Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Recommended reading
A baby zombie riding a chicken in A Minecraft Movie
Adventure Movies Minecraft screening reactions go to the next level as one fan takes Chicken Jockey too literally and brings a live bird to a movie theater
Clash of Clans mobile game
Animated Shows A Clash of Clans series is coming to Netflix as game developer promises "more details" to come: "We just couldn't keep it a secret any longer"
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Sci-Fi Movies Emma Stone stars in frenetic first trailer for Poor Things director's remake of cult South Korean sci-fi comedy
The Toxic Avenger
Horror Movies New The Toxic Avenger trailer teases eye-popping gore and Robocop influences, as Game of Thrones star dispatches a band of rockstars
Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan in Netflix's The Thursday Murder Club
Comedy Movies First trailer for James Bond and Marvel stars' new murder mystery movie is the perfect mix of Knives Out and Prime Suspect
Kieran Culkin looking up
Sci-Fi Movies Kieran Culkin advises fans "lower their expectations" for his performance in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Matt Berry in What We Do in the Shadows
Adventure Movies Jack Black’s role as Steve in A Minecraft Movie was actually supposed to go to What We Do in the Shadows star Matt Berry
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

Angry Birds: Casting Call

Features
By Simon Kinnear published 3 September 2010

Meet The Eggspendables

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan

If you own an iPhone, chances are you've played Angry Birds, the record-selling app about furious feathered friends taking their revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs.

Chances are, you've lost hours and even days to the game, endlessly stroking and tapping your phone trying to perfect their kamikaze attacks.

Inevitably, a film version is now on the cards ...but who should play the birds? Why the angriest, craziest stars Hollywood can offer, of course. Read on to see who we're putting in the firing line.

But at the helm, the studios are going to need a calm head to prevail. Nolan is the obvious choice, not least because he can pull off the fiendishly perplexing narrative twists required to get those damn pigs.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Joe Pesci

Joe Pesci

Which Bird Would He Be? The small red bird.

Why? No special powers, but he's a mean little pecker - simple, direct, deadly.

Fire him up, and he can do enough damage to make you regret calling him a funny bird.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Baldwin brothers

Baldwin brothers

Which Birds Would They Be? The blue birds, where one attacker cunningly separates into three smaller birds.

Why? This tag-team keeps the crazy in the family.

Alec is blue #1, shouting a blue streak as he demands that the birds always be closing.

But his initial attack is a decoy, and he unleashes his three younger, less talented siblings, who are bitter enough to inflict some serious hurt.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte

Which Bird Would He Be? The yellow kamikaze bird, who rockets at speed towards its target.

Why? The piledriver of the team.

Outwardly quite placid, a beach-bum past his prime...but cross him and he'll throw all of his considerable bulk into smashing the place down.

You really don't want to get in his way.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Christian Bale

Christian Bale

Which Bird Would He Be? The black bomb bird, which as the name suggests has an explosive personality.

Why? Although seemingly inocuous in flight, push this one's buttons and he's liable to blow a fuse. Especially if something gets in his eye-line mid-flight.

Actually, scratch that. He always explodes.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Gary Busey

Gary Busey

Which Bird Would He Be? The white bird who drops eggs onto the pigs and then zooms off into the stratosphere.

Why? This space cadet really shouldn't be entrusted with looking after the young'uns.

He's forever in the habit of chucking his offspring (played by Jake Busey) at the enemy. Anything to get out of doing the job himself, eh?

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

Which Bird Would He Be? The green boomerang bird.

Why? You mean, apart from him being an Aussie?

Because every time he appears, it looks like he's blown it and sailed way past the reasonable parameters expected of him.

And yet he'll always make a comeback, forcing those critical pigs to eat their words about him being past-it.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe

Which Bird Would He Be? The big fat red bird

Why? The daddy of the bunch, called in when all other avenues have been explored.

Simpler, more direct, deadliest - the big twist here is that, after all the tricksy stuff, brute force is the answer after all.

Also, Crowe's named after a bird, so it just fits, OK?

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise

Which Bird Would He Be? Er, none of them. Cruise is playing the pigs.

Why? Chiefly, because they all share a strikingly familiar shit-eating grin when the birds fail to kill 'em.

Besides, role-playing every single one of the increasingly bruised and battered pigs will indulge both Cruise's propensity for uglifying those all-star looks and his post-Len Grossman fondness for prancing about in daft costumes.

Costumes? Oh, did we not mention - this isn't going to be a cartoon. We're thinking live action. Dress 'em all up in feathers.

That really will make them angry.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Simon Kinnear
See more Movies Features
Read more
A baby zombie riding a chicken in A Minecraft Movie
Minecraft screening reactions go to the next level as one fan takes Chicken Jockey too literally and brings a live bird to a movie theater
Clash of Clans mobile game
A Clash of Clans series is coming to Netflix as game developer promises "more details" to come: "We just couldn't keep it a secret any longer"
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Emma Stone stars in frenetic first trailer for Poor Things director's remake of cult South Korean sci-fi comedy
The Toxic Avenger
New The Toxic Avenger trailer teases eye-popping gore and Robocop influences, as Game of Thrones star dispatches a band of rockstars
Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan in Netflix's The Thursday Murder Club
First trailer for James Bond and Marvel stars' new murder mystery movie is the perfect mix of Knives Out and Prime Suspect
Kieran Culkin looking up
Kieran Culkin advises fans "lower their expectations" for his performance in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Latest in Movies
Henry Cavill as Superman
James Gunn's Superman actor David Corenswet compares Man of Steel's Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill to Christopher Nolan's Batman because they showed "a side of Superman that hadn't been explored on the big screen"
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn says he would not have made a Superman movie if he hadn't found the right actor: "I don't know if anybody I've worked with before would've been able to do this stuff, besides maybe Chris Pratt"
Ghost, Bob, Yelena, and John Walker peeking around a corner in Thunderbolts
Marvel Phase 5 closes a weird, ramshackle chapter in MCU history – and shows what Marvel needs to get right in Phase 6
David Corenswet as Superman kneels by a broken robot in the new Superman movie.
James Gunn says there are three comic book origins he never wants to see in a superhero movie again – including that deeply upsetting Batman scene: "Who cares?"
David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Skyler Gisondo in Superman
Do I need to watch any movies or TV shows before Superman?
David Corenswet as Superman in James Gunn's Superman
James Gunn's Superman looks like a comics-accurate take on the Man of Steel at last – but will it be enough to revive DC at the box office?
Latest in Features
Kaizen: A Factory Story key art featuring a production line making a toy electronic
"Make games and die. That's my plan": Coincidence's Zach Barth on making games about making things, a year of teaching, and being in it for the long haul
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Cyberpunk Edgerunners season 2: Everything we know about CD Projekt Red's anime
Ghost, Bob, Yelena, and John Walker peeking around a corner in Thunderbolts
Marvel Phase 5 closes a weird, ramshackle chapter in MCU history – and shows what Marvel needs to get right in Phase 6
David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Skyler Gisondo in Superman
Do I need to watch any movies or TV shows before Superman?
David Corenswet as Superman in James Gunn's Superman
James Gunn's Superman looks like a comics-accurate take on the Man of Steel at last – but will it be enough to revive DC at the box office?
A cropped screenshot from Undertale, showing Frisk and Sans standing in Grillby's in Snowdin.
17 years after it was released, I'm tracing Undertale and Deltarune's origins back to Toby Fox's spooky Earthbound mod
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...