D. J. McIntosh’s "The Witch of Babylon"

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D. J. McIntosh’s The Witch of Babylon has been sold in nineteen countries, was short-listed for the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award, and won a Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished novel.

Here she shares some suggestions for director and cast of an adaptation of The Witch of Babylon:

The Witch of Babylon is an antiquity thriller which pretty well signals feature film territory. I love movies and think cinematically as I write. But it’s actually music, a soundtrack, that would most influence the kind of movie The Witch might become and therefore I’d start with the person who would be my dream director – Michael Mann. No one better understands how to make music – contemporary blues/rock/pop - deepen a script and bring out the fear and passion characters feel. His original show, Miami Vice, remains, I think, one of the best TV series ever.

I don’t visualize movie stars when writing a character but it sure is fun to imagine! For my leading man, John Madison, Christian Bale, if you added his softer side, would be perfect. He has dark good looks but with an edge and definitely doesn’t evoke the upright hero figure, so would suit Madison’s penchant for crossing the legal line very well.

Michelle Yeoh would be a great choice for Diane Chen, John’s friend and an aspiring actor, who tells his fortune at the beginning of the novel and ends up fulfilling her own prophecy.

Kristen Stewart, as the former wife of Madison’s best friend, would be an interesting choice for the woman who intrigues him. She has a sultry innocence that suggests secrets held close to her heart and an unpredictable nature.

In the novel, Ari Zakar is a world weary journalist who’s seen too much and yet manages to make people feel as though the sun is shining on a cloudy day whenever he smiles, as he does often. Irish actor Brendan Gleeson who did a magnificent job playing a vulnerable hitman in the movie In Bruges would be perfect for this role.

Learn more about the book and author at D.J. McIntosh's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: The Witch of Babylon.

Writers Read: D.J. McIntosh.

--Marshal Zeringue