With Buffyverse ringmaster Joss Whedon at its helm and Eliza Dushku as its star, Fox’s sci-fried Bourne series, Dollhouse, is pretty much required to have a cast that redefines the term "top-notch." And since a top-secret list of the show’s principal characters just landed on my desk, the dynamic duo have us to help them. Below you’ll find our (read : me and TVGuide.com contributor Ben Katner) casting suggestions for all of the major roles. But feel free to add your own. You know you want to.
ADELLE DEWITT
The fortyish iceberg who runs the Dollhouse where the human Etch-a-Sketches reside
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : Juliet Landau, so creepily heartbreaking as ubervamp Drusilla. They don’t come any cooler, or hotter, than her.
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Shohreh Aghdashloo. The onetime 24 Mommie Dearest is the scariest thing we’ve ever seen that didn’t have fangs.
PAUL BALLARD
The thirtysomething G-man who is slated to become an offbeat love interest for Dushku’s "impressionable" Echo
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : J. August Richards, whose long run as Angel’s sidekick, Gunn, only hinted at the dark side we have zero doubt he would bring to this conflicted character.
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Hands down, Ben Browder. The Stargate SG-1 heartthrob has proven a million times over — or at least in every single episode of Farscape — that he was born to speak Whedon’s zippy dialogue.
BOYD LANGTON
Echo’s handler and father figure
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : Duh. With its Watcher overtones, Boyd is a character tailor-made for Anthony Stewart Head, aka Buffy’s surrogate dad, Giles.
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Mitch Pileggi, who brought unexpected heart to what could have been the one-note role of The X-Files’ gruff taskmaster, Skinner.
TOPHER BRINK
The technogeek who enjoys his job as a Doll programmer maybe a little too much
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : Tom Lenk, who made such an indelible impression as Andrew, the amoral, ambiguously gay member of the Trio, Buffy’s dorky "archnemeses."
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Jason Yachanin, the adorkable Troma action hero who deserves so much better than Poultrygeist : Night of the Chicken Dead. (Hey, don’t judge him based on his résumé !)
SIERRA
The knockout Doll who is as close to a friend as Echo has
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : Bianca Lawson, if only so we can finally see alterna-Slayer Kendra play a part without the Jar Jar Binks patois.
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Die Hard 4 butt-kicker Maggie Q. Too bad, what with her busy film career and all, she’s probably gonna be a little too busy for the gig.
VICTOR
The distractingly handsome Doll who is called upon to play everyone from Errol Flynn to Robert DeNiro
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : Charlie Weber, who had the thankless role of bubbleheaded goddess Glory’s male alter ego, Ben, during Season 5 of Buffy.
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Matthew Bomer. The Tru Calling/Traveler alum is as versatile as he is pretty.
NOVEMBER
The Tracy Turnblad of the Dolls
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : How about giving a second chance to Riff Regan, the plus-sized actress who played Willow in the Buffy pilot ?
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Well, we did describe the character as the show’s resident Tracy Turnblad, so who better than that Hairspray hoofer’s portrayer, Nikki Blonsky ?
DR. CLAIRE SANDERS
The beautiful older woman with whom Topher is smitten
• If the part is cast from within the Buffyverse : Angel and Firefly’s Gina Torres, who is as adept at throwing a punch as she is at landing a punch line.
• If the part is cast from outside the Buffyverse : Try Battlestar Galactica’s sublime Michelle Forbes. She seems so like Whedon’s kind of actress, it’s a wonder they haven’t collaborated before. — Additional reporting by Ben Katner
OK, your turn. Put on your casting-director hats and start throwing out some names.
