Casting Call: Encyclopedia Brown
In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.
If our favorite children’s series taught us anything it’s that there is nothing cooler than solving crimes. While the Hardy boys and Nancy Drew were pretty nifty mystery crackers, no childhood detective hero was quite as clever as Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown. A second-generation detective (his father, Chief Brown, is the local chief of police), Brown is characterized by his higher-than-average IQ and endless supply of quirky facts. His caseload included such mysteries as unexplained exploding plumbing and an umpire making unfavorable calls. Who could forget Bugs Meany, the leader of local bully squad “The Tigers” and Brown’s arch-nemesis, who set the majority of these petty crimes into motion? In addition to their entertainment value, Encyclopedia Brown novels were intellectually stimulating—subtle clues allowed the reader to solve crimes alongside Brown—and socially progressive—Brown’s sidekick and bodyguard was a female named Sally Kimball. Not bad for the early 1960s!
Encyclopedia Brown was brought to life on the small screen for HBO back in ’89, but attempts to bring Brown to cinemas have been less successful… until now. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. have all but finalized plans to bring young Brown to the big screen. Jason Moore, who recently directed Pitch Perfect, is also attached to the project. Here are the actors we think are worthy of the film adaptation of this beloved series.
Casting Call runs every Friday. For more, click here.
