Casting of the Canterbury Tales

1. The Franklin: played by Robert Downey Jr.

            The Franklin, who accompanies his good friend the Lawyer, is a prominent, prosperous, and wealthy man. He is a rather generous and extroverted person, who is predominantly concerned with external things or objective considerations, and likes good food and good drinks. Having the Greek philosopher Epicurus’s out look on life, or the ideology that one should indulge in the utmost of pleasures, he openly invited anyone to come by his home and dine with him. (Lines 331-360)     

The Franklin would be played well by Robert Downey Jr. who is trademarked by playing rich and often exorbitantly wealthy men. Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark in the critically acclaimed box office smash hit “Iron Man.” Iron Man’s Tony stark was an exorbitant and overly wealthy man who might be considered Epicurus’s son. Like the Franklin, Stark enjoys the pleasures of life, and there is no pleasure that can escape him. 

Being that Tony Stark and the Franklin are very similar, Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect for the role as the Franklin.

2.  The Clerk: played by Tom Hanks

            The Clerk is the first admirable church member we meet on the pilgrimage. We also learn that the term "Clerk" is used as a cleric, a student, or a scholar. Thus the Clerk can be characterized in two main ways; the first is his love for learning about god; and the second is his will to be a scholarly and knowledgeable man, who in many cases would rather buy a book than a material good. (Lines 285-308)

            The Clerk would be played well by Tom Hanks who is known for playing serious, smart, and even religious characters. Tom Hanks starred as Robert Langdon in the 2006 blockbuster hit “The Da Vinci Code.” Langdon was a religious scholar and was passionate in learning the truth about religious mysteries such as the development of Christianity; so much so, that he got caught in the middle of a murder case with a two-thousand old society who has protected the secret of Christianity for thousands of years.
            Tom Hanks would be the perfect actor for the Clerk because of his extensive acting of humble religious scholars.

3. The Shipman: played by Geoffrey Rush

            The Shipman is a ship's captain, and the most skilled seaman from here to Spain. He feels more at home on the deck of ship than anywhere else, and is definitely not above piracy, or a little larceny. The Shipman is also a “hard” man and does not take prisoners in a sea fight. (Line 388-410)

            The Shipman would be a good role for Geoffrey Rush who has an extensive background in playing pirates. In fact, Geoffrey Rush played Captain Hector Barbossa in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. Barbossa is one of the nine pirate lords, and unlike Capatin Jack Sparrow, is far more “firm” in terms of characterization. Furthermore, Geoffrey Rush, who plays Barbossa, would better serve as the Shipman, rather than Johnny Depp, who plays Cpatain Jack Sparrow, because he is far more likely to take drastic action and actually not take prisoners. On the other hand, Captain Jack Sparrow is “soft” in terms of characterization and would not fit the role of the Shipman as well.
            Thus, because of his extensive background, and his better suited characterizations, Geoffrey Rush is the best person to play the Shipman in the Canterbury Tales.