Casting Kelsier For A Mistborn Movie: 10 Actors Who Are Perfect For The Role (2024)

Kelsier is a pivotal figure in the Mistborn series of books, and with the movie adaptation in active development, it's worth exploring who could play the powerful Survivor of Hathsin. The Mistborn novels by Brandon Sanderson are an epic fantasy series which released its first trilogy between 2006 and 2008. Since that time, the world of the Mistborn has been expanded considerably, thanks to Sanderson's incredible proficiency and speed as a writer, having released books of various lengths almost every year since 2005, and three novels in 2023 alone.

In adapting the stories by Sanderson, one of the most important protagonists to get right has to be Kelsier. Kelsier is a central figure throughout the books, with his biggest role being in the first story, Mistborn: The Final Empire. He is a born leader, with charisma and charm that wins over large crowds, and a darker side that boils over into an unquenchable rage against the corrupt nobility of the Empire. The character requires nuance and range in order to properly deliver a performance that, in many ways, will guide the entire franchise.

The following article may have spoilers for the Mistborn saga.

10 Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

A Fancast Favorite with Commanding Presence

One of the most popular fancasts of Kelsier at present is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who also played Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones. Coster-Waldau clearly displays great charisma and a commanding presence, as seen in GoT. He is also portrayed as an antagonist for much of the series, who displays outrage and anger at times.

In terms of his physical appearance, he fits the brief for the character as a tall and handsome man with light blonde hair. Coster-Waldau would likely deliver a commanding and powerful performance as Kelsier, and considering his very physical role playing a warrior in GoT, he has an advantage of being familiar with sword-play, and fighting on the small screen, which could serve him well in a big screen adaptation.

9 Keanu Reeves

A Seasoned Actor Ready for Kelsier's Complexity

Keanu Reeves is a slightly older actor, but as he has proven in recent years with his work on John Wick, he is still in great physical shape. Reeves is a beloved actor who oozes charm, and has played in various roles that give him a great deal of experience ahead of a role like Kelsier. Kelsier wields the ability to manipulate metals in his body and use them to enhance and engage in powers that far exceed normal humans.

Reeves played Neo in The Matrix, and John Constantine in Constantine, which means he has experience with presenting supernatural powers in a convincing way. He has also played highly contrasting roles, such as Ted in the comedy films Bill & Ted, and more serious performances in films like 47 Ronin. This range and experience would make him a great fit to play Kelsier.

8 Simu Liu

A Rising Star Poised for the Complexity of Kelsier

Simu Liu is a fantastic rising star in Hollywood with his most significant role being in the MCU, where he plays Shang-Chi. Liu is capable of playing a strong lead, and delivering a charming and engaging performance. He is also young enough and fit enough to perform incredible action sequences, like the fight scenes in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Liu deserves more roles that put him in the spotlight, as he clearly possesses a great deal of talent, and his next big break could be as Kelsier in the Mistborn films. He has not appeared in many roles that show a darker side of his personality, but it would be great to see that explored within this role's duality.

7 Charlie Hunnam

A Compelling Contender as Always

Charlie Hunnam is another actor who could potentially smash the role of Kelsier. Hunnam rose to fame while playing a 15-year-old boy in Russell T Davies' Queer as Folk. There, he was able to display a level of confidence and humor that is well suited to a character like Kelsier. He then went on to land the leading role in the hit series, Sons of Anarchy, where Hunnam played Jackson 'Jax' Teller.

Through these two roles, Hunnam played very different characters, who both possess essential parts of the character of Kelsier. From his confidence, to his leadership, and his darker side, which makes him capable of doing some seriously nasty things to people that wrong him, Hunnam has delivered a fantastic array of characteristics even in just these two roles.

6 Michael Fassbender

A Versatile and Commanding Actor

Michael Fassbender is a fantastically talented actor from Ireland who studied theater and performing in London. This classically trained background gives him a great deal of technical proficiency and the ability to play very dramatic and commanding characters. His experience since finishing with his studies has helped to further round out his skills as an actor and deliver charismatic and entertaining performances in lighter films like Next Goal Wins, and Frank.

Fassbender has the ability to play the hero and the villain, and in films like X-Men: First Class, he showcased both sides. Fassbender also has experience of performing in adapted stories, like when he appeared in the film, Assassin's Creed. This skill for exploring a preexisting character and giving them a unique and new performance on film would be a huge asset in playing a character like Kelsier.

5 Karen Gillan

A Dynamic Choice

Karen Gillan is an incredibly talented actress who has appeared in major franchises as a strong leading actress who can fight, crack jokes, and perform. From Gillan's big break in Doctor Who as Amelia Pond, she displayed outrageous charisma and charm that would be perfect for a character like Kelsier. She went on to appear as Nebula in the MCU, and starred in intense action films like Gunpowder Milkshake and the Jumanji franchise.

Gillan would be a spectacular Kelsier, who can believably deliver dark and aggressive action, and over-the-top charm. Despite the character being male in the story, it would be simple enough to gender swap them as there is nothing that is intrinsically tied to their gender in the story, and Gillan could slot right in with almost no alterations to the story.

4 David Tennant

A Master of Complexity

Continuing with Doctor Who for a moment, the Fourteenth Doctor actor, who also hails from Scotland, could be a fantastic candidate to play Kelsier in an upcoming Mistborn movie. David Tennant is an incredibly skilled actor, also classically trained, as was Fassbender, but he has a great deal more experience playing villains in several major franchises. He played Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Kilgrave in Netflix's Marvel series, Jessica Jones, and dozens of other terrifying figures in British drama shows and stage performances.

Tennant is also a brilliant hero, as seen in his performance as the Doctor. He has an outstanding charm that is perfectly balanced against a dark side which only bubbles to the surface when he is face to face with his worst enemies, and this would be a perfect aspect to bring to the role of Kelsier. Kelsier is a hero through and through, but his dark side is a huge defining part of the character, and someone like Tennant has already displayed that talent to a high degree.

3 John David Washington

A Rising Star Poised for the Role

John David Washington has increasingly been gaining notoriety in Hollywood for roles in films like Christopher Nolan's Tenet, Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, and Gareth Edwards' The Creator. He has an impressive range for playing characters that have soft hearts, as seen in The Creator, or who view the world more harshly and find ways to change things for themselves, like in BlacKkKlansman.

Washington is a skilled actor with a commanding presence, and he could definitely lead a rebellion against a powerful ruling class, like the Nobles of the Empire. Given the opportunity to play Kelsier, he could serve as a wonderful mentor and surrogate father to his young apprentice Vin, and help to teach them how to navigate a harsh and cruel world.

2 Milo Ventimiglia

A Compelling Choice for Kelsier

Milo Ventimiglia is another great candidate to take on the role of Keliser. With his early roles in romantic drama series like Gilmore Girls and recent work on This is Us, he has a great capacity to play an unlucky romantic. Kelsier also has a deep love for his former partner, Mare, who he believes betrayed him to the Lord Ruler. However, he continues to love her, despite lacking trust in her.

Ventimiglia also played Peter Petrelli in Heroes, the central character of the show who is imbued with immense power. This series also saw him playing both a hero and a villain at different times, which would help him in the role of playing Kelsier. Ventimiglia is charming, handsome, and physically fit enough to play in the role, while also being able to put on a performance as a character with a mean streak.

1 Barry Keoghan

Clearly a Rising Talent with Versatility

Finally, Barry Keoghan may be a bit of an outlier, as he is slightly younger, and potentially less experienced than many of the others on this list, but he has also proven his abilities to play a wide range of characters. Keoghan was cast as the hero, Druig, in Eternals in the MCU. He was then cast as a villain, playing the Joker in 2022's The Batman, where he is expected to reprise and expand the role in future entries.

Keoghan also gained even more notoriety for his recent performance in Saltburn as a treacherous young man who is not the sweet boy he pretends to be. Keoghan could make a great Kelsier with a controversial personality, and a winning wit and charm. He could settle into the role and deliver both sides to the character in a way that would greatly improve the upcoming Mistborn movie, as a powerful and heroic figure, with a dark and burning hot rage.