So basically, the whole series and everything that harry has gone up against so far, has been to try to get Harry to leave the White Council, and join "someone".  I would say that sounds like overkill just to get Harry.  I also think that it was overkill to set up the outrageously powerful Bloodline spell just to take out EB, but that's me.

If that was the ONLY goal, I would agree.  It is possible to work toward a larger objective (what - ?) while having a secondary or ancillary effect of having Dresden unaffiliated as opposed to just dead.  Most of Harry's major conflicts are set up around him making a choice to violate a law of magic, do something "wrong", or suffer horribly and prevail against long odds (not the percentage play).  Cowl certainly could have killed Harry, if at no other time than when Bob got taken during DB.  The denarians have actively tried to recruit him as a strategy (as opposed to kill him outright, regardless of the possible outcomes of tactical encounters).  The climax of SF (IMO) was not the big fight at the end, it was Harry's decision to fight rather than obliterate the house just before the fight.  Everything in SF and FM point to an outside agency tryuing to manipulate events.

I am not saying it is only one group or individual.  I am not saying their primary goal is Harry's recruitment (actually I find that unlikely).  I am saying that a lot of the messes Harry has found himself lead me to believe they are not messes in and of themselves but parts of larger designs that we have not learned of yet, and that if any number of folks wanted Harry dead instead of turned, he would be dead right now.  Instead it looks as though one (not the only, but one) of the goals of the string pullers is bringing Harry over to their side.

As far as Eb goes, I agree with you.  That is why I think someone was manipulating Arianna to go that route, because it would surely get Harry involved.  The manipulator either didn't know that Harry had Winter Knight in his pocket, didn't expect it to be his choice, or it is Mab behind it and it was an elaborate plot with one intended consequence of putting Harry in extremis so he would take up the mantle.  Either way, it appears as though one goal was to get at Eb, but another goal (hence the bloodline curse and all that) was to put Harry into a position where he HAD to make a choice.  Of course, there are lots of free radicals on the battlefield not affiliated (the Eebs, frex) to the alrger design which makes life that much more difficult for Harry.

Seems like everyone wants to skew young; Harry is pushing 40 in Changes and we've got 10 more+ years coming.  That being said, here are some of the faces I see in my head.

Harry: Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie
Murphy: Elizabeth Banks has always worked here for me
Thomas: Michael Fassbender, who I wuldn't have thought of without reading this thread. (Sorry Priscillie, I think Bomer is too young)
Susan: Eva Mendes
Michael: Jeff Bridges (I love the idea of The Dude being the Fist of God, and he could do it.  Give him an excuse to lose the belly)
Molly: Blake Lively
Sanya: Djimon Honsou
Morgan: Alan Rickman (He can play disdain like nobody else)
Eb: Robert Duvall (it can be no other, Eb IS Gus McCrae from Lonesome Dove)
Merlin: Donald Sutherland
Nicodemus: Gary Oldman (typecast as a villian, and so what?)
Kincaid: Russell Crowe (when he's fit)
Marcone: Adrian Pasdar (from Heroes)
Ms. Demeter: Tilda Swinton (emotionally vacant, hollow-eyed weirdo)
Ms. Gard: Charlize Theron (actually, insert any tall, blonde, not too skinny competent actress here)
Hendricks: Michael Clarke Duncan (I know in the books he's white, but so what?)
Mab: Heidi Klum (anybody watch Project Runway?  I totally think she could do this)
Lea: Julie Benz
Maeve: Eliza Dushku
Lara: Kate Beckinsale (so she has already done hot brunette vampire - don't fix it if it ain't broke)
Lara's sisters: Megan Fox, Jessica Alba, Natalie Portman
Mac: Bruce Willis (c'mon, you know that works)
Butters: David Krumholtz (the guy from Numb3rs)
Vincent: Eric Szmanda (CSI Las Vegas - I've always liked this guy and it works for me, alternatively he could be Fix)
Luccio: (new body): Milla Jovovich
Lash/Lasciel: Ali Larter

and...
Toot: Justin Timberlake (with CGI shrinking - I think perfect!!)