Yorick Wouldn't Stand a Chance

I Am Hercules over at Ain't It Cool News posted a rumor about the forthcoming Y: The Last Man film. While I've always been behind Shia Lebaouf playing Yorick, I'm wasn't sold on Alicia Keys as Agent 355. That is, not until I wrote 500 words on why she wouldn't work. The more I wrote, the more I realized she would kick so much ass in that role.

I totally dug Keys in Smocking Aces. Let's face it, she can certainly handle herself as a beautiful killer. Agent 355 is a lot more than just a killing machine, however, and Keys didn't show off enough acting in Aces for me to feel totally confident in her ability to nail the more complex 355 character.

But let's imagine for a moment that she can. If so, I can see all sorts of great moments in the film. I mean, seriously, Yorick's the last man on Earth and for years he abstains from sexual relations as he searches for his long lost girlfriend. How hard would it be to stay the course if he's walking the Earth with 355/Keys, who, let's face it, is absolutely gorgeous? I can only imagine the great one-liners both characters would use in the film. Y features great dialog (which I hope would be carried over to the film), and I think a more attractive 355 could open the door to some great humor during those quiet moments between disasters.

Even more important is the Yorick/355 relationship. It starts with endless banter and random quips and sarcasm, then slowly turns into a solid friendship, and then turns into sexual tension you can almost feel. This slow build leads to one of the best, most bittersweet finales I've ever read. Damn, what a great series that was!

So yeah, if Keys can handle 355's more subtle attributes and can create some serious chemistry with Lebaouf, then my expectations will be through the roof for this one. I try not to get my hopes up for any movie, particularly before there's even a hint of a script or true casting calls, but with Y: The Last Man and names like Labeouf and Keys, it's hard not to get excited.