Heh, I'm pretty sure that was the first mention...at the very least I believe it was the first time I personally heard the idea. Props to Locke.
So in my continuous boredom of being without a vehicle/work duty this week, I made a quick-list of my current fantasy of the main cast:
Kellhus -- Michael Fassbender (obviously)
Achamian -- Ray Winstone (still my personal fave, though I do like earlier mentions of Gary Oldman)
Cnaiur -- Tom Hardy (this particular image sold me; if he's bulked up Bane/Bronson style...I can see it)
Esmenet -- Paula Patton (she's been my go-to Esmi mental impression for a while now)
Proyas -- Dominic Cooper (he's got that youthful -- but still potentially stern/dangerous -- look that I think is needed for the character)
Serwe -- Kristen Bell (for me, Serwe needs to be a natural beauty with just the faintest hint of "strange" thrown in -- an ethereal quality)
Conphas -- Oscar Isaac (dude totally has that vaguely arrogant handsomeness to his appearance that seems perfect)
Saubon -- Ryan Gosling (weirdly, Gosling was the image I'd initially conjured when reading Conphas, though that has changed over time)
Maithanet -- Javier Bardem (though honestly, I can imagine a ton of different actors for Maitha...and a ton of different roles for Bardem)
Sarcellus -- Jon Hamm (someone mentioned it here before, I know, and it has always stuck for me)
Fanayal -- Oded Fehr (he just has the rouge-ish badass look to him)
Aurang -- Mark Strong (in his illusory human form)
To be clear, these are largely just approximate representations of my own mental image of the characters. Aside from a few instances (Fassbender for Kellhus, Winstone/Oldman for Akka, Patton for Esmi, Cooper for Proyas, and Hardy for Cnaiur), I'd probably end up seeking largely unknown actors for most roles.
