Oscar Isaac wants to play Solid Snake: Is Poe Dameron a good fit?

Oscar Isaac has reportedly thrown his name into the mix of those that want to be in Metal Gear Solid movie. Is Poe Dameron the right fit?

Gamespot has recently reported that Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac has thrown his hat in the ring to star in a Metal Gear Solid film, and fans of the actor could not be more supportive. After several mock-ups of what Isaac could look like as the star of the film — greatly thanks to Bosslogic — it seems that he may actually be the frontrunner for everyone’s favorite Konami military man.

However, is Oscar Isaac the right actor for the role? There is no doubt in my mind that he has the look for Snake, but can he be dark enough? Can Isaac put aside the sarcastic, brash demeanor of Poe Dameron, and take on such a dark personality?

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I’m not entirely sure if he can. We have seen how good of an actor he is in The Force Awakens, Ex Machina, and Inside Llewyn Davis, but none of those characters are anything like Snake. However, they are all different from each other and unique in their own way, showing that Isaac has an excellent range.

Not only does he have range, but Isaac has played villains before, such as Apocalypse in the aptly titled X-Men: Apocalypse. Yet, that performance is undoubtedly the most lackluster of his career. I would like to examine whether Oscar Isaac is a good fit to play Solid Snake by examining his role in Star Wars and other films, and I hope to come to a definitive conclusion!

The Force Awakens

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – DECEMBER 08: Actor Oscar Isaac takes selfies with fans during the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Mexico City premiere fan event at Cinemex Antara Polanco on December 8, 2015 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Victor Chavez/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios)

Oscar Isaac’s most famous character portrayal is hands down Poe Dameron, who first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. When people look at Isaac, they will likely always see this character. A brash, young hot-shot pilot, who quips the bad guys and plays by his own rules. In many ways, he is the younger generation’s Han Solo.

However, Poe Dameron and Solid Snake could not be more different. Watching Oscar Isaac as the star of a Metal Gear Solid movie is essentially watching Poe Dameron try to be gruff and tortured, and I don’t know if that’s something the people want to see. Isaac has always been comfortable playing characters that are akin to his own sarcastic, playful personality, meaning that he may not due too well in this particular role. Taking his appearance in The Force Awakens into account, you can mark one down in the “should not play Snake” column.

The Last Jedi

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 13: Oscar Isaac during the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ photocall at Corinthia Hotel London on December 13, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Isaac obviously reprises his role as Poe Dameron for The Last Jedi, but something bizarre happened in this movie. Poe just didn’t act like Poe. He was reckless, endangered his friends and crew, and his entire personality took a negative turn. Chock this up to a different director wanting to take a different turn with his movie and characters, but I think that the Star Wars fan base will largely agree that this is not the same Poe Dameron everyone fell in love with.

I personally think this is bad for Oscar Isaac in terms of future Star Wars film, as he can’t just be expected to portray a drastically different personality for the same character in every film. But the silver lining to this is that it shows how easily he can slip into darker archetypes.

Sure, Poe is still seen as a largely upbeat character, but his time in The Last Jedi proves that he could have been the exact opposite kind of person with the same actor in the role. While he still wasn’t necessarily dark enough to be on Snake’s level, I think that this performance is a plus as to why he should be considered.

X-Men: Apocalypse

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 11: (L-R) Actor Michael Fassbender, actor Oscar Isaac, actress Olivia Munn and actor Ben Hardy from “X-Men: Apocalypse” speak onstage at the 20th Century FOX panel during Comic-Con International 2015 at the San Diego Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

I made allusions to this earlier, but X-Men: Apocalypse marks the best example of Oscar Isaac playing a main villain. Snake is obviously more of an anti-hero, but he holds the kind of baggage often found in villains, and the skills between Apocalypse and Snake could very well be transferable. The only problem with this is that Oscar’s performance — along with the film in general — was just not that great.

I fully attribute this to the director, as examples of Isaac being a poor actor are extremely scarce, but I can’t say that for certain. What if he just didn’t know how to play a villain? What if he’s not good at playing characters who are rough and have baggage? I personally do not think this is the case, but my opinion is far from fact. If Isaac is cast to play Snake, will it be an Apocalypse repeat? I certainly hope not, but I think that this film should be considered a huge reason as to why Oscar Isaac should stick to familiar characters.

Conclusion

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 16: Oscar Isaac attends the “Operation Finale” New York Premiere at Walter Reade Theater on August 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Overall, I do not think Oscar Isaac should go after the role of Snake. He is currently one of the stars of the biggest franchise ever, he could potentially star in any Hollywood movie he wanted to, and video game movies are notorious for bombing.

In my opinion, Isaac should focus on Star Wars. Be Poe Dameron right now, until Dameron’s voice is found and his arc is over. Until then, it is imperative to make smart career moves. Metal Gear Solid and The Batman are not those moves at all. Of course I’m not Isaac’s manager, and I have no influence on anyone’s decision to do anything, but as a Star Wars fan, I just want Poe Dameron and Solid Snake to form a nice parallel path from one another.

Should Oscar Isaac play Snake? Let me know in the comments!