Whether he's getting banned from the Archives, having sex with fairy gods, or making us wait a billion years to see what happens in the third book of his story, Kvothe is always on his grind. You might argue that I’m conflating Patrick Rothfuss, the author of The Kingkiller Chronicle, with his lead character. To that I’d say that characters have unique agency in authors’ minds and hearts, and it’s my firm belief that if Kvothe was easier to write, Rothfuss would have long since moved on by now.
But he’s not. In The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, the first two books in Rothfuss' trilogy, Kvothe appears to be at once witless and genius, tactless and adaptable, weak and powerful, impotent and controlling. It’s one thing to have to figure out how a story featuring such a challenging protagonist will end; that’s Rothfuss’ job. Ours is similarly daunting, because here, my friends, we’re going to dreamcast a The Name of the Wind movie.
The results will be shocking to some, I’m sure, but really what we want you to do while reading is to put yourself in the shoes of the casting director if/when this thing actually gets made. They've tried before and it fell apart, but there's always next time.
Do you agree with our choices? If so, how many? If not, who would you swap in? We want to hear from you because maybe, just maybe, we can help get this thing made. And, if not, we can certainly have a hell of a good time along the way.
The Players
Old Kvothe – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
“Old” Kvothe, otherwise known as Kote the barkeep, is dictating the story of his journeys to The Chronicler. These journeys become Rothfuss’ three books. Although this present-day Kvothe is canonically in his mid-20s, some age-distortion is likely going on thanks to his time in the fae realm, and it’s a good bet that Hollywood would try to age him up to exaggerate his beaten-ness, as famously described by Rothfuss himself: this Kvothe is nothing more than “a man who is waiting to die.”
That’s why Gordon-Levitt would make sense for this role. At 43 years old, he’s taken on more of a grizzled demeanor than what he was known for in his younger days, but he still has a sprightliness about him that could hint at the Kvothe from the stories.
Young Kvothe – Timothée Chalamet
Kvothe is the conflicted hero of our tale. He is supposedly a master of magic, swordplay, and adventure. The Kingkiller himself.
This choice was easier than putting jam on bread. Chalamet is the perfect Kvothe. Slight of frame, suave, and a good enough actor to pull off all the inner conflict Rothfuss writes for him. Imagine this guy with a lute. It’s a slam dunk!
The Chronicler – Mark Ruffalo
At the beginning of The Name of the Wind, the Chronicler shows up with a concealed plot to record the story of the most famous adventurer of all time. This story is dictated to him in three parts by Kvothe, having given up his disguise as Kote the Barkeep.
As off-kilter and layered as they come, Ruffalo would bring an element of greed, mystery, and heartiness to the Chronicler that would lend credence to the story being told while heightening the deliciousness of the tension between he and Bast. Ruffalo brings a certain level of weirdness to each of his roles, and the Chronicler would benefit greatly from his unique spin.
Bast – Rory Culkin
Bast is Kote the Barkeep’s fae helper. Rothfuss obfuscates the connection between Kvothe and Bast at first.
Culkin looks like Bast fan art. That’s a good start. What’s more, his ability to brood would come in extremely handy for portraying Kvothe’s angsty fae companion. The long black hair doesn’t hurt either.
Denna – Margaret Qualley
Denna is Kvothe’s mysterious love interest in The Name of the Wind. She adventures with him and conceals many secrets.
Qualley can play mysterious and strange, as she showed in The Substance, but she can also fit the bill for adventurous and conflicted. These qualities make Denna the apple of Kvothe’s eye, and it would be stunning to see the chemistry between Chalamet and Qualley on the big screen.
Fela – Sofia Wylie
Fela is the Hermoine Granger of The Name of the Wind. She has a crush on Kvothe and is an excellent student at the University where they both study magic.
The School for Good and Evil star Sofia Wylie would be well-fit for the role of Fela due to her range and poise. It’s easy to envision Wylie portraying an A-student with a complicated past who helps Kvothe through some of his hardest times. Wylie would also bring a depth to Fela’s character that might encourage the director of this hypothetical movie to move her into the spotlight, filling a much-needed gap in Rothfuss’ typically male-centric storytelling.
Ambrose Jakis – Asa Butterfield
Ambrose Jakis gets his pleasure from making Kvothe’s life at the University a misery. He’s a fellow student who is the exact opposite of Kvothe as far as life circumstances and motivation. A classic nemesis and foil.
Though most of us know him as the hapless protagonist of the Netflix show Sex Ed, Butterfield has villainous depths to him. He would have a great time exploring the wicked character of Ambrose Jakis, Kvothe’s sworn enemy at the University. The haughtiness, nastiness, and downright annoyance that Butterfield would have the power to conjure in this role would be a sight.
Master Hemme – Wesley Snipes
Master Hemme is a professor at the University, the Snape to Kvothe's Harry Potter, just without the redemption part. Hemme begins to harbor a grudge against Kvothe when he acts out in class. This grudge grows and haunts the hero as Hemme uses his power to force Kvothe into dire circumstances.
There’s nothing better than Wesley Snipes playing a villain. Seeing Snipes and Butterfield play off one another to make Kvothe’s life at the University a living hell would be amazing cinema. Snipes’ rendition of Hemme would ring with a unique tone only he could bring. Snipes’ conversations with the person I’m going to suggest for Master Elodin below would also be an absolute hoot to watch.
Master Elodin – Benedict Cumberbatch
Elodin is the curious Master of Names at the University, and Kvothe wants nothing more than to study under him. However, Elodin appears to be elusive and impenetrable at first.
That’s right! We got Cumberbatch! Who better to play the quixotic, mysterious, and whimsical Master of Names? He might be a little old for the role, but fans would delight in seeing him loop all of the experience he’s had playing famous, quirky, sometimes sociopathic men into one immaculate package for The Name of the Wind, The Movie.
Devi – Carey Mulligan
Mulligan is the maestro of badass women, and none come more badass or devilish than Devi. Kvothe gets in with the purveyor of elicit money when he is strapped for cash at the university. The scenes of Mulligan having Chalamet under her thrall would be searing. Plus, Mulligan has the acting chops to pull off Devi's character development like no other.
Cinder – Walton Goggins
Cinder is one of the Chandrian, an ancient evil that becomes Kvothe’s sworn enemy when they kill his parents.
As with Chalamet, this was an easy casting choice. Walton Goggins, who's made his mark on shows like Justified and Fallout, is the best gangly villain in the game right now, and Cinder is particularly diabolical to Kvothe in The Name of the Wind. Seeing Goggins torture Chalamet’s Kvothe around a blue fire would set off his hero’s journey perfectly.
Lord Haliax – Idris Elba
Lord Haliax leads the Chandrian. Although Haliax isn’t seen at all in book one or two of Rothfuss’ trilogy, he is heard, and Elba’s cameo as Haliax could set the series up for a major reveal ahead. Think about the booming, chilling bravado that Elba could bring to this role.
Auri – Zendaya
Auri is the mysterious person Kvothe finds living beneath the University. She’s extremely shy and only comes out at first when he plays the lute in what he thinks is an abandoned courtyard. They become friends.
I’ll admit this one is a bit of a stretch. Zendaya is known for playing badass women who are at the center of the action, and she has the chops to pull it off. That said, I think this role could be a chance for her to show her range as an actor. Plus, she and Chalamet could take the rapport they developed in the Dune movies and rework it for a completely different fantasy context. Think about it. It could work!
Simmon – Michael Provost
Simmon is Kvothe’s trusted friend and confidant at the University. He would have a smaller part in the film, one that I think would be filled very well by Michael Provost. Known now for projects like The Holdovers and The Sex Lives of College Girls, Provost came up as Asa Butterfield’s acting double for Ender's Game, and it would be cool for them to reunite as actors playing characters in Kvothe's orbit at the University.
Trapis – Don Cheadle
Trapis is a caretaker to homeless boys in the city of Tarbean. He helps Kvothe when he is a young orphan on the streets. They develop a strong bond, and Kvothe eventually returns to Trapis to help him with his care.
With his impressive acting chops and ability to convey mysteriousness and misery in equal measure, the Cheadster himself would be an affecting Trapis.
Curtain
There you have it, folks. Now, play out the movie in your head. How does Chalamet look as our Kvothe? Does it really make sense for Zendaya to play the shy and slight Auri? What about Snipes? Can you see him delivering a didactic lecture before deducting one hundred points from Gryffindor? Well...now I’m mixing my magic schools. You get the point.
It’s up to you, the audience, to decide. Weigh in below!
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.