One, two, three, four!
Scott Pilgrim fans, rejoice! After 13 long years, new Pilgrim content awaits us in only a matter of days.
It’s been a long time coming, as well, with the news of Netflix’s upcoming anime, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, first being announced back in January 2022.
Well now, fans of Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s acclaimed graphic novel series and Edgar Wright‘s cult movie will be elated that the franchise is getting a brand new iteration in the world of anime and even better – the entire cast are reprising their roles (this time as voice actors).
Director Edgar Wright revealed that he floated the idea of the cast’s return in a simple email with the subject line “Scott Pilgrim… to be continued?” to the 2010 cast. “Hearing the actors play their parts again was emotional, heartwarming, and hilarious,” Wright told Netflix.
“We’re giving them an opportunity to revisit something that meant a lot to them, but they also are bringing their years of experience, their perspective on these characters, and it leads to awesome stuff.”
Of course, that means that Michael Cera will be reprising his lead role as Scott while the rest of the cast includes the likes of both Captains Marvel and America themselves, Brie Larson and Chris Evans. Fans were recently treated to their first glimpses of the cast in the the official trailer and opening credits, which were also released on YouTube.
It’s no secret that the cast of the 2010 film clearly enjoyed working on it, having taken part in previous 10th anniversary events for the film including a table read-through, but to have everyone back for this project shows just how beloved the film was not just by fans but by everyone involved.
Read on for all you need to know about the cast of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off cast and characters
The full cast for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is as follows:
- Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers
- Satya Bhabha as Matthew Patel
- Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells
- Chris Evans as Lucas Lee
- Anna Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim
- Brie Larson as Envy Adams
- Alison Pill as Kim Pine
- Aubrey Plaza as Julie Powers
- Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram
- Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves
- Johnny Simmons as Young Neil
- Mark Webber as Stephen Stills
- Mae Whitman as Roxie Richter
- Ellen Wong as Knives Chau
Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim
Who is Scott Pilgrim? Well, the titular character, of course. The 23-year-old bass player of up-and-coming band Sex Bob-Omb, he is our window into this world of interdimensional highways, vengeful exes and awesome guitar riffs.
Although he does bounce a little from girl-to-girl throughout his history (Envy to Knives to Ramona), there’s a sincere lovability to Scott throughout the graphic novels that many of the characters including Kim Pine, Ramona Flowers and even Stacey Pilgrim remark on.
Although Cera’s embodiment of Scott in the film does feel markedly different from the graphic novel, it’s hard to see anyone else playing Pilgrim these days.
Where have I seen Michael Cera before? Where haven’t you seen Michael Cera before? Maybe you know him from his earlier work in indie films like Superbad with Jonah Hill, Youth in Revolt and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, as well as Juno with Elliot Page and bigger blockbuster fare like This is the End or, most recently, his turn as one-of-a-kind doll Allen in Barbie.
He’s also popped up in a variety of television including Arrested Development, Children’s Hospital, Black Mirror and Twin Peaks: The Return.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Ramona Flowers
Who is Ramona Flowers? Ramona is the ultimate ‘It Girl’. A 24-year-old package deliverer whose hair changes from week-to-week, and who also holds claim to one of the most robust collections of tea in Toronto. Throughout both the graphic novel and 2010 film, Ramona is presented to us as this mysterious yet immensely cool person who we gradually get to know as Scott encounters each of her evil exes – even just having evil exes should tell you a lot about her complicated past.
When developing the character for Wright’s adaptation, Winstead claimed that she received a list of 10 secret facts revolving around Flowers’s past. However, due to the secretive nature of the list itself, to this day it’s still unknown what all of the facts are.
While she did reveal one secret – that Ramona had a younger brother who died, and the shoelaces she wears on her neck in the graphic novel are a remembrance – series creator O’Malley has since denied this being canon to the story. Basically, if it’s not in the books, it’s not canon.
Where have I seen Mary Elizabeth Winstead before? While many were likely introduced to Winstead through her depiction of the live-action Ramona Flowers, you may also know her from another superhero-focused movie, Sky High. If you’re a horror fan, you’ll definitely remember her from Final Destination 3, or perhaps even her role in TV horror series Wolf Lake. Since Scott Pilgrim vs the World, she’s gone on to star in big-budget fare like 10 Cloverfield Lane, Fargo and Birds of Prey, and most recently plays Hera Syndulla in Disney Plus‘s Ahsoka.
Satya Bhabha plays Matthew Patel
Who is Matthew Patel? The first of Ramona’s evil exes that Scott has to face off with, who also introduces him to the concept of the League of Ramona’s Evil Exes – however, he has to do this in person, as Scott repeatedly ignores his emails.
Despite only dating for a week-and-a-half, Ramona left such an impression on Matthew that he’s willing to fight pretty much everyone that she dated since. This is a little ironic as Ramona broke up with Matthew due to seeing him as a little childish – I’d say interrupting a hard-earned gig at the Battle of the Bands to win over your now-adult ex-girlfriend from her new boyfriend shows he hasn’t grown up that much.
Despite only being in Wright’s 2010 adaptation for three or four minutes, Bhabha leaves a lasting impression – as he’s the only character in the entire film to get his own musical segment, inspired by Bollywood soundtracks. Watching Cera dodge fireballs as Bhabha spits literal bars of fire against a backdrop of demon cheerleaders pretty much sets up the zany, video game-like fights that are to come throughout the film very well.
Where have I seen Satya Bhabha before? Most people likely know him from New Girl, if not Scott Pilgrim vs the World, where he plays Shivrang, CeCe’s husband-to-be until Schmidt crashes their wedding and proclaims his love. Since then, he’s also starred in Sense8 as Habib and coming-of-age film Dude alongside Lucy Hale.
Kieran Culkin plays Wallace Wells
Who is Wallace Wells? Wallace is none other than Scott’s gay roommate, who Scott essentially freeloads off of throughout the series. The pair share a double bed instead of two separates, as they’re both too poor to afford their own (very relatable). What’s clear in both the graphic novels and the film is that Wallace has an impossibly strong charisma that enables him to get involved with whoever he wants – including Stacey Pilgrim’s past and present boyfriends, much to her chagrin.
Although the origin of Wallace and Scott’s friendship is never fully explored, we do get a hint into how they met in Book 2 of the graphic novel series, as Wallace tells Kim that it’s a “really gay story”. The character of Wallace has actually been confirmed to have been based on O’Malley’s own former roommate, Chris Butcher, and serves as a loving homage to the time they spent together.
Where have I seen Kieran Culkin before? Most people now recognise Kieran as the jester of the Roys, Roman Roy from Succession. Long before that, he starred as Matthew Banks in both Father of the Bride 1 and 2, alongside appearances in Movie 43 and one of Steven Soderbergh’s latest features, No Sudden Move.
Chris Evans plays Lucas Lee
Who is Lucas Lee? Lucas is Ramona’s second evil ex, and surprisingly shares a number of traits with real-life actor Chris Evans. Both are big, buff actors who star in beloved blockbuster action movies, although Evans is known to be a lot nicer than Lucas Lee. Lee is yet another high-school boyfriend that Ramona quickly runs Scott through – she was infatuated by him briefly due to his skateboarder persona, but soon lost interest as she cheated him on for Todd Ingram (but more on that later).
Because Lucas and Scott’s fight in the graphic novel is relatively short, in the movie, Wright pumped up the stakes a considerable amount by giving Lee nine stunt doubles, essentially appearing as though he could clone himself. Scott is actually unable to best Lucas in hand-to-hand combat, but skillfully assessing his inflated ego, challenges Lee to an all-but-certain fatal grind down an icy rail, to which he accepts – and explodes into coins.
Where have I seen Chris Evans before? Well, before the MCU, you might know him from cult comedy Not Another Teen Movie, Fantastic Four or Danny Boyle thriller Sunshine. But after the MCU? The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War… the list goes on, honestly. Evans has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most charming A-listers, still finding time to star in a range of projects including Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out and even a few TV projects – like Defending Jacob on Apple TV+.
Anna Kendrick plays Stacey Pilgrim
Who is Stacey Pilgrim? Stacey is the younger sister of Scott, and, of course, knows everything about him and his life – often moments after he’s discovered things himself. Despite the age difference between the pair, Stacey repeatedly calls Scott ‘little brother’, usually due to the fact that Stacey is the more responsible and mature of the pair even with her younger age.
She has a tenuous friendship with Wallace, from whom she gets much of her information. However, that relationship is often strained when Wallace steals away her latest beau-to-be.
The character of Stacey is also based on another real-life counterpart from O’Malley’s life, his own sister – also called Stacey. However, this character was perhaps a little too on-the-nose for the creator, as he’s expressed in recent years that Stacey Pilgrim would be the one character he’d remove from the series if possible, as he believes it to be too close to his actual sister – at the very least, he wishes he could change her name.
Where have I seen Anna Kendrick before? Just before Scott Pilgrim vs the World, she netted a role in the Twilight saga as Jessica Stanley, and soon after would lead the properly successful Pitch Perfect franchise alongside Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow. Most recently, she has turned to directing, as her feature debut Woman of the Hour recently world premiered to critical acclaim at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
Brie Larson plays Envy Adams
Who is Envy Adams? There is a lot of debate over who the coolest person in Scott Pilgrim is, and it usually boils down to Envy Adams versus Ramona Flowers. Envy, better known as Natalie Adams, is one of Scott’s few exes that we get a glimpse into – the pair dated during their time at the University of Toronto, where they played in a band alongside Stephen Stills.
However, Natalie slowly began to change into ‘Envy Adams’, bringing the band in a new direction which Stephen and Scott weren’t on board with, until they were eventually pushed out by her – and Kid Chameleon became The Clash at Demonhead.
In a film filled with big stars, Brie Larson undeniably is one of Edgar Wright’s greatest performances – her rendition of Metric’s Black Sheep is endlessly iconic and is still fondly remembered today.
In the film, Scott’s eventual victory over Todd Ingram is cited as a kind of evening out of the break-up they had long ago – however, in the graphic novels, the reason for their bad blood is a little more ambiguous. For most of the series, it’s suggested that it is due to Envy cheating on Scott, but a scene in the final book hints that a drunken argument at a party from Scott is what led to their ultimate demise.
Where have I seen Brie Larson before? After Scott Pilgrim, Brie went on to star in 21 Jump Street, Don Jon opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Short Term 12 with Rami Malek and indie darling drama The Spectacular Now, and achieved her first Oscar for her leading role in Room, which catapulted her to international fame and acclaim. More recently, she’s known as Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and her latest appearance in The Marvels is slated to debut in November 2023.
Alison Pill plays Kim Pine
Who is Kim Pine? Kim Pine is the incredibly talented drummer of Sex Bob-omb, and, of course, is best known as the “WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB!” line-screamer at the start of Edgar Wright’s live-action adaptation.
Kim and Scott have a history, with Kim being Scott’s first-ever girlfriend all the way back in high school – Kim still feels wounded by the way Scott left things with her, and this is especially emphasised throughout the live-action flick through Alison Pill’s brilliant deadpan performance both toward Scott and his relations.
According to O’Malley, Kim is actually technically the first-ever Scott Pilgrim character he ever conceived – Scott Pilgrim just didn’t exist at the time. In the 1990s, she was conceptualised to be part of a mutant super-team, but the character just didn’t feel quite right for that world – O’Malley kept bouncing her around from one story to another until she finally found her place in the world of Scott Pilgrim.
There is actually an animated prequel short on the Scott Pilgrim vs the World home entertainment release which explores the origin of Scott and Kim’s relationship, with Scott yet again saving a girl from another vengeful, weirdly obsessive boy in the form of Simon Lee. Scott actually kicks Simon so hard that he’s able to see the curvature of the Earth as he flies away from the pair.
Where have I seen Alison Pill before? While Pill had a successful life as a child actor, she only really broke through to mainstream recognition toward adulthood with a supporting role opposite Lindsay Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Since then, she’s starred in feature films like Snowpiercer, Hail, Caesar! and Vice. In the world of TV, you may recognise her from Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, American Horror Story: Cult, Devs or even Star Trek: Picard as Dr Agnes Jurati.
Aubrey Plaza plays Julie Powers
Who is Julie Powers? Julie Powers is quite an interesting character to the world of Scott Pilgrim – what she does and how she connects people is how the plot keeps moving forward, but in actuality, Julie doesn’t do all that much. The on-again, off-again girlfriend of Sex Bob-Omb member Stephen Stills, her multiple hosted parties enabled Scott and the gang to interact and meet many of the different characters throughout the graphic novels – Julie doesn’t care much for anyone throughout the series, aside from another of Scott’s exes, Envy Adams. Because Envy is eternally cool, of course.
Aubrey Plaza plays Powers in the movie, and honestly, the character is more or less a 1:1 page-to-screen adaptation, from the look down to the personality. Looking back, there couldn’t have been anyone else more perfect to play Julie Powers other than Plaza, so hats off to Wright and O’Malley.
Where have I seen Aubrey Plaza before? Originally, Plaza was best known for the hilariously deadpan role of April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, and gradually rose up through American indie films like Safety Not Guaranteed, The To Do List, Life After Beth and Ingrid Goes West opposite Elizabeth Olsen. However, her magnetic role as the Shadow King in Legion rocketed her to a new plane of stardom, with her recent roles including Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre alongside dramatic turns in Emily the Criminal, Spin Me Round and Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming epic Megalopolis.
Brandon Routh plays Todd Ingram
Who is Todd Ingram? Todd is the rockstar blonde-haired third evil ex that Scott has to contend with – who just also happens to be dating his own ex-girlfriend, Envy Adams. What really rubs the salt in the wound is that, in many ways, Todd is the cooler mirror image of Scott, from his bass playing abilities to his current relationship with Envy.
Ramona explains that the pair dated for a while, during which time Todd mysteriously disappeared and re-appeared, proclaiming himself to be a vegan and also gaining strange telekinetic powers. To prove his love for Ramona, he punched a hole into the moon, which the live-action adaptation actually includes as a little Easter egg.
O’Malley has mentioned that Todd was his favourite evil ex to write and draw, and that he is meant to resemble Scott in some ways due to the parallels between their fashion, choice of instrument and even their names. If you’d like to know what kind of bass guitar Todd plays, it’s a red Fender Mustang with a white racing stripe (the more you know).
Where do I know Brandon Routh from? Routh portrayed Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns, and has since reprised the role in The CW’s now-defunct Arrowverse during their Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Routh was actually doubling up as he also played Ray Palmer/The Atom on Arrow, The Flash and even Legends of Tomorrow as a starring role. Outside of all things DC, Routh has appeared in Chuck, Partners and Chosen.
Jason Schwartzman plays Gideon Graves
Who is Gideon Graves? All the other evil exes are comparatively small fry compared to the big bad that is Gideon Graves. The leader and original founder of the League of Ramona’s Evil Ex-Boyfriends, he is a successful music mogul under the name of ‘G-Man’, and contains one of the strongest powers in the entire series known as ‘The Glow’. This enables him to manipulate people’s emotions – including both Scott and Ramona’s, which he does so multiple times throughout Volumes 6 and 7.
Gideon is left unknown for most of the graphic novel series, first technically appearing in a blurry photo in Volume 3, alongside a shadow-y actual appearance in Volume 4, but it’s not until Volume 6 that he makes his first full-on appearance.
He’s essentially the ultimate gaslighter through his additional powers of memory manipulation and observation. He and Ramona met at a party in New York, where he continually used her as an experiment for his new-found powers – but when Ramona finally had enough and left, he went on a drunken rant on Craigslist, attracting the attention of Ramona’s other exes, and thus the League was born.
Where do I know Jason Schwartzman from? Jason is one of Wes Anderson‘s longtime muses, having starred in Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch and the recent Asteroid City. Outside of Anderson Land, he’s also been in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as the villainous Spot, the fourth season of Fargo, and Netflix satire Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.
Johnny Simmons plays Young Neil
Who is Young Neil? Young Neil, also known as Neil Nordegraf (bet you didn’t know he had a last name!), is Stephen Stills’s 20-year-old roommate who kind of hangs around with the Sex Bob-Omb crew and Scott – despite the fact they don’t really know him that well outside of Stephen. He actually ends up briefly dating Knives Chau during Volumes 3 and 4 when Scott pushes her away to date Ramona, and thus Neil becomes her revenge rebound.
What’s interesting is that in Edgar Wright’s adaptation, Neil’s character is changed somewhat. Although his personality is still that of the quiet, slightly himbo-esque young adult, he’s something more of an active fanboy for the band, hanging out at their rehearsals and cheering them on despite having little-to-no participation in the band itself – until his temporary replacement of Scott as bass player.
Funnily enough, Young Neil’s name is a spin on none other than Canadian singer Neil Young’s name – Neil Young was initially in a band called Buffalo Springfield when he was just starting out, and do you know what one of those band members was called? Stephen Stills. That’s right, it’s a full circle moment.
Where do I know Johnny Simmons from? Prior to Scott Pilgrim, Johnny appeared as Dylan Baxter in Evan Almighty, as well as Chip Dove in cult horror comedy Jennifer’s Body (the boyfriend that gets chewed on by Jennifer in the pool). Since Scott Pilgrim, Simmons has appeared in adaptations like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Stanford Prison Experiment and other comedies like 21 Jump Street and The To Do List – opposite Scott Pilgrim co-star Aubrey Plaza.
Mark Webber plays Stephen Stills
Who is Stephen Stills? Stephen is the lead singer, guitarist and self-proclaimed ‘talent’ of Sex Bob-Omb, and friend of Scott from their University of Toronto days. In fact, it was during university that Stephen was in a band with Scott and Envy Adams called Kid Chameleon. He’s undoubtedly one of the most emotionally mature and intelligent of the group, often driven to make decisions based on what’s best for the band, sometimes at the cost of Scott’s own personal beliefs or desires.
In the film adaptation, Mark Webber plays up Stephen’s anxieties and neuroses a lot more, worrying and fretting during crucial moments like just before they’re set to go on at the Battle of the Bands. In fact, Stephen even pees himself a little when Gideon offers Sex Bob-omb a full musical contract after their face-off against the Katayanagi Twins.
Where have I seen Mark Webber before? Honestly, it’s probably Scott Pilgrim vs the World. While Mark has been in a wide variety of film roles, Scott Pilgrim appears to be his most significant to date. However, he does have something of a directing career as well, with feature films including The End of Love, The Ever After and Flesh and Blood.
Mae Whitman plays Roxie Richter
Who is Roxie Richter? Roxie Richter is probably the most unique of Ramona’s exes, and not just because she’s Ramona’s only female ex. According to the original lore of the graphic novel series, Roxie was born on the moon and is also half-ninja, which explains her incredible speed, ability to teleport and the fact she can do literal magic. Her appearance is somewhat similar to that of a goth/emo type, with black markings under her eyes, a single fishnet fingerless glove and spiked wristband on her right hand.
Ramona’s history with Roxie is pretty brief and nondescript – for Ramona, Roxie was “just a phase” that she was going through, however for Roxie it was much more than that, leaving her hurt at the time. Yet, since then, Roxie went on to open an art gallery and rekindle a friendship with Ramona. Her weapon of choice, a sword with the ability to turn into a chain whip, is actually a reference to Ivy Valentine of the Soulcalibur series.
Where have I seen Mae Whitman before? Whitman and Cera had actually worked together extensively before on Arrested Development, where she played Ann Veal. She’s also the voice of Katara in the animated series of Avatar: The Last Airbender, voices various characters in Family Guy, and features in Young Justice, The Owl House, Invincible, Skull Island and as April O’Neil in the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In terms of live-action work, you can see Mae in the Netflix crime thriller Good Girls, alongside Parenthood as Amber Holt.
Ellen Wong plays Knives Chau
Who is Knives Chau? Knives Chau is the sweet, all-too-loving 17-year-old fling of Scott’s. In fact, she describes herself as a ‘Scottaholic’, which should tell you all you need to know about their relationship together. While initially introduced as a quiet, typical school girl, she understandably snaps after discovering Scott cheating on her with Ramona, sending her down a bitter, obsessive path.
Knives actually idolises Envy Adams, but is soon crestfallen after Envy instructs her drummer Lynette to kick Knives so hard that the highlights in her hair (as an attempt to mirror Ramona) literally fall out. Although she does attempt to get over Scott (or make him jealous, you decide) by dating Young Neil throughout Volumes 5 and 6, she ultimately decides to take on Ramona with her dual knives, with which she is remarkably skilled.
Where have I seen Ellen Wong before? Since starring in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Ellen has mostly gone into TV, starring as one of the main cast of The Carrie Diaries, Misaki Han-Shireikan in Dark Matter, Jenny Chey in Netflix’s GLOW and Condor, a series adaptation of James Grady’s novel Six Days of the Condor.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off arrives on Netflix on 17th November 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. The 2010 Scott Pilgrim vs the World film is available to stream on ITVX.
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