Casting Dilbert

Suppose there was a Dilbert movie with live actors, not animation. Who would you
cast for the main characters?

I would pick Stephen Colbert for Dilbert. He has the perfect likeable nerd vibe.

If I wanted to go younger, I'd want Adam Brody, the actor from The OC.

In your picks, consider age. Danny Devito would have been the perfect boss
character years ago. but not now.

Go

Comments

[Agence artistique Labulle]

Really interesting post!
Never stop iterating and don’t fear failure. Choose well-understood conventions where they will do to the most good , shortcuts you might take will cost you more to fix later than to try to get right up-front today.

Thanks , Zoli Juhasz

[Rob Adcox]

The Pointy Haired Boss would definitely be played by Danny Devito. I once emailed Scott Adams with the idea. I don't think he liked it.

It would be no challenge for a Hollywood makeup artist make Devito look the part.

Sean Astin as Wally? No. But at the moment I can't think of someone who could fit the role.

Who would play Ted, and how long into the movie would it be before he got fired?

Fez is perfect for Asok.

[Matt]

Dilbert: Drew Carey
Dogbert: Andrew Denton ( aussie tv guy )
PHB: Jim Belushi
Wally: Sean astin
Alice: Nicole Kidman
Asok: Fez
Catbert: Bradley Whitford
Ratbert: Andy Serkis (gollum)
Garbageman: Robbie coltrane
Dilbert's Mom: Sally Field
Bob (Dinosauer): Ben Stiller
Elbonians: Robin Williams/Gerard Depardeu?
Carol: Eddie Falco
Tina: Katie Holmes
Mordac: Anthony Hopkins
Ted: Matt Damon
Phil: James Gandolfini

[Alex]

Michael Douglas (as he appeared in "Falling Down") as Dilbert.

[Dossy Shiobara]

Val Kilmer (Dilbert)
Drew Carey (Wally)
Jason Alexander (Pointy Haired Boss)
Rhea Perlman (Alice)
Kelsey Grammer (Voice of Dogbert)
Kal Penn (Asok)

Inserting a computer-animated Dogbert (that looks just like the cartoon) into the live-action show, with Kelsey Grammer providing voice-over, would be a great touch, even if it makes production more difficult.

[Pete]

PHB has to be Paul Guilfoyle from CSI (Cpt Brass) http://tinyurl.com/25nfja

[gus]

Check out these IBM flash movies. There are several. Do these guys look vaguely familiar?

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/info/takebackcontrol/us/nonflash/index4.jsp?S_TACT=106AH0LW&S_CMP=campaign

[Gawell]

Well, since acting no longer an existing artform, I've assumed that you have in your possession a time machine of some sort.

Therefore, hiring the younger versions of once good actors should not be a problem. Just remember, keep them away from their older self, or the entire universe may selfdestruct.

Drew Carry - Dilbert
Jason Alexander - Wally
Danny DeVito - Pointy Haired Boss
Kathy Griffin - Alice
Russell Peter - Asok

Chris Elliott - Voice of Dogbert
Jason Alexander - Voice of Catbert

These actors should be able to pull off the concept of Dilbert: The Movie.

[Christine]

John Hodgeman is the ideal Dilbert. I adore him.

When reading the comic, I still "hear" Alice's dialogue in Kathy Griffin's voice. Her performance on the show is the only one that has stuck with me.

I've always thought that Eddie Izzard would make a great Catbert voice.

[Gail]

I just saw that somebody mentioned Stephen Root. I love Stpehen Root; I think he's one of the best character actors of all time. But putting him in a Dilbert movie would invite comparisons to "Office Space", which so far has to be (IMO) the best movie ever made about working in an office.

I'd love to see SR in a Dilbert movie, but I think it could be a tactical error.

[Gail]

I have always seen Dilbert when I look at Drew Carey. Even the glasses work.

PHB could be David Koechner, but he's kind of tall. Danny Devito would be perfect. Or Ricky Gervais, if he could fake an American accent as well as Hugh Laurie.

Jason Alexander or Patton Oswald could be Wally.

No opionion on the others.

[Mark]

I wasn't thinking about the perfect Alice at all but then I read this quote and realized that I had found the perfect actress for the part.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."
- Miss Piggy

[Violet Smith]

Please keep the cast NEW & YOUNG. not old and typecast. :|
dilbert is 30 max right? - but get someone with charachter.. list below is a personality guide totally flexible.. hope it helps you pick :)

Dilbert, - Chris O'Dowd (the it crowd)
Dogbert, Ryan Gosling (hearthrob)
The Boss, - John Travolta/Bill murray (old selfish mean guy)
Wally, - Ashton Kutcher (demi moors man)
Alice, - Julia Louis-Dreyfus/ Kathy Griffin
Asok the Intern, - Richard Ayoade (the it crowd)
Catbert, - Robin Williams (not so creepy funny guy)
Ratbert, - David Spade (creepy funny guy)
The Garbageman, - Spok or the guy who used to carry oscar the grouch around (sesami street)
Dilbert's Mom, - Betty White (golden girls)
The Dinosaurs, - Ryan Stiles (whos line)
The Elbonians, - Colin Mochrie (whos line)
Carol the Secretary, - Mimi (drew show)
Tina the Tech Writer, - Amy Davidson (8 simple rules)
Mordac, - Bryan Cranston (malcolm middle)
Ted, - Matt Damon (famous cheap bit part)
Phil - George Clooney (famous cheap bit part)

for the record i am against this being a movie but i wanted to add my two bits. :) i like the raw-ness of it being a cartoon.

[Tim]

I'd suggest using the cast of Greenwing:

Mack = Dilbert
Alan Stathem = Pointy haired Boss
Martin = Wally
Sue White = Carol
Joanna Clore = Alice
Guy Secretan = Catbert
Caroline Todd = Tina,

Of course I don't think Greenwing ever made it to the US so probably pointless me posting this.

[Persio]

Drew Carry - Dilbert
Jason Alexander - Wally

The rest really won't matter :)

[Matt]

In keeping with the post who claimed that we should not necessarily keep to the physical looks of the character but to the character itself, Will Farrel would make the perfect PHB. Little Dumb, little bit Evil, good enough to keep up the polictics, etc... While Farrel is far from dumb i think, he plays it better than most. Talladega Nights and Stranger than Fiction come to mind. And to the poster who recommended Fez for Asok, spot on my friend.

[@Rob]

The guy from the show punked who is married to what's her face with the big fake boobs. Ashton. He played a great dumb guy on that 70's show so why couldn't he play a nerdy reserved guy? They are almost the same according to acting talent. And what's her face could play one of the female characters and you could get a package deal or something.

[Cameron at Laugh It Off]

The main character from this strip should be Dilbert
http://www.laughitoff.info/archive.php?Comic=WeeteeIslands04

[Guy Lipworth]

I think for the rold of Dilbert, Keving James from 'King of Queens' and 'Hitch' would do pretty well - eh?

[Kevin]

Jim Gaffigan - Dilbert

[Seth]

I figured out who I think would be a good Carol after stewing for a day or so:

Amanda Bynes.

I know she's got a whole kids' actor vibe but i think she could totally pull it off.

[Kent]

You Scott Adams would play Catbert. Cats. Cats. Cats.

[Jeremy]

Two days ago Doug talks about a movie deal. Now he talks about who to cast. Hmmm, this could be interesting.

[Leif]

I know I'm late to this party, but let me implore you: Please don't try to make the movie characters look like the cartoon characters.
Dilbert is great because Scott is a comedic genius, not because of how the characters look. Normal-looking people put into the same situations with Scott-generated dialog would be WAY more funny than trying to make the characters look like the comic.
Just my two cents.

[Dixon]

OK, here's the pitch, ditch the script you have right now for the movie and rewrite is as an Adaptationesque movie about the burocracy in the movie studio.

[Gary Watson]

My only comment was that you should not repeat the PHB mistake made in the animated show, where he was cast as being goofy. I think that missed the point, and for me at least, made me lose interest in the show.

The magic of the comic strip is that the PHB resonates strongly, because he's somewhat stupid (but cunning enough to do OK in office politics), a little bit evil (in the sense that he resents the people he has working for them because of the trouble they cause in his life, and sometimes he gloats at their pain), but most of all, he is totally uncaring about the feelings of his staff.

PHB is something of a sociopath. He is incapable of empathy, and even if he was capable, wouldn't bother to exercise it.

Closer to the "real" PHB is the boss from both the UK and USA tv shows "The Office". So much so, that I assumed that the character was ripped off from Dilbert.

(by the way, vote for Ron Paul for president in '08!)

[Burton MacKenZie]

Gary Oldman (http://imdb.com/name/nm0000198/) as Dilbert. Gary Oldman scares me in a way no other actor has. I'd like to see his Dilbert.

[Shin]

Most of these are based off what others have said because some of these roles are so hard to fit

Dilbert: John Hodgeman
Dogbert: Mark Hamil (Luke Skywalker, also did a bunch of voice over work like the Joker in the Batman Animated Series) or Frank Weller (Megatron/Galvatron in Transformers). Weller's normal voice is pretty intense and he has enough ego to be the leader of the Deceptacons (bad guys in the Transformers)
CEO: Stephen Colbert. He can make anything sound like the one only truth.
PHB: Robin Williams.
Loud Howard: Will Ferrel. I don't like him, but I'll have to agree with those who have mentioned him. He'd be perfect
Wally: Jason Alexander or John Lovitz.
Alice: That woman who played her in the cartoon
Garbage Man: Leonard Nimoy

The others I can't think of anyone right now.

[ben]

"Dilbert...? That guy from the British version of The Office, damn it, what's his name, he had a cameo in Shawn of the Dead...?"

martin freeman. I think he would need a director that would ensure he didn't just play arthur dent in an office situation.

[Kris]

I would like to declare that I would be perfect for the role of Dilbert. I am a dumpy (a bit fat) nerdy white guy who just happens to be an actor. Sadly (or not sadly) I have the same body type. So I ask everyone on the blog to comment that an unknown actor out of Cleveland Ohio is perfect for the role. I have already played such nerds as Dave from the Full Montey (and yes I got naked in front of thousands of people). So casting agents, please email me at khebble07@hotmail.com and I will audtion.

Signed the future Dilbert

[Ryan W.]

PHB has to be Larry Miller. The role is perfect for him. Absolutely perfect.

[Cube Critter]

Hey figured it out after i got home last night.
the woman who played Lilith on Cheers and Frazier would make a great Alice.
Also whoever suggested Will Farrel as Loud Howard, that's excellent. one of his lines will have to be "DON'T MAKE ME SHUSH YOU!!"
ok back to work

[Stephanielee]

People - if you can't figure out who an actor is, use www.imdb.com. Seriously. It saves comment space and saves you from looking dumb.

[rockandroller]

Soap actor Rick Hearst (from GH) would make a good Dilbert. He's like Colbert but not as sarcastic looking.

Rainn Wilson (from the Office) would make a great Catbert.

I think Kevin Spacey would make a great PHB but he's probably not an attainable goal.

[Peter O'Connor]

Richard Ayoade.

He is one of the most interesting and underated (and unknown) actors out there but has done some amazing character acting over here in the UK in the comedy "The IT Crowd" where he plays a very socially backward IT character.

Whilst the over the top stupidity of his character wouldn't take to the droller humour of Dilbert, he would be a great character for a naively stupid Asok. I urge you to check out some of "The IT Crowd" shows, because hey, theyr'e funny, and you'll see what a good actor he is. Not the same character, by any means, but a superb actor who would bring a character to life.

[gordon_goosemonster]

There's a guy works with me, Mickey, he'd make a great Wally.

[Simon Allen]

I am sure that it is tempting, maybe VERY tempting but please don't do it.

Dilbert is a cartoon. So much of what happens that gives the laughs is because you can do things that humans cannot.

If it was to be a modern (Shrek style) fully animated film then maybe but with real life actors? No.

[Lissa]

How about Steve Carell for Dilbert? Might be harder to sell though, because other actors already suggested here look more "like Dilbert." (Think Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter.)

Joan Cusack would be an excellent Alice.

[Attie Naude]

How about one of the actors from the "Cheech and Chong" movies as Wally? On second thought, I don't think they're alive anymore... Just try not to copy anything from "Office Space", as that would definitely be a bad idea. People notice things like that pretty quickly. But why would they want a non-animated Dilbert movie anyway? How are they going to do Catbert and Dogbert? Puppets are lame. Please don't use puppets! How about Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dilbert and Jodie Foster as Alice?

[bdd]

My 2 cents:

You already got it right. Larry Miller, in a wig (or not), as the Boss. Why mess with success?

Or Stephen Root. The man is brilliant. I'm a "no stars just talent" sort of guy.

[John S]

What about Russel Crowe as dilbert, and Robin Williams as the pointy haired boss? Probably out of the budget scope.

[Walter E. Wallis]

Except for Bob Hope and John Wayne, I never remember who plays anything.

[Brett]

William Shatner for the boss - he plays the ignorant, obnoxious and blundering type so well!

[jai]

I've always associated Drew Carey with Dilbert. He's a natural. But since it seems that he's the choice of so many others, I'll go with Dave Foley, since no one's mentioned him.

[JD]

Don't know what one, but I would love to see Zooey Deschanel in any role. She was good in the craptastic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie.

[CmdrSue]

Dilbert: I have to support the idea of John Hodgeman.
Catbert: I was thinking if you want Colbert he would make a great Catbert - which I see has already been pointed out here.
Dogbert: Jon Lovitz has always done a good job with the sly and sorta evil character. (He can also do a stupid and sorta evil character, so is a candidate for the PHB.)

And she voted...

[Julie]

Nope, its gotta be Ryan Stiles as Bob the Dinosaur

[Julie]

Stanley Tucci - an Elbonian
Peter Stormare - Bob the Dinosaur
Colin Mochrie - Ratbert

[Colin]

Errr... in a non-amimated movie, what would dog, cat, and ratbert look like? They wouldn't look right as animals....

[carl]

Jane Kaczmarek, the mom from the show Malcom in the Middle. She would make a good Alice.

[Hughbert]

I'm as avid a fan as you could imagine. (Daily comics, comic books; non-fiction books; fiction books; countless amount of plush toys, calendars, etc.) IMHO, a movie won't work; please don't do it...

[christine]

Sorry - another post. I see B.J. Novak as Asok.

[Christine]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of Kathy Griffin as the real life Alice - she's the only who could be that mean!!

[R. Ian Wallace]

I'll put in my vote for:

Dilbert: Drew Carey
Wally: Jason Alexander
Alice: Kathy Griffin
PHB: Danny DeVito
Dogbert: This is a tough one, but I'd go for Sir Anthony Hopkins, for his "just-by-listening-to-my-voice-you-know-I'm-out-of-your-league" style.
Ratbert: Gilbert Godfried
Catbert: John Lovitz
Asok: Wilmer Valderrama (Fez from "That '70's Show")
Dilbert's Mom: Betty White anyone?
Garbage Man: Lawrence Fishburn (think Morpheus in the first half of the matrix...super philosophical)
Carole the Secretary: Rhea Perlman
Tina the Tech writer: Someone that can act extremely high strung: Sandra Bullock comes to mind.
Mordac would have to be someone who is known for being evil: Say Jonathon Pryce
Ted the Generic guy would be well done by someone who looks generic...anyone would do, but a cameo by Scott Adams would be a great soloution.
That brings us to Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light: He would have to be done by Wayne Knight. I would have put him in as Mordoc but this is a much better pairing.

I think that's a comprehensive list.

[pand0ra]

PHB: Larry Miller (he fits this perfectly!) Danny D is too short.
Dilbert: Pat McKenna (maybe with blond hair)
Wally: Drew Carey, Jason Alexander
Alice: Joan Cusack, Kathy Griffin
Mordac: Christopher Walken

[Diana W]

Personnally I think it should be Brad Pitt as Dilbert, George Clooney as his boss, and ME as Alice. I'd be willing to work for free and Clooney and Pitt would at least triple your female audience base.

[GeraldNZ]

How cool that you picked up my idea for people to comment on their preferred actors to play Dilbert characters (Minutiae post) :)

[CLD]

Kathy Griffin IS Alice.

Dilbert...? That guy from the British version of The Office, damn it, what's his name, he had a cameo in Shawn of the Dead...?

[tBone]

Drew Carey as Dilbert - that would be perfect.
The voices used on the cartoon did not work for me at all. That is why I think the cartoon show did not work. The voices (esp Dilbert) did not match up. Worst voice casting ever? Pretty close!

[Sagar]

The first people that came to mind were John Hodgman, Stephen Root (Office Space), Diedrich Bader (Office Space), and Al Franken.

[Golfbert]

Actually, now I come to think of it, scrap Tom Greene.

I think the esteemed creator would make a perfect Phil.

[Golfbert]

Boss: Eugene Levy (the people have spoken)
Dilbert: Ricky Gervais (from the REAL 'The Office')
ASOK: Deep Roy
Wally: Jason Alexander (cant tell tham apart now)
Catbert: David Spade
Ratbert: Steve Buscemi or Macauley Culkin
Dogbert: Ron Jeremy
Phil (POIL): Tom Greene
Alice: Sandra Bernhardt
Bob: Dr Phil
Dawn: Oprah
Carol: Courtney Love or Mimi from the Drew Carey Show
Garbageman: Patrick Stewart
Ted The Generic Guy: Matt Damon
CEO: Fred Dalton Thompson
Elbonians: CGI replicates of Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat persona

[Big Fan]

Wilson from Home Improvement has the right look and paternal attitude to be the World's Smartest Garbageman, but Dennis Miller would bring much more attitude to the part.

[Fede]

I'm amazed that so many people associate Dilbert with Drew Carrey, including myself.
So, don't hesitate any longer, it should be Drew Carrey.
Also I heard he started a diet in order to lose weight for a Disney Musical Comedy or something like that. Don't let him do that, we need him fat.

[Big Fan]

The Dude is right - if Will Ferrell is involved, he can ONLY be Loud Harold!

[Doonesbert]

I think the sidekick on that Jim Bulishi TV show would make a great Dogbert.

[Matt White]

I have no idea what he looks like, but the guy that did the voice of Dilbert in the cartoon show was awesome. I'm pretty sure recently he did one of the many prescription drug commercials, I think it was a depression one. I'd love to see what all the voice actors from the cartoon looked like. They all did good jobs, and if they look right I wouldn't mind seeing them play their same characters.

Other than that I like the suggestion of Drew Carey as Dilbert and M. Night Shyamalan as Asok.

[Billbert]

Dilbert: Rick Moranis. You could spell it differently.

[Miguel]

Adam Brody? Does he have the perfect likeable nerd vibe too?

[D G]

It doesn't matter what they do, but no Dilbert movie could be complete without:

John Hodgman (maybe as Dilbert, Dogbert or Wally)
Drew Carey (maybe as Wally, Catbert or PHB)
Steve Carell (Ted the generic guy, definitely)
Justin Bartha (maybe Ratbert)
Jason Alexander (Bob the Dinosaur, PHB or Wally)

I also like the idea of Patric Stewart with a toupe as the CEO
Maybe Morgan Freeman as the Garbage Man

[emily]

asok should be a complete unknown, and therefore genuinely intimidated by experienced actors. somebody suggested sanjaya, which i think would be a good second choice.

[Larry]

PATTON OSWALT (Spence from King of Queens) as Dilbert. Stephen Colbert is too skinny.

[emily]

alice should be amy sedaris

[Jeremy]

Perhaps Anthony Edwards as Dilbert. I realize it might be overdone by this point, maybe not.

[Morbo]

If you're going to do it right, you HAVE to bring back Larry Miller as PHB. He was great in the cartoons, and when he does that little squinty thing, he even looks like PHB.

[Jared]

It seems to me that the Dilbert type is also not the type to make a big splash in American cinema. I think that your perfect Dilbert is out there somewhere, but he's not on the big screen. There are thousands of genuinely great actors in this country who have yet to make it on to the screen.
You'll probably find your best Dilbert by holding a casting call...

[Satyam]

Can I audition for Asok??

[Q]

Dilbert: David Hewlett
Dogbert: Whoopi Goldberg
PHB: Bruce Willis
Wally: G.W. Bailey
Alice: Kathy Kinney
Asok: Carlos Mencia
Catbert: Tim Curry
Ratbert: Matt Leblanc
Garbageman: Quentin Tarantino
Dilbert's Mom: Bea Arthur
Bob (Dinosauer): Ashton Kutcher
Elbonians: Tony Shalhoub
Carol: Wanda Sykes
Tina: Cynthia Nixon
Mordac: Alan Rickman
Ted: Matthew Ferguson
Phil: Ben Stein

[Flabaya]

I'd like to see the cast of "too close for comfort" to play the dilbert movie.

[Joe Lorem]

If it got made in the UK...

Chris O'Dowd (IT Crowd) - Dilbert
Susannah Doyle (Joy from Drop the Dead Donkey) - Alice
Ian Hislop - Wally
Sanjeev Bhaskar - Asok
Peter Kay - PHB
Catherine Tate - Carol

[Paul Randle]

British writer/actor/mac-lover Stephen Fry would make a fine Dilbert.

I'll second Danny DeVito for Wally and Courtney Love for Alice.

Can't think of anyone grotesque enough for PHB.

[Raghu]

Ron Livingston for Dilbert.

[Olclops]

I have to 72nd John Hodgman as Dilbert. Perfect.

[HALiverpool]

Dilbert - Drew Carey - Can't really imagine anyone else
Alice - Julia Roberts - just 'cause I like her
Wally - Jon Lovitz - candidate for funniest man alive
PHB - Larry Miller - PHB perfection
Dogbert - James Earl Jones - because Lorenzo Music is dead
Catbert - Steve Buscemi - This doesn't require explanation does it?

[Lora]

The cast from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Drew Carey as Dilbert and the Canadian, Colin Mochrie would be great as the boss character and what about Ryan Stiles as Catbert, the evil director, and Wayne Brady as the Indian Innocent Asok. Sure to get some laughs. Trying to imagine an office hoe-down in character. :)

[KD]

Colbert is too egotistical and full of himself in his acting, I'm not sure if he's the right one. Dilbert needs to be played by someone who can do mild-mannered. Several people mentioned Drew Carey and he'd be a good fit for the role. Or you could use Ben Stiller because he's in everything anyways.

For PHB I'd pick either Jon Lovitz, Jack Black, or Patrick Whilburton (he played the live action tick). Will Farrell might be able to pull of the part too, but he wouldn't be my first choice.

For Wally, I'd give Jon Heder the role and put him in a ton of makeup.

Dogbert would be voiced by Nathan Lane because he can do scheming roles really well and act with a certain sense of superiority. If not him, Morgan Freeman would be my choice just because.

Patrick Steward would make a good garbage man.

[Tim Phillips]

Well...given the current style in Hollywood, we need to remember that Dilbert can be "improved" by "reimaging".
Therefore...
Dilbert will be played by Paris Hilton to assure a big pre-opening buzz.
Alice will be renamed Author and played by Jackie Chan to give "reality" to the fist-of-death (which will be CGIed after the fact since life-action martial arts are so passe today).
Wally will be restyled as the uberengineer of the company. The Porche-driving, babe-magnet who is the envy of the entire company. Brad Pitt is the obvious choice.
Asok. Borrowing a page from GrindHouse, Asok will only appear in deleted scenes reinserted for international release. He will be played by one of the great "Indian" actors that Hollywood admires: Wes Studi.
GarbageMan. Will be renamed The Sanitation Engineer and played by Mike Row.
Loud Howard will be done entirely in mime and performed by Robert Shields.
PHB will be done by Peter Jurasik.

[Michael]

I must echo the John Hodgeman for Dilbert.

Also, please CGI the animal characters.

[centizen]

Someone suggested Patrick Stewart as the CEO. Can't be done, unless he wears a toupee. They are forgetting the tall and good hair rule.

[Nimrod]

I can't really picture Colbert as Dilbert... even though they are already both -Berts. I think Colbert is too cool/courageous for me to accept him as the harmless Dilbert. Prefer John Hodgman.

[catfromtex]

Jim Gaffigan as Dilbert
Liz Vassey (from The Tick) as Alice

[Ned]

* George W. Bush as Wally (shave his head)
* Hillary as Alice (she already has the
* John "The Breck Girl" Edwards as the tall CEO with Good Hair
* Bill Clinton as the Pointy-Haired Boss (use CGI to add 100 lbs and to strip off about 12 inches of height)
* Obama as Asok the clueless Intern
* Harry Reid as Ted
* Fred Dalton Thompson as Bob the Dinosaur
* James Carville as Catbert the Evil HR Director
* Dick Cheney as Dogbert the Amoral Genius Puppetmaster
* Nancy Pelosi as Carol the Frustrated Secretary Who Nobody Takes Seriously

AND ...

* John McCain as the Ernest-but-Clueless Dilbert

[Me at work]

As far as 'the look', with a little makeup, you can make anyone look completly different.

Dilbert - Drew Carrey, or that guy from the subway ads :p
Alice - Victoria Jackson , Judy Tenuta
Wally - Jason Alexander or Colin Mochrie (Who's Line is it Anyways?)
PHB - Mitch Pileggi

[Kodjo Hogan]

Boss: Eugene Levy
Dilbert: Steve Carrel
ASOK: Kal Penn
Wally: Jeremy Pivin
Catbert: Eddy Murphy
Ratbert: Samuel L JAckson
Dogbert: Robert Dinero
The Devil: Jason Alexander
Alice: Kathy Griffin

[Kodjo Hogan]

Boss: Eugene Levy
Dilbert: Steve Carrel
ASOK: Kal Penn
Wally: Jeremy Pivin
Catbert: Eddy Murphy
Ratbert: Samuel L JAckson
Dogbert: Robert Dinero
The Devil: Jason Alexander
Alice: Kathy Griffin

[Nick]

Steve Carell needs to be in there somewhere.

[Melodie]

Flipping through, one name seems conspicuously missing: Dean Haglund for role of Dilbert.

[Cube Critter]

OOh! that's a tuough one.
Dilbert: Pat McKenna, Harold from the red green show
Wally: Rick Moranis (I didn't spell that right)
Asok: Kal Penn or Ajay Naid
Boss: david souchet, he can suppress the accent
Alice: is going to tough. the standard hollywood T&A isn't going to make the fist-of-death look convincing, and nobody is going want to see a movie with rosie so you're left with a small field of woman actors with probably too much self respect.
Ted should just be an extra with no lines.
and please do not cast real animals

[Robyn]

Drew Carey - for Dilbert

[Jeremy]

Dilbert: Paul Giamatti
Allice: Cheri Oteri(S&L)
Wally: BRIAN BAUMGARTNER, The Guy that plays Kevin in The Office (US Version)
Boss: No Idea?!?

[Dick]

I've envisioned Drew Carey as the human form of Dilbert for years.

[Tortuga]

My knowledge of actors is relatively small but Bet Midler would be perfect for the part of Alice. Danny DeVito would have made a great PHB or Wally. Patrick Stewart or Christopher Lee would make a great CEO. Ricky Jervis would be good as Wally.

[Laura-Kathleen]

You know, I've figured out why everyone associates Drew Carey with Dilbert.

...Remember the ORIGINAL credits to the Drew Carey show? It was a little face singing "Moon over Parma" and his tie would flap with the song.

Funny how those little things seem to stick in the memory.

[Austin]

Paul Giamatti gets my vote for Dilbert.

[The Dude]

I take it back on Dilbert being an unknown. This was a brilliant suggestion by Cluebringer:

"Dilbert: Can only be John Hodgeman"

He has the perfect deadpan/straightman delivery that I was talking about in my last post.

[The Dude]

I think Stephen Colbert would be better placed as the PHB or voice of catbert. And James Spader could play whichever of those two roles that Stephen does not.

Dilbert needs to be more of a deadpan/straightman delivery and even though everyone seems to be thinking Drew Carey would be perfect I think he would be a huge mistake. Drew Carey could maybe work as a Wally character though. My personal opinion is that Dilbert should be an unknown or up and coming actor.

And you should definitely try to work Bruce Campbell into the mix somehow. He could easily be a Ted or the CEO type character.

Avoid using any actor involved in "Office Space" or "The Office" if for no other reason than to avoid being labeled a remake of either of the two.

For Alice, as much as I dislike Rosie, my vote is for Rosie O'Donnell. She has the ability to act and can be that angry fist-of-death type character.

Consider Will Ferrel for a cameo as Loud Harold.

[DAB]

Kevin James for Dilbert.

[Ibid]

My views for the characters are a bit skewed because of the cartoon. I have certain voices in my mind.

I keep going back to Larry Miller for PHB. Don S. Davis should at least be given a chance. He has the look but can he play the part?

Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd[UK]) for Asok.

Stephen Wright or Patrick Warburton as the Garbage Man.

Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) as Loud Howard.

Wallace Shawn would make a great Wally, but he may be too old, too.

Scott Adams to play all the Elbonians.

[PeoplePerson]

Hmm.. Pointy Haired boss. How about Larry Ellison - he fits pretty good.

[Radwaste]

Of course, everyone is naming big stars, when it is actually the supporting actors who make any show work. Think Charles Durning, Peter Boyle. Watch a Cold Case episode, like "Committed", or Babylon 5. Notice the backgrounds of the Desperate Housewives. Remember "Seinfeld"?

You have a better chance of success with such actors because your action is spread around. The cameos, or the rare appearances, can be established stars, but when the subject dwells on an individual so little and about office angst so greatly, you can't beat one of the "second-tier" stars, used to the idea of spending five minutes on-screen and nailing every second of it. Hmm. They're cheaper, too.

You can make a star - think "Ugly Betty" - but don't start with one.

Writing for these people will be a great challenge, because the comic makes the reader invent the background and realize the relevence, and any screenplay has to do all that for the audience.

[P1r]

Michael Caine for Dilbert!
Perhaps not optimal age-wise, but it's incredible what they can do with CGI these days.

Who should direct?
My vote is on Lars von Trier.

[E]

Holy cats!

The Great Blog Brain put some moves on this one... fantastic suggestions.

I add my voice to Stephen Wright as the garbageman - that is just delicious.

Rosie O'Donnell as Wally is WRONG but it still made me laugh.

[leomontg]

Let me see (as I look around at my Dilbert filled cubicle walls).

Andy Dick looks a lot like Dilbert . . . but too over the top.

Dan Akroyd would make a great Dilbert, though.

Hank Azaria for Asok.

[BrYaN]

You nailed these parts on the cartoon, why not put them on screen?
Dilbert: Daniel Stern
Alice: Kathy Griffin
PHB: Larry Miller
CGI Dogbert: Chris Elliott

Changes:
Loud Howard: Will Ferrell
Wally: Steve Buscemi
Asok: Kal Penn (Kumar from HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE)

[Riven]

The pointy-haired boss should be Stephen Root. Owen Wilson would make a good Dilbert, and David Koechner could be Wally.

[fe_man]

Lots of great suggestions... the only one I haven't seen is:

George Carlin for Dogbert... biting intelligent sarcasm, and he's got white hair too.

[Cluebringer]

Dilbert: Can only be John Hodgeman
Wally: Jack Black
Alice: Joan Cusack
Dogbert: Jay Leno
Catbert: Steven Colbert
DilMom: Betty White (Perfectly cast against type)
Shouting Guy: Will Farrell
PHB: John LaRoquette (Night Court, others)
Asok: Wilmer Valderrama
Mordac: Kiefer Sutherland
Garbage man: Christopher Walken
Marketing guy: Steve Carell
CEO: Patrick Stewart

[Dan S]

Dilbert: Drew Carey -- never another choice
Wally: Jason Alexander
PHB: Brian Baumgartner (from The Office)
Asok: Shaun Majumder (22 Minutes/24/Harold and Kumar)
Mordac: Kiefer Sutherland
Garbage man: Neil Flynn (Janitor from Scrubs)
Marketing guy: Steve Carell
CEO: Patrick Stewart

[Workbert]

Just take the whole cast of Office-Space. I'm sure that movie must have been written by you anyways....

Revised last sentence: I'm sure you wrote that movie anyways....

[sey]

o 4 goodness sake

stop using us to do tihngs u can pay ppl 2 do.

but yes, drew carey = awesome for dilbert. and the lady u had do alice in the cartoon would b good for a movie 2.

[SpongeJim]

Dilbert : John Krasinski
Wally : Rainn Wilson
Pointy-hair : Steve Carrell... and so on

Ok, seriously now:

Dilbert: Andy Richter
Wally: Jason Alexander
Pointy-hair: Kevin Spacey
Alice: Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (c'mon, no one plays pissed off like her)
Asok: Kal Penn (waaay too obvious, but he fits)
Catbert/Dogbert/Ratbert: CGI, obviously

[John]

Casting Dilbert Eh... That's a fun one to think about.

The Garbage Man is a MUST, and I agree that Stephen Wright is a perfect choice from above. It might also be fun to Forrest Gump him in a dozen times as all of the Elbonians at once... Kind of like an uber oompha-loompa.

On Dogbert... He must be voiced by the one and only Chris Elliot! He was perfect for Dogbert in the cartoon... and He'll be perfect for Dogbert in live action... I think the real question is would Dogbert be a kind of garfield-like animation, or would he be a real dog, like they did with Odie... and if that, what kind of dog? He's a little white round guy, but I don't see Dilbert with a Shih-Tzu... So I'm back to the animated version once again... Hmm. Or is he perhaps a bulldog?

For Catbert... He needs a voice that is extremely hypnotic. He needs to be someone who can start to tell you your benefits are being dissolved and when it's all over you can't remember what that was all about. I'm liking Patrick Stewart, and I could also see Leonard Nimoy, maybe George Takei? Seems to be a Star Trek theme here... Didn't intend that, but there you have it.

For Ratbert... Ratbert has no brain, and his voice should represent that. What about Tom Cruise?? or Tom Cruise plus a lung-full of helium?

On Asok... Daniel Logan (The Young Boba Fett from Star Wars, Episode II) ...Even interns have a dark side.... Could be a good slug-line. No? Ah well, what the heck. I thought I'd throw that one in.

I happen to see Paul Simon as Phil, but I think this is a personal problem.

On Wally... I like the Jason Alexander idea, but wouldn't it be interesting to see someone like Joe Pantoliano instead? I can see Joe taking that swig of coffee and then sneaking to the next cube to steal a better monitor, or overtly deleting the file he's working on so he won't have to work on it anymore.

On Alice... Stop the Kathy Griffin bashing up there, she's perfect. Alice is all about the pent-up frustration that comes bellowing out when you're least ready to see the fist-of-death coming your way. Griffin can deliver that, though I'm also starting to like the Paula Poundstone camp as well.

On Dilbert, I've always been a Drew Carey Fan for this part, but that was back when he had a hit show. Would he work now? He's been out of the limelight so long, I'm not sure he could pull it off. His on-camera persona has always been real similar to Dilbert's look, but times are changing... I was actually thinking about Mike Myers for the part. If the movies went totally camp, then what about Charlie Sheen? It might be fun to have him visit his father at the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet played by Martin Sheen...

Finally for the Boss.... Wait for it..... Skip him as Catbert and use William Shatner for this part... Yep, I said it. Now think about it for a moment, let it settle in your mind. In a few minutes you won't be able to see anyone else as the Boss. Larry miller was perfect as the voice in the cartoon, but I think the boss needs to be someone you believe can look you in the face and be totally cruel while acting like what they are doing to you is in your best interests. You can see it right? Shatner causally playing a hole of golf through the office and one of Dilbert's slide presentations.

And if Robin Williams is to play a part, how about that of Dilbert's Mom?

[Michael J]

Lots of good suggestions, but I haven't seen a good one for Alice. She needs to be physically intimidating. Maybe somebody like Brook Shields or even Lucy Lawless.

[GG]

Wallace Shawn as PHB He was Vizzini from The Princess Bride (INCONCEIVABLE) also he was one of the teachers in Clueless. He's kind of like a Danny Devito lite, and may be slightly younger. Anyway, seeing him will make people think of the Princess Bride, then they'll be happy and like the Dilbert movie more.

Stephen Root as Wally. He was Milton in Office Space. Same character more or less, just a little less creepy.

Topher Grace or Tobey Maguire could work for Dilbert.

Wilmer Valderrama for Asok, could work I think. I also like Kal Penn.

I don't know what to say about Alice. Kathy Griffin certainly looks the part, but she's so obnoxious. Julia Louis-Dryefuss might work if you could frizz her hair out a bit. She had some practice yelling at people on Seinfeld. Maybe Courtney Cox with some red hair dye.

[Frizzell]

Well, its worth a shot, and if a studio is willing to throw buckets of money at you, why not try your best.

My first suggestion would be to avoid well-known actors for any of the main parts, as well as characters known for playing those types of roles. Example: Drew Carey as Dilbert, people would associate him with his old show. Danny Devito as the PHB, too angry, not enough clueless. Also, avoid anyone from the movie Office Space or the TV show The Office, they've already played the parts.

Second, have well-known actors play the lesser known characters who only have bit parts or cameos. Example: Jim Carrey as Loud Howard. Leonard Nimoy as the Garbageman. Robin Williams as the voice for Ratbert.

Third, remember that Dilbert is regular life that happens to be funny, so avoid hiring comedians or actors trying to hard to be funny. In other words, while Kathy was a good voice for Alice, she probably would not be good in a live action movie.

Those are my best suggestions, do with them as you wish.

[Boozeheimer]

Sorry, I mixed it up. It seems the guy I would like to play is Wally and Alice the role I suggested for Sandra Bullock.

[Boozeheimer]

Dear Scott,
I volunteer for the role of the guy who always carries his coffee mug (does he have a name?).
Sandra Bullock would be great for one of the female parts, best Wally.

[Nick]

Ben Stein for Dilbert.
Dwight from The Office (American version) for Wally.
Steve Carell (also from The Office) would make a great Pointy-hair Boss.

[rdas7]

Tom Cruise as Dilbert. I don't think this requires any further explanation.

[Ethan]

Dilbert: Drew Carey
Alice: Katey Sagal
Garbage man: Kevin Smith (how has no-one else thought of this yet?)
wally: Danny DeVito or Jason Alexander

[emerkys]

OOoooooh, I posted before I looked at everyone else's, to get a honest non ripped off comment. But I did miss the obvious Dilbert...Drew Carey.

I am even from Cleveland. How did I miss that.

[Amanda]

I think Jim Gaffigan, the comedian would be a perfect Dilbert.

[emerkys]

Kathy Griffin - Alice (I know she did the voice, but still)
Jeffrey Tambor - Pointy Haired Boss
Paul Giamatti - Wally
Randy Quaid - Dilbert (I know he is getting old, but I think that fits)

[Joelle]

Oh comon people! I only read the top few posts, but hasn't anyone ever watched the Drew Carry Show?!? He even had Dilbert picturess in his cubicle! Drew Carry is the epitomy of Dilbert! Middle class (lower), a bit on the dull side, has trouble with women and is walked all over by everyone he knows! He even looks like Dilbert.

I agree that Danny Devito would have made a good PHB, but he already played that part in Taxi, and he is getting way too old now. Maybe use Dom Delouise, or the guy who played Rosanne's husband - sorry, can't remember his name right now.

The only real trouble you would have is getting people to play Dogbert, Catbert and Ratbert. Do you go with animation overlay, costumes or puppets?

Obviously you can't use any pretty people except to show the office "Hot girl" who occasionally shows up to torment Dilbert. Maybe Ms. Joli can play her.

Another real issue is finding people to play elbonians. You would need someone noncaucasian, but no one who was so obvious as to offend any real social groups. What kind of an accent would you use? Right now the readers apply an accent to the elbonians as they see fit, but if you use an accent that is recognizable you run the risk of offending some group or other. You would need to mix racial implications. By this I mean have them have only a slight tan, wear a mix of arabic and oriental garb, speak with a quazi-Russian/German accent and listen to music which holds elements of Natives from North America and Australia. This just might keep enough people off balance long enough that they won't be offended.

Asok (sorry if I didn't spell that right) might pose another problem, with the US being in such a perilous position in the Middle East as is, you may want to make him Mexican or something...or again mix your racial indicators.

[Andrew]

Despite the Office Space actors doing a very good job, avoid them. Too cliche.

Try and go with some smaller name up and coming guys. That way people won't be typecast.

[Eugene Cox]

Drew Carey gets my vote for Dilbert...

[Michal Malkowski]

Kevin Spacey - again, as... , Wally. For the
"who-the-what?" attitude in American Beauty.
The bright side is that he... doesn't want to play anymore! How come? IF(let's say 0,05%) he actually agrees, he would agree to do it for fun, maybe some small role. And 70% of your budget would be almost enought to pay him.
Give it a try. E-mail, not fax, let's not go crazy with costs, it's a longshot.

Asok - Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show)

Dilbert's mom - same actor as Dilbert(no ideas from me) - but with a Wig.

Elbonians - Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (Borat guy), multiplied with computer tech. OR a grup made of: Mexicans, Portoricans, Poles, Kazachs, and Azers.
It's not racist, becouse there are Poles in that crowd, and I'm a Pole. Political correctness is such a funny thing :]

The world smartest garbageman - great easter egg with you, Scott... altought you're far to slim.
My other idea for it is above 80% benchmark. Get a member of Nobel Prize Commity. Or a Nobel prize winner. The downside is that probably 99,9% of people won't recognize him...
Anyhow, I think it's a great character for some easter-egg thingie.

Ted - well... some guy. Whatever.

For Alice, Carol and Tina I suggest checking out sitcoms.

[roonode]

Mordac: Christopher Walken
Alice: Ellen Degneras
Dilbert: Mike Myers
Wally:Eugene Levy

[Christine]

Love Kal Penn, but he's too old for Asok.

Dilbert: Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) if you want younger.

Alice: Laura Linney, Tina Fey

Tina: Parker Posey, Tina Fey

[Anni]

Chris Elliot.

[Nick]

Having seen him in "The Terminal" on DVD last night, I'd recommend Stanley Tucci to play the PHB. (On the other hand, Tom Hanks would not be a good choice as Dilbert.)

Drew Carey looks more like Wally than Dilbert to me.

[Anshul]

Definitely Colbert for Dilbert. And being an Indian, get someone called Rahul Bose for Asok

[golfwidow]

I don't really care who plays anyone else, but get Jeff Dunham to make Dogbert and Catbert dummies and that would be kind of sweet.

[erik]

Elbonians: Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen)

[Samuel Proctor]

Use a total unknown. Most of the other suggestions I've seen are far too pretty to be Dilbert. And besides, you don't want people to enter the cinema thinking, "Ooh! I can't wait for that guy from that movie pretending to be Dilbert!" Unknown quantity, that's the way to go.

[The Borg]

So many people are choosing actors because they fit the role/image of the Dilbert characters .. which could work but could also have critics reaching for the "this guy is stereotyped, " line. I would suggest new ppl too but you do have the disadvantage of having to interview tons of wannabes.
Sticking with existing, known actors who are versatile enough for the characters in the Dilbert universe:

Dilbert - Hugh Laurie from "House". If you haven't seen him on British television, you can't criticise this choice. Try and find the DVDs "A bit of Fry and Laurie" to see what I mean.
PHB - Bill Murray. You have to.
Alice - Joan Cusack is a good choice but only because she fits the stereotype. What about Hermione from the Harry Potter movies?
Wally - Jack Black is an inspired choice but he could be OTT. What about Hurley from "Lost"?
Asok - The racist overtone could be a problem. But in that case, why not Sacha Baron Cohen?
Dogbert - Robin Williams
Catbert - John Cleese in a "Basil Fawlty" tone.

[Peter]

John Lithgow as PHB
Jason Alexander as Wally

[Stephen Klancher]

"Also, if the worlds smartest garbageman is in the movie, it has to be Neil Flynn (The Janitor from Scrubs)"

I love that idea. Though I may be biased since I also love Scrubs.

[T Simic]

Dilbert - Stephen Colbert
Dogbert (voice) - Stephen Colbert
Alice - Sarah Silverman
Wally - Jason Alexander
Pointy-haired Boss - James Gandolfini
Bob the Dinosaur (voice) - John Goodman
Ratbert (voice) - Matt LeBlanc
Catbert (voice) - Elton John
Tina the Tech Writer - A. J. Cook
CEO - Chuck Norris :)

[Rob Swan]

Ricky Gervais as Pointy-Haired Boss (looks the part too)
[David Brent, The Office]

Verne Troyer as Dogbert (oh c'mon, it's a brilliant idea!)
[MiniMe, Austin Powers]

Very importantly you would need to use a completely unknown actor for Dilbert, anyone successful would tarnish the role. Total unknown actor please. Someone high caliber but instantly forgettable.

Boss and Dogbert are so unreal they can be played by stars, but the rest of the cast should consist of established but underused talent.

[ratboi87]

Drew Carey as Dilbert. It's so obvious.

[Ron Hardin]

This calls for a meeting.

[DogbertRulez]

Stephen Colbert for Dogbert would be perfect

[RainbowW]

David Carradine as Catbert. (Bill)
Hugo Weaving as the PHB. (Agent Smith)
Uma Thurman as Alice. (The Bride)
Robin Williams as Dogbert.
Dustin Hoffman as Wally.
Tom Cruise as an Elbonian. (Just ask Brooke.)
Lawrence Fishburn as the CEO. (Morpheus)
Keanu Reeves as Dilbert.

If it were possible, Pat Moreta as Asok. I think he was a wonderful actor.

[Neal Miskin]

Woody Allan as Ratbert; Jack Black as Wally; Maggie Wheeler as Alice (or maybe Carol); Jon Stewart as Dogbert.

Johny Depp is pulling big box-ofice sales These days, he'd be great as Ted the generic guy.

[Tanmay Bhat]

Tom Hanks as Dilbert, surely.

[g]

If I were you I wouldn't want a Dilbert film with real people. Remember how the TV series dind't work out? It's going to be worse. The whole Dilbert thing works perfectly in comic strips. I'd reckon there's a big monkey paw when doing a real movie. It's obviously going to be a lot different from what Dilbert is now. The question is will people remember the film or the comic? Or: will the potential new readers the film could reach be disappointed when they compare a comic strip with a full blown hollywood production? I thnik it's risky. At least calculate the money you get for the film in comparison with the people who will (surely) turn away from Dilbert as a consequence of disliking the movie. If you really need the money, got for it. Otherwise, be careful nor to ruin a running system.

[Cipollino]

NOT DILBERT! Please please please, do God's debris and Rel. war as movie. I would love to see that. I think that would be perfect for a movie.
There is everything: suspence, action, the nerd who saves the world (neo like), Stacy who represents the people as opposed to the presidents and the wise man, and she is the key... war, annihilation, religion! You have everything there. It would be fantastico!

Well I can dream it in my mind at least.

[Maisey]

Definitely Adam Brody! For my generation :D
He's so cute and nerdy!

[T.G.]

Maybe, more important that what actor would play what is to choose a good guionist. I've watched few of the first episodes of the animated series and seems to look right, like it is what you expect but, then, lacks something ... i was surprised to just drop it to never bother to continue watching it, being a big fan of your comic strip and enjoying animated shows like futurama (and for other feedbacks i've got, i am not the only one).
I didn't try to follow your 'how to write' advice, it is not my intention to catch your attention. I have very low expectations and just to give out low quality advices or criticisms, is quite fun for me and self rewarding ;).

[Julian]

Harold Ramis as Dilbert.

[Jerry Nance]

I don't think Stephen Colbert would be a very good choice - his head is shaped too weird. That may sound stupid, but as your Dilbert you need somebody who looks totally average, someone who looks very bland. Stephen Colbert, unfortunately, has a very asymmetrical head, his ears especially seem to be taken from two different people.
I think that anybody who already looks funny in some way, would be a bad choice for Dilbert, since Dilbert is the embodiment of the average working joe and needs to look the part. Also, a totally normal looking person can deadpan jokes a lot better than somebody looking slightly wacky.

I also don't think that Drew Carey would be any good, simply because he already plays/played a very similar character. It would be hard selling him as a different character in basically the same role he already played. That is also why I think that Steve Carell is out.

Personally, I think that Dilbert should be played by somebody who you wouldn't immediately associate with Dilbert, but who makes sense when you think about it.

Here are some people who I think would do a good job:

Dilbert : Jason Bateman, Will Ferrel, Jason Sudeikis, ...

For the rest of the characters I would try to find the best fit through castings and not try to have famous actors just for their names.
If I had to name actors, I would go with :

Wally : Can't really think of anyone...

PHB : Jon Favreau, Dan Akroyd (maybe), Alec Baldwin (he already plays a similar role on 30 Rock)

Dogbert : Find yourself a great voice actor. (Seth McFarlane, perhaps)

[Julie]

Bill Nighy as Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light

[Kevin Gibbs]

NOBODY FROM OC could be Dilbert... They are iritating over-class morons playing themselves.

[Mark Robinson]

Just recycle all the actors from Office Space! In fact, you don't need to create a Dilbert move, just bring out Office Space - The Director's Cut!

Just kidding.

[Guardian1153]

Okay, the casting consensus seems to be in, with a lot of talk about Drew Carey.

I fall into the "lose the live action idea" camp. I've seen too many movies based on comic strip characters. Besides, you can do so much more with totally CGI movies these days.

I don't recall who you are in negotiations with, but forget them and talk to Pixar. They pulled off Shrek didn't they? 'nough said!

[Petteri]

Elijah Wood as Dilbert
Liv Tyler as Alice
Sean Astin as PHB
Cate Blanchett as Carol
John Rhys-Davies as Dogbert
Hugo Weaving as Catbert
Andy Serkis as Ratbert
Christopher Lee as CEO
Orlando Bloom as Ted
Kiran Shah as Asok

[Tim]

Dilbert - Edward Norton
Alice - Sarah Jessica Parker
Wally - Richard Schiff
Catbert - voice of John Lithgow
Dogbert - voice of Dennis Leary
PHB - Kelsey Grammer

[Doug]

I didn't read the comments, so this is probably a given. Drew Carey pretty much is Dilbert no?

[LeComte]

The World's Smartest Garbageman is one of the toughest to place. Here are my ideas.

Dilbert- Drew Carey. He is Dilbert. Sorry.
Wally- Jason Alexander. He essentially played Wally throughout Seinfeld, and he needs a job.
Alice-Tough here. I don't think enough people like Kathy Griffin, even though she has a great voice for the part. Maybe Patricia Heaton?
PHB- Danny DeVito is still good. Or maybe Christopher Walken. He's sinister.
Asok- Toughie. Not many famous Indian stars out there. How about Sendhil Ramamurthy from HEROES?
Dogbert- Go with Colbert, I say.
Catbert- Has to radiate evil. I'd say an excellent choice would be Gene Wilder. Have you seen that scene in Willy Wonka in the cave on the boat? Bone chilling.
Ratbert- someone annoying, yet lovable. Will Ferrel? He's good. If not him then someone who's like Joe Pesci. Or the man himself.
Bob the Dinosaur- I imagine Bob having a soft voice to contrast his dinosauric nature. I'm gonna say Will Ferrel again here.
The World's Smartest Garbageman- Someone who radiates with a philosophic intelligence. I suggest Anthony Hopkins or perhaps Jon Stewart, if you must. Or Nicolas Cage. He has the voice and mysterious manner.
Ted- Give Steve Carell this. It's what he does.
DilMom- give it to someone like Doris Roberts. A bit trite, but I can't think of someone better.
Carol- Someone who can act malicious. I'm thinking Molly Shannon could do it.
Tina- Tough. Someone empowered. I don't want to sound ridiculous but what about Tina Fey?
Phil, Lord of Heck- Easy. Jack Nicholson.
Mordac- This is the one that demands Wayne Knight.
The Elbonians- Disgruntled Russian actors. All of them.

[alan]

got it

Morgan Freeman as one of the garbage men, you know the really smart guys who show up every 6 months or so.

[Yippo]

Jared (and anyone else who mentioned it) is right; you'd be perfect for the Dilbert role. The only missing ingredient is the weight-problem - but that's not all-important, and worst comes to worst you can wear a fat suit.

I'd pay to see you as Dilbert. And I wouldn't even care who else was in the movie.

[Dan Kennedy]

Sound like the perfect set-up for a new reality show: "Who Wants To Play Dilbert!"
Do the whole movie with the cast from The Sopranos - Bobby B as Wally, Paulie Walnuts as PHB, Edie Falco as Alice, Michael Imperioli as Dogbert...buwahahaha!

[Subuki]

Steve Carell would make an excellent 'Point Haired Boss', gotta make lose some hair on top though...

Eugene Levy would be an excellent Wally!

[Mark]

Dabney Coleman as Wally

[Danny]

Dilbert: Tom Hanks

Alice: Jada Pinkett-Smith

Wally: Rosie O'Donnell

The PHB: Sacha Baron Cohen

Carol: Meg Ryan

Asok: Dan Aykroyd

Tina: Brandy

Dogbert: Louie Anderson

Coffee Swilling Beaver: Drew Barrymore

[Steve]

Any senior exec at AOL could play the Boss

[alan]

Angelina Jolie as Alice

Set the Fist of Death at this level and the rest of the cast will have to raise their game whoever you choose.

Any token black people in the movie?

[hurricane51]

Josh Malina (from the West Wing and Sports Night) as Dilbert. He's smart but clueless about social interactions. He also has the perfect nerdy look

[Jared]

Ummm...why can't YOU be Dilbert. You look the part and have the dry (yet witty) sense of humor that creates the true essence of the comic anyway! Isn't he a piece of your soul anyway??

Stephen is too cocky and outspoken. Dilbert wouldn't speak up to save his own life. The only actor I know for sure would be Alfred Molina for the boss. He's an incredibly versatile and talented guy. I was just watching something the other day and some guy reminded me so much of Wally. But I forgot. I'll let you know if I remem