Fantasy Casting: Bringing the "Skins" gang stateside

Here's a rumor that could be interesting to watch: Skins creator Jamie Brittain recently mentioned that there's an American version in the works.

Now, there are plenty of reasons why this could go badly. Iit's pretty easy to imagine American producers backing away from the series' many daring storytelling choices, which included not following the characters beyond high school (showing the gang taking separate paths into adulthood) as well as the unflinching depiction of sexuality (including the gay kind) and drug use (including the consequences).

Whether an American Skins turns out to live up to its potential or winds up a total wreck (Hi, Coupling!), the fun part of these adaptations is seeing how the characters may transform in the casting, so lets try to come up with a few suggestions.

Tony: Sebastian Stan

Tony requires that mix of charm and awfulness that ensures the audience finds him compelling without being overwhelmed with a desire to see him pay a heavy karmic price for the way he treats his friends like pawns who exist simply to amuse him. I've been enjoying Sebastian Stan's work as the manipulative Prince Jack on Kings and since that show doesn't seem likely to see a second season (sigh) Stan's charisma could be used to bring Tony Stonem stateside.

Michelle: Ashley Newbrough

Speaking of shows-on-the-bubble, one of the things I've appreciated about Privileged was how Ashley Newbrough played Sage when she was in uncomfortable, overwhelming situations. That kind of insecurity is what we see a lot with Michelle, who has her ego constantly deflated by Tony, but eventually stands up for herself (just in time to see Tony get a special delivery from karma).

Sid: Erik Per Sullivan

The challenge with Sid is that he's not too bright and he's even more clueless when it comes to dealing with people socially ... and, yet, the audience has to be a bit sympathetic to his troubles (usually borne out of his own cluelessness). With Malcolm in the Middle behind him, perhaps this could be the kind of role a former child actor like Erik Per Sullivan could use to show that he's capable of more grown-up scripts.

Cassie: Daveigh Chase

Cassie starts out seeming like the school weirdo, but we quickly learn more about what drives her and she eventually takes over Tony's role as the cast's chaos-sower. Despite her young age, Daveigh Chase has been demonstrating for years that she has the kind of acting chops it would take to capture the layers of insecurity and conflict found in Cassie.

Chris: Doug Smith

Chris has a mix of obliviousness and irresponsibility to him that leads to his making a lot of mistakes. After seeming like a lost cause, he eventually gets his life together. I've only seen the first season of Big Love so far, but Smith managed to convey a youthful foolishness in his flirtation with Margene that could translate to Chris's drug use.

Jal: Sarah Barrable-Tishauer

The brainy Jal tends to be a bit distant from the rest of the Skins gang, usually because she's tired of telling her friends they're about to make a stupid choice (at least until her life changes because of a moment of stupidity). As Degrassi's Liberty, Barrable-Tishauer's portrayed a similar balance of smartness and unspoken frustration.

Maxxie: Jesse Sofer

Okay, gay Maxxie is probably the most challenging bit of fantasy casting since he was a hard-to-ignore character despite barely getting screen time. Back when Luke was coming to terms with his sexuality on As the World Turns, Jesse was dealing with all the Munson family dramas with a touch of snark as Will Munson. That could translate to Maxxie's wit, and maybe wipe out my worst memories of the material Sofer got stuck with afterwards.

Skins is definitely a challenge to cast, so I'd love to hear who you imagine in the roles. Let us know in the comments!