If there’s any Ghibli movie that could work for a live-action adaptation, it’s Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 fantasy-romance masterpiece Howl’s Moving Castle based on the books by Diana Wynne Jones. The film is about eighteen-year-old Sophie Hatter, who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to be an old woman after an encounter with the mysterious wizard Howl.
The gorgeously animated Howl’s Moving Castle features a memorable and beloved cast of characters that have become firm favorites with Studio Ghibli fans. The question is, who is worthy of a role in such a magical ensemble?
Prince Justin: Trevante Rhodes
Prince Justin doesn’t really appear very much in the movie in his true form, being cursed himself to appear as the scarecrow that Sophie dubs ‘Turniphead.” Other than seeming very gentlemanly and polite, there’s not really much else to the prince. He saves Sophie and the gang a few times, proposes his love for her, but then realizes she’s already in love with Howl.
To add dimension to Prince Justin, Trevante Rhodes can add the warmth, depth, humor, and humanity that he’s also brought to roles such as Moonlight and Bird Box.
Honey Hatter: Kate Winslet
The mother of Sophie Hatter is bright and constantly absorbed in her own affairs. She’s quite different from Sophie as she’s loud, boisterous, and prideful. Honey is never seen without accessories by rich garments and lavish clothing. Someone who could bring Honey to life in a playful way is Kate Winslet, who is at her best in movies when balancing humor and humanity.
There is some definite opportunity when Honey is in the frame to add naturalistic and self-aware humor while she also can bring a ladylike and confident edge to the less evil female characters. Winslet would not turn Honey into a caricature, but someone whose own needs and flaws are realized.
King of Ingary: Javier Bardem
The King has a very brief stint in the film in a scene where Howl pretends to be him in order to distract Madame Sullivan. Following Howl’s performance, the real King bursts into the room and laughs at his clone, delighted by the sight of himself, and demands on bringing about more weaponry into the war. It’s a memorable scene that requires a memorable actor.
In an adaptation, perhaps the King might have a longer role to play, but either way, Javier Bardem could provide a performance as big as the King’s personality (and ego). It would be entertaining but also make the point as to how loud the King’s presence is as Bardem can play both reserved and larger-than-life depending upon the needs of the scene. He also has the versatility to convincingly play the Howl underneath the disguise for the moments when Howl is using his powers of deception.
Lettie Hatter: Hannah Murray
The supportive and concerned sister of Sophie Hatter, Lettie successfully helps run a busy bakery. Because of her bright personality, Lettie receives a lot of attention in contrast to Sophie. She aims to take care of her sister and encourages her to get out of the old hat shop to find something of her own.
Someone who could best portray Lettie’s kind, bubbly, yet strong personality is Hannah Murray, known for her roles in Game of Thrones and Skins. Hannah’s range of sweetness to assertiveness is a perfect match for Lettie’s determination and attention to detail.
Markl: Noah Jupe
The young actor Noah Jupe blew away audiences with his performance in Honey Boy, portraying a semi-fictionalized version of a young Shia LaBeouf, exploring parts of the actor’s childhood.
Actors with their level of talent are hard to come by, especially at such a young age. His ability to use humor and emotional intelligence makes for relatable performances. If he were to star in the role of Howl’s boy apprentice Markl, he would bring out those characteristics within the bright young character as well.
Calcifer: Forest Whitaker
Though Billy Crystal’s comedic voice performance for Calcifer is just about perfect for the character, it would be interesting to put a spin on the crass, grumpy, and all-around cute fire demon. Calcifer is Howl’s demon and helps keep the castle together and moving as he is forced to stay with the wizard due to their cursed bond.
Forest Whitaker is a versatile–and Oscar-winning– actor who has lent his talented voice to projects such as Where the Wild Things Are and Ernest and Celestine, proving his ability to deliver heart and comedy with his distinctive voice.
Madame Suliman: Angela Bassett
The villain Madame Sullivan is a character not to be messed with or underestimated. One of the most powerful witches in the world, Sullivan teaches and commands all the wizards that come into enlistment for the war in the story. She encourages magical people to join the royal army, tricking them into sacrificing their humanity so that they can be used as weapons.
Manipulative and intelligent, only someone with a powerful aura could hope to be a convincing Madame Sullivan in live-action. The choice here has to be Angela Bassett. She’s someone who can exude confidence, thoughtfulness, and overwhelming power all at once, making her a perfect fit for the role.
The Witch of the Waste: Deborah Kara Unger
The Witch of the Waste is one of the toughest characters to cast, seeing that the woman is seen in a variety of age ranges, from middle-aged to very old.
Thankfully, there are motion capture techniques and high-end prosthetics that can help ensure her transformations from a selfish and pompous witch into a helpless and expressive old woman are made convincing. Someone who can play on the witch’s sense of arrogance and glamour is Deborah Kara Unger, an actress not unfamiliar with the concept of portraying people who are self-obsessed such as in Crash, or people transformed by cruelty and magic, like in Silent Hill.
Howl: Aaron Yoo
Another tough call to make is for the casting of Howl. While many actors may be great choices for the role, not as many can deliver the overall feeling of enchantment that Aaron Yoo can conjure up.
Howl as a character is full of depth, struggling between being a traumatized child and a guilty, insecure, adult who learns the importance of compassion through Sophie. Aaron Yoo can bring strength and elegance to Howl’s character, also giving Yoo a powerful leading that could deservedly raise his profile on the global film scene.
Sophie Hatter: Florence Pugh
Florence Pugh is one of the biggest names in movies right now. From her powerhouse performances in Midsommar and Fighting With My Family to wowing audiences with her superheroic skills in Black Widow, it’s been proven time and time again that she could easily take on all the requirements of the role of Sophie Hatter.
It would be quite a different role to see Florence in, granted, but it’s another that could be satisfyingly realized through modern advancements in motion capture technology. Sophie starts off as rather withdrawn, shy, reserved, and insecure but grows more confident after becoming cursed to be an old woman. Pugh’s talent for showing extremes of emotion could really allow the young, desperate, Sophie that’s battling to break free of her curse to shine through from beneath whatever VFX work would be needed to convincingly place such a physically infirm character in such dangerous adventure scenarios.
