Olympic (Biopic) Fever: Who Would Play Phelps and Liukin?

Their stories are already the stuff of Hollywood: Michael Phelps, the all-time Olympic medal-winning champion, and Nastia Liukin, the gold medalist daughter of a silver medalist. They're the new American heroes and before long, some movie studio executive will talk about turning their historic journeys into a two-hour inspirational film. "It'll be just like Miracle, only in a swimming pool," will be the oft-heard pitch for the Phelps movie. Across town, another hungry screenwriter will announce, "Did you see Stick It? OK, maybe not the best example, but Nastia was in that movie!" Maybe it's the cynic in me that sees Phelps' magnificent run and Liukin's sudden rise to fame as fodder for Hollywood movies, but you can't deny that they'd be pretty easy paydays, just as you can't deny how both athletes have captured the American attention this week. Besides, we know the beginning and end of each story, and if you just throw training montages in between, you're golden, if you'll pardon the expression. But who would you cast? For the role of Nastia Liukin, you actually could cast Nastia Liukin. She's photogenic, and did appear in Stick It, albeit as herself. They'll probably look for an up-and-coming name, though, say for instance a Brittany Snow. That's actually a pretty good choice, if I do say so myself. Of course, it would require a lot more training to get gymnastics that looks realistic as opposed to swimming that looks realistic, so the actresses in contention would need to display some kind of physicality. Fortunately for Hollywood, Liukin has a lean, graceful build, and isn't the compact, powerful type like Shawn Johnson or Alicia Sacramone. Getting a sub-five-footer to pack on 20 pounds of muscle wouldn't be that easy. As for Aquaman, there's one name I keep coming back to for Michael Phelps: M-C to the L-O-V-I-N. Yep, look at McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and our Olympic hero side-by-side. They could be twins. I suppose the Hollywood way of thinking would put Zac Efron in those NASA swimsuits, but I think a lot of the appeal of Michael Phelps is that he's, frankly, a bit of a doofus. I mean that in the most flattering way, though. He's just a little bit goofy. Will these movies happen? Maybe. If so, they'd probably be TV flicks, but that Phelps story will definitely be discussed over the next couple of months. And if it happens, you'll cheer for him all over again, especially if he's played by McLovin. But we're open to your suggestions...so long as you don't suggest Johnny Depp or Robert Downey Jr.

Comments

[Orinn]

You referenced "stick it", and I sadly new what it was. A movie that was meant to inspire girls, and was clearly being watched by boys for uh, other reasons.

[Cheese]

Phelps is a dead ringer for John Krasinski. Duh.

[Jen]

You cannot possibly find anyone in Hollywood ugly enough to pass for Phelps, sorry. Even McLovin looks like a stud next to him.

[swanna24]

You write that Nastia Liukin's father is a silver medalist, but he is a gold medalist, as well.

(1988 Olympics: team gold, all-around silver, parallel bars silver & horizontal bar gold.)

Nastia won individual all-around gold while he won silver for the same. But, you didn't qualify that and it reads as though silver is the highest level of medal he ever achieved.

Once an athlete has won gold, for anything, that trumps any other medal, thus affording them the priviledge of forever after being referred to as "gold-medalist" no matter how many "lesser" titles and awards they may have won.

[Shawn Johnson fan 2040]

I think that they should also include Shawn Johnson!! She was fantasyic at the 2008 Olympics!!!!!! I think that Holllywood probably would cast Zac Efron! Yes, I think he's a tremendous actor!!!!!! I don't know who I would pick for Micheal Phelps, but Zac Efron is a pretty good choice!! I also think Brittnay Snow would play a good Nastia Liukin, so would Ashley Tisdale in my opionion. Of course that's my opinion , feel free to disagree, I totally Understand!! Congradulations to Natia Liukin, Micheal Phelps, and of course Shawn Johnson!!!!!!!