While sifting through the good ol' goodreads boards in the past few days I came across a thought provoking post. "Do you think your book would make a good movie?" My answer is an emphatic yes! To be perfectly honest, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of authors would jump headlong at the proposition of turning their book into a feature film.
Heaps of money, notoriety and opportunity come with working in the film industry. The author of "50 shades of Grey" just got 5 million dollars for the film rights to her book. Say what you want about the questionable quality of the book itself, that's a fat stack of bills. What sane person wouldn't want to have that kind of commercial success?
Our modern world is obsessed with movies, and I personally am no exception to that rule. To say that I've watched a lot of films in my life would be a bit of an understatement. I can't even estimate at the number, but I can assure you it's quite high. Some of those movies were amazing, while others left me wanting the last 90 minutes of my life back. One factor that heavily influences which camp they land in is the quality of the cast involved.
With this in mind, I've decided to make a list of who I would want to play the primary and secondary characters in the movie version of my debut novel, "The Purging." I'll start with the men, then move on to the story's lovely ladies.

Colonel Jean Charles Otibe: As far as I'm concerned, there is only one man who could do this character justice. That man is none other than Djimon Hounsou. He has the perfect look in every way. Tall enough, built enough and he's just the right age to play the role of my book's werewolf super soldier. Not to mention the fact that the character's mannerisms are right in his wheelhouse. He's played a stoic yet savage warrior before(Gladiator), and he did it flawlessly.
Benjamin Gustavo Guitierrez: I've got to go with John Leguizamo on this one. If you need a man to play a smart mouthed hispanic gangster, why not pick a man who's done it 10 times before? Some may get their hackles up at the fact that this is pretty much type casting. Maybe true, but when a man does a type of character as well as Leguizamo does this one, step aside and let him rock it.
Mohammed iben Rasheed: Chris Bridges. Though his being a gangster rapper is a stark contrast to a character that is a devout Muslim, Bridges is a surprisingly good actor with impressive diction. His gift for wordplay would be an invaluable asset in performing the many passionate speeches Mo is prone to.
Kagan: The actor would need to be quite large and capable of coming across as extremely menacing. With that in mind, Tyler Kane would be an excellent choice. His portrayal of Sabertooth in the Xmen films was quite primal and intimidating. I'm not sure how he'd do in a leading role, as he hasn't had many lines in the majority of films he's done. But hey, this is just spit balling anyway. So let's just assume he's an emotional tour de force, shall we?
Dr. Theodore Haniawa: This character is complicated to cast. He's emaciated, not attractive and has no proper emotional locus. Most of what he says is supposed to come across as rude and incredibly awkward. After some thought, I've chosen DJ Qualls. He's a skinny, goofy looking guy who has played a number of diverse weirdos over the years. I think he'd make an almost ideal choice for my amoral crackpot scientist.
Ahmu: Who to play the king of crazy sauce? Bearing in mind two important details; he's got a demonic voice, and he would be all cg in the movie, why not Andy Serkis? He brought one of literature's legendary psychos to life vividly in the LotR movies. I'm sure he'd do the mongrel father justice.
Esteban Medina: I believe that Efren Ramirez would be a good fit. To date, I've never seen Efren play a villain, but I'm just so sure he'd be great at it. Playing a brain melting Colombian drug lord would be a wicked place for him to cut his teeth.
Ra: The slave turned god is an ancient and dangerous foe. Not only that, but he's keen on over the top oration. To service those traits, Naveen Andrews of Lost would do an admirable job I'm sure.
Va'in: Natsuko's father is hinted at in the book, but never appears. That being said, in a movie version he'd undoubtedly make a cameo appearance at one of the intervals where he's being talked about. If it were my choice, Jet Li would be my eastern vampire patriarch.
Torrig Balder: You'd need someone who could effectively play an absolutely unforgivable douche. Why not someone who's an unforgivable douche in real life? Russell Crowe, I'm looking in your direction.
Archibald Angelista: He's cold. He's calculated. He's an old, reclusive, British billionaire. Two words: Malcolm Mcdowell. Nuff' said!
Juanito Guitierrez: Kevin Alejandro would be a fair choice as Ben's cousin/partner in crime. He's got the right look and he's a talented actor.
Natsuko Masamura: You'd need a young looking Japanese actress who can handle herself in the high intensity combat sequences Natsuko consistently finds herself in. Based on that criteria, Devon Aoki springs to mind instantly. She's got the beauty and the martial arts chops to really own that role.
Mitsuru Masamura: This one is a toughie. The issue is, the character is not supposed to be attractive, quite the opposite in fact. No matter which professional actress you picked, you'd have to dress her down considerably. Though considering that the character is arrogant and melodramatic I'll go with Sandra Oh. Her years on Grey's Anatomy would make her a seasoned veteran at those two things.
Yvette Stolnyc: Hollywood is absolutely overflowing with tall beautiful, blondes. So who to play the book's resident drug addled sex pot? I think I'll go with the hottest and most talented of the bunch; Miss Scarlet Johansson.
Bashina Gautama: I've had this one settled since before I even wrote the book. It would have to be Aarti Mann. Beautiful, demure, classy and talented in equal measure, you couldn't go wrong with her as the jewelry draped animi empress.
Jakoba Stein: One of my favorite actresses of all time fits the bill for Jackie. Natasha Lyonne has been exceeding my expectations in her films and tv roles for years now. On top of all that talent, she is undeniably semitic, both in appearance and voice.
Illyana Verikova: Though she's not much more than a bit part in book one, she gets much more important as the series progresses. As long as I'm planning for a movie, I might as well plan for several. Easy choice for this character, Felicia Day for certain.
Dahaka: Again, only mentioned in the original book, but very important in the long run. The final member of the elder vampire trinity would be well represented by the often underrated Lizzy Caplan. Pale skin, dark hair, sharp features and a quiet intensity make her a great choice.

Well, that's it for my long winded actor wish list. Realistically, I'm more likely to get hit by lightning twice in the same hour than have my book made into a film. Even if I did, the price tag on even half of the actors mentioned here would make the film financially untenable. Oh well, a man can dream now and again can't he? Can't he?

Whimmy, wham, wham, whozzle intenet peeps!


Reed