Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
WWDC: Everything We ExpectRemote Working in ParadiseBest Mineral SunscreensBest Solar CompaniesCNET CouponsMeal Subscription vs. TakeoutBest Satellite Internet ProvidersCurrent Mortgage Rates
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

We're feeling lucky: CNET casts the Google movie

For some reason, Hollywood has decided to make a movie about the founding of Google. We present our casting choices.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
See full bio
Tom Krazit
2 min read

Google, the movie?

We couldn't believe it either, but in yet another example of Hollywood rushing to jump on a meme, Deadline brings word that a movie is in the works based on the book "="" by="" ken="" auletta"="">"Googled" by Ken Auletta that will chronicle the rise of Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. No timetable was provided for the film, which will be "about these two young guys who created a company that changed the world, and how the world in turn changed them," said Michael London of Groundswell Productions, in an interview with Deadline.

Zach Braff CC/Flickr user david_shankbone

"The heart of the movie is their wonderful edict, don't be evil. ... The intention is to be sympathetic to Sergey and Larry, and hopefully the film will be as interesting as the company they created," London was quoted as saying. It's hard to believe a heart-warming tale of pluck and smarts is going to be as interesting as the cold story of sex and corporate intrigue promised by "The Social Network," the Facebook origin story.

But hey, worse movies are made every day. So who should play Brin, Page, Eric Schmidt, and Marissa Mayer in the movie? Because it is a slow Friday in August, we hereby present to you CNET's choices for the cast of "Googled":

SERGEY BRIN: Zach Braff. The right personality, but can he rollerblade or pull off Vibram shoes?

LARRY PAGE: Zachary Quinto. Not only would this choice result in the first movie ever (maybe) to star two Zachs, it's highly logical.

ERIC SCHMIDT: Philip Seymour Hoffman. Composed, articulate, and just a little edgy.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Wikimedia Commons/Rita Molnar

MARISSA MAYER: January Jones. The blond bombshell from "Mad Men" is an easy choice for the high-fashion-oriented Mayer. Pulling off Mayer's laugh will be tricky, however.

STEVE BALLMER: Kurt Fuller. Every movie needs a villain, and any story sympathetic to Google is likely to portray Ballmer as the bad guy. RIP Peter Boyle, our first choice for this role.

JERRY YANG: John Cho. The "it" guy in the Valley before Brin and Page came along, Cho could bring some comic relief as the hapless-but-lovable foil to the Google Twins.

Feel free to tell us how terrible these ideas are in the comments, so long as you've got a better suggestion.