When Square Enix made the decision to remakeFinal Fantasy 7, on top of the already controversial decision to split the game’s story into multiple parts, it also chose tocompletely recast the game’s core characters. Nearly a month after release, Square Enix’s new vision forFinal Fantasy 7has been fully realized by the world and resonated with audiences, almost unanimously, for being so much more than just a simple remake.
A significant part of that vision involved completely redesigning and fleshing out all of the core characters from the originalFinal Fantasy 7to meet fan expectations for a modern-day AAA video game in 2020. Along withthe new designs, everyone from Cloud to Sephiroth was recast, and as it turns out, Square Enix has chosen a handful of actors that have a surprising connection, having worked together before on another major TV show,Teen Wolf.
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ForFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, leading protagonist Cloud Strike is played by Cody Christian, best known for recurring roles in the early seasons of Freeform’sPretty Little Liars, as well as Seasons 5 and 6 of MTV’sTeen Wolf. Alongside Christian, the new voice of Sephiroth, Tyler Hoechlin, perhaps best known for playing Superman in the CW’s Arrowverse, also played a recurring role in multiple seasons of Teen Wolf, as well as Gideon Emery, the voice of Biggs.
Ranging from roles in television, film, and a number of high-profile video games, theFinal Fantasy 7cast is fairly extensive with a number of interesting connections from past projects. Erica Lindbeck and William Salyers previously worked together on the PS4 exclusiveMarvel’s Spider-Man, Erica also worked alongside William Christopher Stephens onMortal Kombat 11, and Max Mittelman and Arnie Pantoja worked together onthe animeOne Punch Man. Here’s the complete cast list and what they’re from:
The extended cast forFinal Fantasy 7 Remakefeatures One Punch Man’s Max Mittelman as Red XIII,Mortal Kombat 11’s William Christopher Stephens as Rude, andMortal Kombat X’s Vic Chao as Tseng. Additional voices also include Arnie Pantoja as Reno, James Horan as President Shinra, John DiMaggio as Heidegger, Erin Cottrell as Scarlet, William Salyers as Palmer, John Root as Peeve, James Sie as Professor Hojo, Brielle Milla as Marlene Wallace, Austin Lee Matthews as Roche, and Fred Tatasciore as Don Corneo.
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Despite knowing thatFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewould feature multiple parts for a few years now, Square Enix is yet to make an official announcement regarding how many games there’ll be. The originalFinal Fantasy 7was spread across three discs due to the size of the game, leading many tospeculate that the remake would be turned into a trilogy. However, FF7 Remake only covers the opening section of Midgar, estimated to be around 15% of the total game and made a number of significant story changes that could lead to an entirely new narrative.
Rather than remakingFinal Fantasy 7beat for beat, Square Enix stuck to one section of the original game and chose to focus on its characters, fleshing out their personalities, backstory, and relationships. Throwaway lines from the original game became full-blown side-quests and minor side characters like Wedge or Biggs became supporting characters to the main cast. Square Enix’s decision to cast a brand new actor to help redefine characters like Cloud or Wedge for a new generation was a wise move that paid offhandsomely in the reviewsand has many very excited for what’s to come in the future.
Final Fantasy 7Remakeis out now, exclusively on PlayStation 4.
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