Chief Brown may be the Chief of the Idaville Police, but his 10-year-old son is better at solving crimes than he is. For this role, someone loveable but bumbling is ideal and we think Jason Bateman is just the guy. Bateman can bring a sense of humor to the role that will make the film bearable for adults accompanying their little ones to the cinema and we think he'd look pretty convincing in uniform.

Leroy Brown's lesser-known nemesis Wilford Wiggins is a high school dropout and con artist. Before you brush baby-faced Michael Cera off as incapable of playing evil, allow us to remind you of the film Youth in Revolt in which Cera plays both do-gooder Nick Twisp and his badass alter-ego François. Fine, even with his youthful looks, Cera is a little old to be portraying a high school dropout; but perhaps he had to repeat a grade or two before turning to a life of petty crime.

The matriarch of the film, Mrs. Brown, is an idealistic small-town mother. Not only does Leslie Mann have ample experience playing Mom—most recently in This Is 40—she also would bring an appropriate amount of edge to this largely vanilla character.

Bugs Meany may be no match for Encyclopedia Brown at the spelling bee, but he has the physicality and the charisma to lead an entire army of bullies, "The Tigers." Yes, Bryce Robinson may be cute-looking, but we think he's capable of embodying the evil that lies within Bugs Meany. Plus, he's the sort of kid you'd want to draft for your Little League team, and baseball is a reoccurring pastime in the Brown novels.

Sally Kimball is a fifth-grader who embodies the perfect balance of brains and brawn. While she often aids her pal Leroy Brown in his crime-solving endeavors, she also is Brown's physical protector, standing up to Meany and his gang of cronies when superior intellect won't do the trick. Landry Bender proved she can play a wise-cracking trouble maker in The Sitter, but give her a bob cut and we think she'd make an adorable and believable Sally Kimball.

Though Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is only in the fifth grade, his greatest asset is his intelligence, and the child actor who plays him should be more than just an adorable face. CJ Adams proved he can carry a child blockbuster in last year's The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and in real life his father is a New York Times-bestselling author, so he's bound to be smarter than the average kid. Encyclopedia Brown is a bit of a wimp when it comes to physical altercations (his female chum stands up to bully Bugs Meany when necessary) and Adams has just the stature to play this charming little brainiac.