Fans have been debating the right and wrong course for a “Watchmen” movie for so long that it seems almost anti-climactic to finally be reporting on real live developments. But here we are: Zack Snyder is directing, pre-production is underway and casting announcements are imminent. This week, Ain’t It Cool said it had reliable info that offers were out to Patrick Wilson, Keanu Reeves, and Jude Law. Immediately “Watchmen” fanatics (count this writer among them) were shouting from the rooftops about how fantastic or horrible these choices were.

Here at MTV, we’ve got a couple brave “Watchmen” aficionados in the form of Larry Carroll and Karl Heitmueller. Check out their recommendations for casting of key “Watchmen” roles below.

Nite-Owl

Karl — Paul Giamatti or John Hodgman. You gotta play with audience expectations with “Watchmen.” Nite Owl’s gotta be schlubby but ultimately heroic. Hmm, maybe Steve Carell?
Larry — Paul Giamatti. It’s his brains, not his brawn, that made him a hero. Now, he’s a pathetically idealistic, out-of-shape guy who finally lands his dreamgirl and can’t even perform sexually. Patrick Wilson looks like a hero, and was adequately pathetic in “Little Children,” hence the possibility of his casting. But I’d rather see someone like Paul Giamatti, who would make the character much more human, and more believably walk the fine line of morality.

Silk Spectre

Karl — Toni Collette or Mary-Louise Parker. You have to have some skepticism that this woman would ever follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a costumed hero. She’s gotta seem constantly uncomfortable in costume. Sandra Bullockian, one might say.

Larry — Lucy Lawless. Laurie is a beautifully complex character, strong and sexy on the outside but permanently scarred within. She has father issues and has difficulty trusting any potential lover; her different sides are represented by being caught between Nite-Owl and Manhattan. Maggie Gyllenhaal could do the world-beaten thing in her sleep, but she’s not tall and athletic enough. I’m also prone to suggest Famke Janssen, but she’s got too much “X-Men” baggage at this point. So instead, I’m going to go way out on a limb and pick Lucy Lawless. She looks just like the character, has enormous geek cred, and I’ve always felt that she could do something special if people would just get past the “Xena” thing.

Dr. Manhattan

Karl — William Hurt or Guy Pearce. Manhattan’s detached, regal and potentially dangerous, and nobody does it better than these guys. Or maybe throw a curve ball with Terrence Howard?

Larry — Keanu Reeves. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with the rumored Keanu, as long as they do it right. The guy has professed his love for “Watchmen” many times, and completely understands what he needs to do. But if he’s not willing to shave his head, get in flawless shape, paint himself blue and drop the surfer attitude, I’ll be the first to bag on him. A 50-foot-tall, anatomically muted, bald Keanu marching through Vietnam like Godzilla? Wow, Snyder’s got balls.

Ozymandias

Karl — Jude Law or Vince Vaughn. He must be tall, handsome and cocky, and since George Clooney was in “Batman & Robin,” he’s automatically disqualified from appearing in “Watchmen.”

Larry — Jason Patric. I’ll flat out say it: Jude Law has never impressed me in anything. Wasting this character on him would be a shame. Snyder has admitted that Tom Cruise passed, and that’s too bad because I could see him doing something interesting with the narcissistic, self-promoting super-villain. Snyder should grab Jason Patric, who needs to get more work. He’d be handsome, terrifying, brilliant and mad all at the same time. And he could totally kick Jude Law’s ass.

The Comedian

Karl — James Gandolfini or Alec Baldwin. Because Bruce Willis is too obvious.

Larry — Sean Penn. I know that some of my other choices aren’t exactly A-listers, so let’s break the bank on this one. The Comedian needs to be a strong, intimidating, nihilistic vigilante. He needs to be a possible rapist; the baddest good guy around. That’s a tall order for anyone, and the only person I can think of in the right age range would be Sean Penn. He’s resisted superhero flicks and action movies in the past, however, so Snyder would have to throw a ton of money at him and convince Penn that he could use it to make a dozen pet projects like “The Indian Runner”. Add in the anti-Bush, anti-Iraq elements that he could inject into his portrayal of the right-wing character, and Penn might just bite.

Rorschach

Karl — Steve Zahn or Steve Buscemi. Although William H. Macy looks just like the character under the mask. Rorschach’s gotta be creepy but sympathetic. Ooh, how about Peter Billingsley? This one’s too fun to cast.

Larry — Edward Norton or Jeremy Davis. Wow, this is a toughie. Rorschach is the hero of the piece, but he’s insane. It would take a tremendous actor to nail him, but who would take on a part that would put him behind a mask for virtually the entire movie? If Edward Norton hadn’t just signed on to become The Hulk, I’d go with him. Instead, my second choice would be Jeremy Davies. The guy is a chameleonesque actor, very possibly off his rocker, and willing to go to tremendous extremes for a role. When “Rescue Dawn” comes out in July, you’ll understand how well he can pull off pathetic, heroic, and desperate all at the same time. And that’s what we need in a Rorschach.

Do you agree or disagree with our casting choices? Tell us your own picks in our comments below.