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
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Recommended reading
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
A Minecraft Movie chicken jockey scene
Adventure Movies In the wake of chicken jockey, new A Minecraft Movie screenings will encourage rowdy behaviour: "It's time to get loose, laugh out loud and belt out those lyrics"
Magic Farm
Comedy Movies American Psycho and Hereditary stars' new comedy is a perfect satire of documentary-making gone wrong
  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
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
A Minecraft Movie chicken jockey scene
In the wake of chicken jockey, new A Minecraft Movie screenings will encourage rowdy behaviour: "It's time to get loose, laugh out loud and belt out those lyrics"
Latest in Movies
A young Noctis and Lunafreya in Final Fantasy 15 Kingsglaive
The Legend of Zelda movie has finally cast its titular princess, and it turns out she was already a video game movie veteran at roughly 12 years old thanks to Final Fantasy
Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter in Nosferatu
After creepily mastering vampires with his hit Nosferatu remake, director Robert Eggers will reportedly bring back its stars Aaron Taylor Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp for his new werewolf movie
Robert Pattinson in The Batman
The Batman 2 may actually happen before Robert Pattinson is a senior citizen, as DC Studios are reportedly "thrilled" with the highly anticipated script
Trial of the Amazons #1 cover
WB reportedly fast-tracking Wonder Woman reboot movie following Superman's success
John Malkovich with long white hair and a long beard in Fantastic Four: The First Steps
John Malkovich's villain the Red Ghost has been cut from The Fantastic Four: First Steps - "It was heartbreaking not to include him," director says, and I'm heartbroken too
David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
James Gunn has curated personalized playlists for the Superman character you are most like, and it makes so much sense
Latest in Features
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Five questions I hope Fantastic Four: First Steps answers
Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Starlord (Chris Pratt), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Drax (Dave Bautista) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
I've watched all the best James Gunn movies and TV shows, and this is how I'd rank them
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 is releasing in just under 2 months, so I'm revisiting the 5 best Gearbox games while I count down the days
The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature screenshot of a fairy, a ghost, and a mermaid looking scared
After 400 hours in The Sims 4, I've finally met my match: an occult-only household riddled with phantoms, house fires, and dead plants
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild screenshot of Link cooking over a campfire
The Legend of Zelda and Red Dead Redemption 2 have whetted my appetite, so I've found the 7 best cooking games to tuck into
David Corenswet as Superman fighting back flames
I’m tired of MCU post-credits scenes that go nowhere, which is why Superman’s organic world-building is such a breath of fresh air
  1. DK and Pauline look surprised in Donkey Kong Bananza
    1
    Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years"
  2. 2
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  3. 3
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  4. 4
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  5. 5
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  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...