Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!
Well, we've recast The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, so now it's time for the third of my favorite John Hughes movies: Sixteen Candles.
Sure, looking at this movie now there are some things that now don't seem quite right (Ted having sex with Caroline while she's passed out, say). But I still have a soft spot in my heart for this iconic '80s teenage romantic comedy.
So tell me: If you could recast this movie today, which actors would you pick for the lead roles?
Part of the charm of Sixteen Candles is the ensemble cast, so I've chosen 7 characters that I think are most central to recast.
Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, August 14, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more
Characters to recast:
Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald)
Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling)
Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe)
Ted, "The Geek" (Anthony Michael Hall)
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) (Paul Dooley)
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) (Blanche Baker)
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) (Haviland Morris)
The BuzzSugar t-shirt
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Masini Gioielli
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Samantha Baker - Alyson Hannigan
1Jake Ryan - Nicholas D'Agosto
Long Duk Dong - John Cho
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - John Goodman
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Rachel McAdams
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Mischa Barton
Samantha Baker: Emma Roberts or Mandy Moore
2Jake Ryan: Channing Tatum
Long Duk Dong: John Cho (really tried to think of someone else)
Ted "the geek": Paolo Constanzo
Jim Baker: Steve Martin
Ginny Baker: Sarah Chalke
Caroline: Arielle Kebbel
Blasphemy! You can't recast Sixteen Candles
3Samantha Baker: Hilary Duff
4Jake Ryan: Jake Gyllenhaal
Long Duk Dong: Andy Samberg
Ted "the geek": Shia LaBeouf
Jim Baker: James Gandolfini
Ginny Baker: Anne Hathaway
Caroline: Ashley Tisdale
Samantha Baker = Rachel Bilson
5Jake Ryan = Channing Tatum
Long Duk Dong = Aaron Yoo (Disturbia)
Ted "the geek" = Ben Foster
Jim Baker = Steve Martin
Ginny Baker = Emily Blunt
Caroline = Megan Fox
I agree 110% with ciaocleo
You cannot cast this movie... No one of this era can touch what was of that era... It's too amazing
I just finished watching this movie tonight and I loves it..
6Samantha Baker: Emma Roberts
7Jake Ryan: Michael Cassidy
Long Duk Dong: Aaron Yoo
Ted "The Geek": Michael Cera
Jim Baker: Mark Harmon
Ginny Baker: Elisha Cuthbert
Caroline: Arielle Kebbel
Darn it.
Have you done recasting for "Say Anything" yet?
I just had the most brilliant brainstorm about the perfect recast John Cusack.
Just for fun through
8Mary Kate Olsen - Samantha Baker
9Brody Jenner - Jake Ryan
Wilmer Valderama - Long Duk Dong
Shia Lebouf - Ted, "The Geek"
Alec Baldwin - Jim Baker (Samantha's father)
Zooey Deschanel - Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister)
Lindsay Lohan - Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend)
Note: I did not look at anyone else's list. So if some of my names match yours, I'm sorry. Please do not steal from my list.
Samantha Baker: Kaylee DeFer (The War At Home)
)
10Jake Ryan: Milo Ventimiglia
Long Duk Dong: Matt Tong (Bloc Party)
Farmer Ted: Thomas Sangster (The Last Legion - trust me on this one
Jim Baker: Jim Belushi
Ginny Baker: Sarah Chalke
Caroline Mulford: Joanna Garcia (Reba)
ew hilary duff will never be molly no offense
i hope they never remake 16 candles they'll just ruin it just like zac efron is gonna dance his way into ruining footloose
11Samantha Baker (Amanda Bynes)
12Jake Ryan (Zac Efron)
Long Duk Dong (Aaron Yoo)
Ted, "The Geek" (Shia LaBeouf)
Jim Baker (Alec Baldwin)
Ginny Baker (Jessica Biel)
Caroline Mulford (Hayden Panettiere)
There is no way you can recast sixteen candles!!
You can never replace Jake Ryan!!
13Samantha Baker - Isla Fisher
14Jake Ryan - Ryan Gosling
Long Duk Dong - Masi Oka
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera (george michael on arrested development)
Jim Baker - Robert Downey Jr.
Ginny Baker - Alicia Witt
Caroline Mulford - Brittany Murphy
Samantha Baker - Amanda Bynes
15Jake Ryan - Jared Padalecki
Long Duk Dong - Sousuke Takaoka
Ted - Topher Grace
Jim Baker - James Belushi
Ginny Baker - Claire Dane
Caroline Mulford - Kristin Kreuk
Samantha Baker - Julie Marie Berman - General hospital
16Jake Ryan - Hayden Christiansen - Star wars
Long Duk Dong - John Cho - Harold and Kumar
Ted - Johnathan Malen - Take the lead
Jim Baker - Christopher Rich - Reba
Ginny Baker - Beverly Mitchell - 7th Heaven
Caroline Mulford - Joanna Garcia - Reba
Samantha Baker - Hallie Kate Eisenberg
17Jake Ryan - Jonathan Bennett
Long Duk Dong - Kal Penn
Ted, "The Geek" - Johnny Galecki
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - Dustin Hoffman
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Rachel McAdams
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Hilary Duff
Samantha Baker - Rumer Willis
18Jake Ryan - Bryan Greenberg - Prime
Long Duk Dong - Rajiv Surendra - Mean Girls
Ted - Michael Cera
Jim Baker - Steve Martin
Ginny Baker - Emily Blunt
Caroline Mulford - Hayden Panettiere
I'm still thinking mine over... there are like two male Asian actors in Hollywood and neither of them are teenagers!
Good choices, everyone, but it IS supposed to be Sixteen Candles, people! : ) They should be able to pass for 16.
19Samantha Baker - Allison Mack (10 Things I hate about you)
20Jake Ryan - Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)
Long Duk Dong - John Cho (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle)
Ted - Christopher Castile (Step by Step)
Jim Baker - John Goodman (Roseanne)
Ginny Baker - Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (She's All That)
Caroline Mulford - Mila Kunis
Samantha Baker - Sarah Drew (Everwood)
21Jake Ryan - Channing Tatum
Long Duk Dong - Masi Oka
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - Enrico Colantoni
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Katherine Heigl
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Sophia Bush
Samantha Baker - Jena Malone
22Jake Ryan - Eion Bailey
Long Duk Dong - Justin Lee (Annyong Bluth from Arrested Dev.)
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera
Jim Baker - Jim Belushi
Ginny Baker - Mandy Moore
Caroline Mulford - Susan May Pratt
Sam: Emma Roberts (Hey! She's actually sixteen!)
Jake: Zac Efron
Long Duk Dong: Masi Oka? (Gedde Watanabe was 30, so I guess it's okay....)
Farmer Ted: Michael Cera
Sam's Dad: Greg Grunberg
Ginny: Kristen Bell
Caroline: Amanda Seyfried
23Samantha Baker (Kelly Smith - Buffy)
24Jake Ryan (Charlie Hunnam -Undeclared & Queer as Folk)
Long Duk Dong (John Cho - he is just so perfect)
Ted, "The Geek" (Michael Cera - again he is just perfect)
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) (Colin Firth)
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) (Ashely Tisdale)
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) (Scarlett Johansson)
I like Pink Flats cast.
25Sam: Kristen Storms (Days, some other Disney movie)
26Jake: Adrian Grenier (Entourage)
Ted: Shia (first to my mid as well)
Jim: John Goodman (love him!)
Ginny: Kate Hudson (lol)
Caroline: Paris Hilton (Ha, thought it was perfect not to much acting involved!)
Long Duk Dong: James Kyson Lee (Heros)
Samantha: Amanda Bynes
27Jake: Tom Welling
Ted: Jean-Luc Bilodea (from Kyle XY)
Jim: Jason Alexander
Ginny: Jessica Simpson
Caroline: Shannon Elizabeth
Long Duk Dong: John Cho
Samantha Baker - Rumer Willis
28Jake Ryan - James Franco
Long Duk Dong - Charlyne Yi (Knocked up - she's a girl, but hey it could work)
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - Chris Noth
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Rachel Bilson
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Evan Rachel Wood
Have any of you actually seen this movie? Half of your choices are vapid losers who could never EVER be as good as Molly.. EVER.. only in their wildest fantasies
29Samantha Baker - Amber Tamblyn
30Jake Ryan - Zac Efron
Long Duk Dong - Aaron Yoo
Ted, "The Geek" - Frankie Muniz
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - Tom Hanks
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Katherine Heigl
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Blake Lively
Samantha Baker: Tina Majorino
31Jake Ryan: Chris Lowell
Long Duk Dong: Bobby Lee (Kenneth from Harold and Kumar)
Ted "the geek": Michael Cera
Jim Baker: Joe Flaherty (dad from Freaks and Geeks)
Ginny Baker: Mandy Moore
Caroline: Mischa Barton
wiciltd — Of course nobody will live up to the original cast of Sixteen Candles. This movie is not actually going to be remade with a cast chosen by someone on this website. It's a game, and not meant to be taken seriously. You certainly don't have to take part in the game, and please refrain from attacking other readers' cast submissions.
32Samantha Baker - Ashley Tidsale (dye her hair brown or red)
33Jake Ryan - Sean Faris
Long Duk Dong - John Cho
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - Chris North
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Anna Faris
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Brittany Snow
Samantha Baker - Ellen Page (played Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand)
Jake Ryan - Daniel Radcliffe (have you seen the pictures from his stage play? he can do buff - we'll see if he can do an American accent)
Long Duk Dong - I had trouble with this one because as much as I adore the movie, it's so incredibly offensive. So I thought it would be funny to tweak the movie a little and change the character into some tiny villaged, nerdy, Scandinavian student played by Sam Lavine
Ted, "The Geek" - Michael Cera (poor kid, he just fits this so perfectly!)
Jim Baker (Samantha's father) - Bill Murray
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) - Busy Philipps (Kim from the defunked TV show "Freaks and Geeks")
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) - Hilary Duff
I also have a different possibility for Sam and her father (Jim Baker).
34Sam = America Ferrera
Jim = George Lopez
I think if these two change, Jake will need to change too, Daniel looks too young compared to America.
Jake Ryan = James McAvoy (he'd have to work on his American accent as well. He was faun, Mr. Tumnus, from the Narnia movie.)
Samantha Baker = Amber Tamblyn
35Jake Ryan = Matt Dallas (Kyle XY)
Long Duk Dong = Dat Phan (1st winner of Last Comic Standing)
Ted, "The Geek" = Jonathan Malen (Redhead from "Take the Lead")
Jim Baker (Sam's father)= William Peterson (CSI -Gill Grissam)
Ginny Baker (Samantha's older sister) = Molly Ringwald
Caroline Mulford (Jake's girlfriend) = Mena Suvari
I agree with Cleo. No recasting a classic!
36Samantha Baker~ Ellen Page
37Jake Ryan~ Brandon Routh
Long Duk Dong~ Aaron Yoo
Ted~ Jay Baruchel
Jim Baker~ Steve Martin
Ginny Baker~ Ari Graynor
Caroline Mulford~ Amanda Seyfried
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