5 actors who could play David in The Guest if Dan Stevens doesn't return
I'm sure I'm not alone when I heard the interview with actor Dan Stevens this summer where he mentioned that he would love to return in playing David in Adam Wingard's The Guest. Dan is a highly underrated actor who's really just beginning to get noticed, scoring larger roles in bigger productions. A handsome talented character actor, he's appeared in such films since like A Walk Among The Tombstones, and the lead roll in the trippy FX show Legion. Still, my favorite roll he's played has to be David. I was a huge fan of Wingard's You're Next, and after hearing him state that he was inspired by The Stepfather (1987), I went out and did a blind buy (which I barley do anymore) and absolutely LOVED it. To me this is a modern day cult film. Highly inspired by John Carpenter, the movie tell the story of a mysterious and handsome Soldier named David. He shows up one day and introduces himself to The Peterson family. He claims to be a friend of their son who died in action. After he's welcomed into their home, he appears to be absolutely perfect and exactly what this grieving family needs. It isn't long before the teenage daughter begins to suspect that David is hiding things as a series of accidental deaths seem to all connect back to him.
I really loved everything about The Guest, and what I really dug was that Wingard was right. This is a loose modern day take on The Stepfather. A mysterious stranger is welcomed into a family and at first everything appears to be perfect until strange accidents and deaths begin to happen around them while this stranger who seems completely perfect is hiding secrets that could be deadly. Theres a showdown between teenager daughter and themselves and boom the hero wins. Much like the original Stepfather you think the villain is dead only for clever storytelling to make it possible to show despite how ridiculous it is. Then what I really thought of as a clever tool in the series' plot was after the original actor declined to return for part III (which I can't blame him, that movie s-u-c-k-e-d) they wrote that he got plastic surgery and changed his appearance so a new actor could take over. Far fetched...absolutely. Clever 1000%. I feel Wingard used this trick in The Guest, writing that David was using a burner phone to call a back alley plastic surgeon. The family's son even brings this up saying it makes perfect sense if he's on the run from people he might as well change his appearance.
Wingard wrote this I believe not just as a plot device to show David was hiding/on the run from something, but also as a clever tool if he ever made a sequel and Dan Stevens didn't want to return he could easily recast him and just state it's the same David, just with plastic surgery and he's now played by someone new. Lucky for all of us Dan Stevens said if a sequel happens he's all for returning. I follow him on social media and I absolutely love whenever he reposts fan art of himself from this film, clearly showing that this was a roll he still loves. So it got me thinking...even though I absolutely want Stevens to return, who are 5 actors that I could see easily slipping into the David roll for the sequel and playing it perfectly!
5) Billy Magnussen
- Even though I only really know him from a small handful of roll (mostly playing Ryan in Game Night and stealing every scene he was in. "I'm the president of Cyberdyne systems..." But, I feel Billy definitely has the look down and could really play it serious.
4) Dacre Montgomery
- It's no hiding the fact Dacre stole the show in Stranger Things. I'm actually excited to see what this dude does for future film projects (I'm still holding onto hope he's actually in season 4 of ST) Still, this guy can definitely play a serious intense character.
3) Robert Pattinson
- I'm glad this guy is finally starting to get taken seriously. I really gotta hand it to him, he did the Twilight films because they had a massive fanbase and made billions of dollars. After doing 4 crappy movies, he was able to afford to do something many actors wish they could do. Take independent projects that appeal to them. Over the last eight or so years he's really shown off his acting chops and has been killing it. I could see him taking over David even though the chances are slim. Still would be interesting to see!
2) Eamon Farren
- Eamon, Eamon, Eamon. Forever a favorite, and much like Dan Stevens he's finally starting to get the credit he deserves. He can play mysterious, as well as intense. Sure he's thinner than Stevens, but seeing him appear in a sequel to a cult movie would be SO cool! Plus if the David character returns to hunt for the teenagers that tried to kill him, the chemistry between him and Maika Monroe would be insane!
1) Tyler Hoechlin
- Besides Road To Perdition, and Everybody Wants Some!! I really haven't seen this guy in that many movies. Still he's my #1 choice since I think getting someone with different colored hair would be so cool. Say David got the plastic surgery. He's still crazy handsome, and very intense. I think Tyler would be awesome taking for the David roll in The Guest. He can play scary, and this is a roll I feel fans of the original film would embrace if Stevens wasn't interested and passed the torch over to Tyler.
So thoughts? Who would you like to see play David if Stevens doesn't return?
