How about John C. McGinley of ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Platoon’?
He can do quiet intensity quite well and might just pull off the Stetson.

Interesting choice.
To me, McGinley’s character in Platoon carries too much baggage.  He was too much of a dufuss in that film to get over it.
Now he’s a wisecracking bully in Scrubs, which seems to suite him well.
He’s also a great Commissioner of Beer.
Not sure he’s right for Raylan.

Scrum - 09 March 2009 02:45 PM

Interesting choice.
To me, McGinley’s character in Platoon carries too much baggage.  He was too much of a dufuss in that film to get over it.
Now he’s a wisecracking bully in Scrubs, which seems to suite him well.
He’s also a great Commissioner of Beer.
Not sure he’s right for Raylan.

I just see something in him in those serious moments of pathos that ‘Scrubs’ throws in now and again that I think would lend itself to the serious, straight forward guy I see Givens as being. Also I always seem to think back on Givens as a guy with, if not regrets, then a full unstanding of how bad people can be to each other and again I see that in McGinley’s more serious moments in ‘Scrubs’. But its just an opinion, no more valid than the next.

And it’s a fine opinion, to be sure.
I just don’t share it.  I haven’t really been much of a Scrubs fan, though I think it is well done and quite funny the rare occasion I do watch it.  I enjoyed his brown-nosing Plattoon character and was glad to see him working again.  You’d see him now and then on some bit part always wondering if that was his lot, or that you may never see this guy again on-screen.  Scrubs is still in production, right?

Who’s out there needs a job and would fit bill?  No big screen guys, right?  Although Joseph Montegna made a decent living on the small screen after mainly doing cinema and stage.
You’d need like a younger Ted Danson type, out of work, maybe even a newcomer, though they’ll probably go with someone age appropriate.

Is Dennis Leary available?

Everyone’s casting ideas has been interesting so far. John McGinley, I hadn’t thought of him…very nice idea.

However, I’m sticking to my guns and saying Thomas Haden Church should be Raylan Givens. I think he has the makings of a tough, modern-day hombre who packs a shotgun and a Marshal’s badge. Interestingly enough, THC already played a US Marshal in a ten-gallon hat in another movie, “3,000 Miles to Graceland.” It wasn’t a very good movie, in my opinion. But with his performance in that, it gave me an image of how Church would look like in Elmore’s character creation.

Another actor who I thought would have made a good Givens is (at least a younger) Nick Nolte. Has anyone seen his film “Extreme Prejudice”, directed by Walter Hill, back in 1987? Nolte’s performance as a tough Texas Ranger battling drug lords also had me thinking of what a real-life depiction of Raylan Givens would appear like. Pity that Nolte is way too old to play the role now, though.

I agree Thomas Hayden Church would definately look the part, I’d forgotten 3000 Miles To Graceland, just dont know if he’d want to get into TV at this point.
The other thing with McGinley is that Scrubs is entering its final stages with the creator and star both about to pull out if the show continues at all, so he may well be free at around the same time.

jpny1025 - 19 February 2009 02:38 PM

Josh Brolin.

Shawn Doyle of HBO’s Big Love.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236495/

Good choice, Mouth.
Doyle has the look.

Timothy Olyphant has been tapped as the lead in FX’s drama pilot based on Elmore Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole.”

http://www.elmoreleonard.com/index.php?/weblog/timothy_olyphant_to_play_raylan_givens/

Gregg Sutter - 27 April 2009 02:06 AM

Timothy Olyphant has been tapped as the lead .”

ooph.  terrible.  can’t see it.