Kameron Hurley's "Bel Dame Apocrypha"

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Kameron Hurley currently hacks out a living as a marketing and advertising writer in Ohio. Her personal and professional exploits have taken her all around the world. She spent much of her roaring 20′s traveling, pretending to learn how to box, and trying not to die spectacularly. Along the way, she justified her nomadic lifestyle by picking up degrees in history from the University of Alaska and the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Here she shares some ideas for casting adaptations of the first two volumes of the Bel Dame Apocrypha:

Oh, the God’s War and Infidel movies… the bloodiest, most bad-ass piece of awesome you have ever seen, combining the ragtag mercenary team dynamics of Firefly with the lovely brutality of The 300, all marinated in some of the most terrifying female combat scenes… well, ever.

I can just picture it now…

Primary Recurring Characters:

Nyx. Most folks are likely thinking Michelle Rodriguez for this part, and I won’t lie that the Michelle from Girlfight with a really glorious tan could be an epic Nyx. She is, however, a tad short, and I’m not sure she’d have the physical stopping power Nyx needs. I have yet to find another mainstream actress I think could pull off this role, though.

Rhys. He may not have the acting chops for it yet, but Isaiah Mustafa is still my first pick as the beautiful, devout magician Nyx signs for her team. I do know he’s a little too tall to actually go toe-to-toe with Nyx (especially if Rodriguez was cast), so Taye Diggs or Donald Glover might have to work.

Infidel Supporting Cast:

Suha. Who doesn’t want to give Gina Torres another awesome SF role, this time as a former drug addict and war vet with a stomach for torture? But let’s not discount the epic Angela Basset from Strange Days, either. The last ten years have given her a very nice edge that would work great for Suha.

Eshe. At just 14, Eshe is difficult to cast. It’d need to be somebody young, intense, and not anything special to look at. That’s a tough kid to find in Hollywood these days.

Inaya. There are a few different ways Inaya could go. A too-pretty, half-breed, closeted shapeshifter struggling with her responsibilities as a mother and as a rebel operative? Could easily go to another Firefly alum, Morena Baccarin or Zuleikha Robinson, who could totally hold her own with Nyx.

Khos. I’m in for Vin Diesel playing Khos. Mainly because it would encourage him to actually get this film made between iterations of The Fast & The Furious and the latest installation of Riddick. Also, bazillions of women everywhere seem to think Khos is Really Hot and should get more screen time. Barring that, I could see Jason Momoa don blond dreadlocks and make angry faces at Nyx.

God’s War Supporting Cast:

Taite. I was pleased folks seemed to like Taite, the crackerjack communications hacker, even if he didn’t get a lot of screen time. Easy pick for this one is Dani Pudi.

Anneke. The most strangely motivated of the bunch, I’ve seen a couple stellar contenders. Small, dark, intense, and a little bit mad, Anneke could probably be played by somebody like Tannishtha Chatterjee.

Learn more about the books and author at Kameron Hurley's website.

--Marshal Zeringue