The Fifth Element is the kind of film that would have felt right at home in the 1980s as opposed to the ’90s. It’s full of the same over-the-top fantasy/sci-fi themes of that decade, with a carefree and cavalier approach to both realism, character development, and science. If the movie had been made a decade prior, it could have been cast with a bevy of excellent actors.
In fact, the 1980s was full of high-energy actors just waiting to sink their mitts into the next big role. The Fifth Element would have come out in a post-Star Wars era, making both audiences and actors receptive to the subject matter. Choosing the right thespians to play the characters, however, would require some forethought.
Professor Pacoli (John-Rhys Davies)
John-Rhys Davies already had some experience exploring ancient tombs in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which means he’d feel right at home playing Professor Pacoli at the beginning of The Fifth Element. He shares the same eccentric energy as John Bluthal did, with a more recognizable presence.
Davies is a very likable actor who is capable of charming audiences with a mixture of bombastic energy and childlike wonder, as evidenced by his performance as the meme-worthy Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It’s easy to see him in this particular role, marveling over the wonders of discovering the ruins of an ancient civilization.
General Staedert (Alec Guinness)
Actor John Neville was a pretty good stand-in for General Staedert, bringing a sense of sophistication to the military role. In order to meet that criteria in the 1980s, another actor capable of being authoritative, yet poised and intellectual would have been needed.
Alec Guinness was still active in the 1980s, having just come off an earth-shattering run as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. The Fifth Element wouldn’t have qualified as one of Guinness’ best films, but he’d fill the shoes of the character quite nicely.
President Lindberg (James Avery)
It was a stroke of genius to cast versatile character actor Tom Lister Jr. as President Lindberg, especially in lieu of all the ultra-tough guy roles he’d done up to that point. Lister was a big fellow, with a gruff exterior, and a very keen mind. That was hard to come by in the ’80s.
During the decade, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star James Avery was making his mark both in voice acting and live-action roles such as Fletch and 8 Million Ways to Die. With a similar physical presence and an authoritative demeanor, Avery would embody the President role even better than Lister Jr. did.
General Munro (Clancy Brown)
Tough guy actors like Brion James make for excellent military guys, and Brion James fits the role of General Munro perfectly. James was already a huge character actor in 1980s cinema, with a brief but notable role in Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking science fiction masterpiece Blade Runner, but Clancy Brown was just starting to leave his mark as well.
Brown was most famous for playing the Kurgan in 1986’s original Highlander film. His commanding presence and gruff physicality would have made him a natural shoo-in for a top brass military man like Munro. He’s already played similar roles in films like Starship Troopers.
Billy (Emilio Estevez)
Luke Perry as Billy was an interesting choice, but it felt more like an attempt to put that particular actor into the film as a nod to ’90s pop culture franchises like Beverly Hills, 90210. For an ’80s version, an actor of particularly boyish charm and a desire to explore the unknown would be needed.
It’s hard to think of anyone more fitting for that role than Emilio Estevez. In whatever ’80s work he was cast in, from John Hughes’ classic teen comedy The Breakfast Club to Joel Schumacher’s coming-of-age film St. Elmo’s Fire, Estevez threw himself into the role, and always looked like he was having an exciting time doing it. It would have amounted to little more than a cameo, but it would have grounded the film immediately by adding him into the mix.
Ruby Rhod (Eddie Murphy)
There is no comparable actor on Earth who can do what Chris Trucker does, and that goes beyond just the voice. Tucker is an explosive comedian with limitless energy, which means he’d be hard to replace. Eddie Murphy, however, had a different kind of energy, particularly during the ’80s.
Though he wouldn’t have given the same kind of bombastic, eccentric performance as Tucker, it’s safe to say that Murphy would have made the role his own. Hot off the set of Saturday Night Live, the iconic Murphy was establishing himself with a ton of likable roles.
Cornelius (William Hurt)
William Hurt is another actor who can play all sorts of roles, whether dramatic, action-oriented, good or evil. The same goes for Ian Holm, who played Cornelius in The Fifth Element. Strip away the fact that Hurt is not British, and he’d still make for an interesting Cornelius.
As demonstrated in many of his 1980s-era films, Hurt knows how to play gentle-natured, wise characters far beyond their years. By bringing his benevolence to the forefront, he’d be able to tackle the role, while putting a much different spin on it, as opposed to Holm.
Zorg (Christopher Walken)
Actor Gary Oldman can literally play anyone, given enough time to read a script. He’s extremely versatile, especially when it comes to villainous roles. Christopher Walken, by contrast, is rather typecast due to his string of ’80s and ’90s films, but he’d make for an excellent Zorg.
Walken is zany enough on a normal day, but for a film like The Fifth Element, he’d be in an ideal movie that would accentuate his eccentricities. His over-the-top acting style would be free to run amok, disjointed and oddball from start to finish. His portrayal of Max Shrek in Batman Returns proves that he has what it takes for a role like Zorg.
Leeloo (Brooke Shields)
Few 1980s actresses had the energy that Brooke Shields does, and that’s important for playing a character like Leeloo. In order to make it work, Shields would need to play up her inherent innocence, and only trigger her bad girl side when called for.
The heart of the character is a loveable woman acting as the antithesis of wickedness and evil. Actress Milla Jovovich can showcase that emotion with ease, but so can Shields, provided she threw caution to the wind and embraced the craziness of the story. In films like Endless Love and The Blue Lagoon, Shields proved she could handle the more dramatic aspects of the story while still embodying a carefree spirit that is essential to Leeloo’s character.
Korben Dallas (Mickey Rourke)
1980s-era Mickey Rourke was a lot like Bruce Willis, at least in terms of cool factor. Rourke would have made for an interesting Korben Dallas, thanks mostly to his ability to play understated, low-key characters that ebb cool, while looking confident in the face of adversity.
Rourke had already established himself as a bad type to keep an eye on, thanks to a string of classics like Rumble Fish, Body Heat, and Year of the Dragon. Tackling an 80s-era Fifth Element would be a breeze for him, making Rourke a natural fit.
