Stories by @bencasting

Casting Middle-earth

The casting in The Lord of the Rings trilogy was perfect. In subsequent Hobbit films and with more films and series exploring Middle-earth, which actors should play younger or new versions of iconic characters from The Lord of the Rings?

X-men: Every Decade

Imagining a world where X-men films were made in each decade and choosing a hypothetical cast. Each cast shaped by what comics had been released as well as the film-making style of the decade.

Alternate Fellowship

Pick characters from any universe to make an Alternate Fellowship to take the Ring to Mount Doom.

Fandom Mount Rushmores

If this world had a Mount Rushmore, who would be its faces? Choose the four characters who's legacy deserves to be carved into stone.

UNITED: Youth, Courage, Success (2028-)

Manchester United have reportedly agreed a deal with North American production company Lionsgate for the creation of a drama series based on the history of the club. Here's my take on what it could look like: Series 1: The origins of a club with working-class roots, from Newton Heath’s survival, the birth of Manchester United and the move to old trafford, through the World Wars ars and relegation and financial struggles to stay afloat. Matt Busby and the Busby Babes setting the standard in English football until the shocking tragedy of the Munich air disaster. Series 2: Busby rebuilds a grieving club almost from scratch, culminating in European glory. When he finally retires, United drift through a series of managers, trapped between past expectations and present failures, culminating in a shocking relegation. Series 3: Ron Atkinson restores some success. Alex Ferguson arrives from Aberdeen, imposing discipline and authority. A faltering start nearly costs him his job, but an FA Cup win gives the him a lifeline. Series 4: A young generation emerges, reshaping the club’s future. By the mid-90s, Ferguson’s team dominate England again, building toward one extraordinary night in Barcelona in 1999. Series 5: United are a British football institution, but off the pitch turbulence mounts. Ferguson contemplates retirement, legal battles and boardroom disputes erupt, a racehorse conspiracy causes chaos, and high-profile fallouts shake the squad. The Glazer familys’ leveraged takeover causes mass fan protests. Series 6: United remain a global powerhouse. Ferguson battles rivals Wenger and Mourinho while rebuilding the squad. European glory returns in 2008, City’s rise challenges the football established order, and Ferguson claims a final Premier League title in 2013 before preparing his successor, David Moyes. Series 7: The post-Ferguson era begins.

Friends Again

The next generation of friends trying to make their way in New York in their late 20s/early 30s.

X-Men: Re-imagined

My attempt to reorganise X-Men films into a more cohesive timeline. X-Men (2000): Growing fear of mutants. Focus on the X-men’s found-family dynamic across generations. Rogue given more character development. Clash with Magneto & the Brotherhood stopping his increasingly extreme plan. X-Men: Mankind (2003): Wolverine’s past emerges through flashbacks. The cruelty of William Stryker’s Weapon X program forces the X-Men and Magneto into a reluctant alliance, while Jean Grey’s powers are pushed to the limit saving the team. X-Men: Phoenix Rising (2007): Jean, believed dead, returns with the Phoenix Force, amplifying her anger at humans, Charles & Magneto. She causes destruction, struggles morally, and ultimately chooses to take control of the power, manifesting as the Phoenix in the sky and removing herself from the world. Sentinel program quietly advances. X-Men: First Class (2010): Nathaniel Essex as architect pulling strings from the shadows. More time with Erik hunting Nazis. More comic-accurate Emma Frost; Darwin survives; Havok swapped to fix continuity. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2013): Mostly the same but with enough focus and better lines for characters to give them time to shine. X-Men: Bloodlines (2023): Set against the fall of the iron curtain – Mr. Sinister is abducting unregistered mutants across Europe. Setting traps for the x-men, to divide and capture Scott & Jean to harness their DNA. Jean’s powers surge during a showdown beneath Berlin, destroying Sinister’s archives, forcing his retreat. X-Men: Apocalypse (2025): Jeans power surge & Sinister’s failure awakens Apocalypse. Seeing his “pawn” could not control the X-Men or Jean’s cosmic power, Apocalypse corrupts 4 Horsemen to reshape the modern world. Guided by future Charles via the astral plane, Jean learns to control her Phoenix energy. The team overcome Apocalypse, entombing him & preventing his conquest.

Celebrity traitors Series 2

My line-up for the second series of Celebrity Traitors on the BBC (2026).

Greatest Of All Time

GOATS. Vote for the greatest people in their field of all time across every category.

Actors Who Keep Doing the Same Things

*SPOILER ALERT* Some actors just can’t escape certain habits, quirks, recurring tropes or strange coincidences that follow them from role to role. From Matt Damon’s characters always needing to be rescued, to Owen Wilson’s inevitably saying “wow”.

Best of British

Voting for the best of all things British. (Including Great Britain and Northern Ireland for Athletes)

The World of Roald Dahl

From Willy Wonka to the BFG, Witches and Foxes - casting all of Roald Dahl’s best-loved and loathed characters. Proposing for a hypothetical Film/TV series airing 2026-2027. (Only adult characters).

Inception through time

Imagining Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010) if it had been made in every decade from 1970-2030.

Twin Films

Ever feel like you’re getting movie déjà vu? That’s the phenomenon of twin films, where two studios release movies around the same time with strikingly similar plots, themes, or ideas. Sometimes it’s pure coincidence, other times it’s a competitive race to capture the audience first. Scripts circulating across multiple studios and the movement of staff between companies can lead to overlapping projects. Major news, cultural milestones, and other zeitgeisty topics can inspire multiple films on the same story. Sometimes a story is so good it has to be told twice, and sometimes we wish it hadn’t been. But which version is your favorite?

Netflix Narnia

A new series of films based on C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, in the works for Netflix, with Greta Gerwig rumored to be working on two installments. Reimagining the classic fantasy world, the films hope to offer a fresh take on the Pevensie siblings' epic journey through Narnia, infused with Gerwig’s distinctive storytelling. Perhaps weaving narratives from The Magician's Nephew.

Perfect Biopic casting

Casting the perfect actors to play famous figures, past and present. Whether you were blown away by their performance already or you think they'd be ideal for a future role. Let me know who I've missed!

The Best TV Shows...

Ranking the best TV shows sorted by categories, genre, themes, tropes and channel.

The Best...

The best films by categories, from genre, themes, studio, author

MCU Next Phase (2025-)

Marvel Phase 6 and beyond...Fantastic Four, X-men and more.

Beckham (2025)

A biopic following the career and life of David Beckham, one of football's most iconic players. An inspirational story of perseverance, redemption, and the power of self-belief. Following his remarkable rise, from breaking into the Manchester United first team to the unforgettable halfway-line goal that forever etched his name in football history. Falling in love with pop star Victoria Adams, and navigating the challenges of life in the spotlight, and his tumultuous relationship with manager and father figure; Sir Alex Ferguson. The narrative takes a dramatic turn with the infamous red card at the World Cup, propelling him to the status of the most hated man in England, and the subsequent moments of self-reflection. Against all odds, Beckham triumphs over adversity, emerging as the adored face of English football, and his indomitable spirit both on and off the pitch inspires a generation.