky form regularly, and it seems impossible to make that happen without some intense trickery. Either they cast a big dude and use CGI to thin him out or cast a skinny dude and get him bulked up. However they go about it visually, David Harbour would be a solid performer for both roles. He got his big break playing a cynical small-town cop in Stranger Things. The journey from reserved beaten-down veteran to action hero that he takes over the course of the show is a perfect All Might transformation. Beyond that, he's portrayed superheroes before. He was the best part of the ill-fated 2019 Hellboy remake, and he's a ton of fun as Red Guardian, a role he'll be reprising in future MCU projects. Harbour is an excellent choice for the role, and he's basically family over at Netflix.
John Cena
The former WWE Superstar turned movie star has become a household name for his performance as the anti-hero Peacemaker. One glance at his performance in the role makes it clear how he'd do as All Might. The main virtue of Cena as an actor is his immense wellspring of positive energy. He's like a beacon of light in the shape of an old He-Man action figure. Giving Cena a role in which he's expected to constantly flex and shout seems like a no-brainer. He's a perfect physical match, he'd be excellent in the action scenes, and he may be the only actor in Hollywood today who wouldn't look completely ridiculous in the costume. Casting John Cena as All Might sounds like a joke, but only because it's perfectly on the nose.
Brandon Routh
It's fair to say that All Might takes a bit of inspiration from Superman in his design and presentation. A lot of actors have picked up the role of Superman over the years, but Brandon Routh got only one chance at that incredibly famous character before it was ripped away from him. Most fans of DC agree that Routh was a solid Superman, but the film he starred in didn't meet WB's expectations at the box office. Routh has since stayed busy with roles in films like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and TV shows like Chuck. He's returned to DC in the role of Ray Palmer AKA The Atom in multiple CW Arrowverse shows. He's a great superhero who feels underrated by Hollywood. Imagine the surprise of an American audience seeing the star of Superman Returns take on All Might. It's not just a great story behind the scenes, it's also a solid casting choice.
Jason Momoa
The star who rose from Khal Drogo to Aquaman and beyond has a lot more range than one might think. His default state is stoic, powerful, and proud, but he has a lot of unique roles under his belt. Momoa has a great voice and an immensely compelling screen presence. He's built like a superhero by default, but his on-screen persona is the secret weapon that keeps him famous. Momoa recently starred in Slumberland, in which he got to portray a more comedic role. He's able to bring a great deal of energy to just about any performance, and he'd be a perfect All Might for a live-action My Hero Academia.
Tom Hopper
Most of the qualifications to portray the Symbol of Peace are encapsulated in one's ability to play a big powerful superhero. Hopper has portrayed Luther Hargreeves for three seasons of The Umbrella Academy, so that should check that box. Hopper mostly appears in bit parts and ensemble casts, but it's about time he gets a massive chance at the spotlight. He's a little bit younger than All Might, but, with the right Deku to play against, he has the personality to embody a solid mentor. Hopper is a fun performer who hasn't gotten the chance to shine he deserves. All Might is a key character in this theoretical live-action My Hero Academia film, but it's also a chance to see a great actor deliver some powerful booming speeches.