Charlie Lovett's "The Bookman's Tale"

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Charlie Lovett is a writer, teacher, and playwright, whose plays for children have been seen in more than 3,000 productions. He is a former antiquarian bookseller and an avid book collector. He and his wife split their time between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Kingham, Oxfordshire, in England.

Here Lovett dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession:

I have to say right up front, that my wife, Janice, is the one who should cast the movie of The Bookman’s Tale. She has directed nearly twenty of my plays for children and is constantly being complimented on her casting abilities. Add to that the fact that she knows every Hollywood face and resumé ... well, I had to ask her about casting my book, and the rest of this blog is really from her.

Casting The Bookman’s Tale is all about casting Peter Byerly. He is young, introverted, and sensitive, but he is also intelligent and has a sophistication that belies his youth. Even though Peter is an American, there are a few British actors who might be perfect for the part—James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Andrew Garfield, and Daniel Radcliffe all have their appeal as possible Peter Byerlys. The casting of the female romantic lead, Amanda, would, of course, depend on who was cast in the role of Peter. Amanda is dark-haired and beautiful, but she is also very upright, organized, and a bit separate from the world she inhabits. The actress who plays her needs to be able to embody that separateness without coming across as snooty or aloof. Janice and I spent a fun hour poring over red carpet pictures online and especially like Alexis Bledel and Anna Kendrick as possibilities.

The Bookman’s Tale is told in three time frames and the historic time line (which runs from 1592 to 1879) has lots of great opportunities for stars to make cameos as real people. I love the idea of Alan Rickman or Hugh Laurie as William Shakespeare and please may I see Benedict Cumberbatch as Christopher Marlowe!

Learn more about the book and author at Charlie Lovett's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Bookman's Tale.

Writers Read: Charlie Lovett.

--Marshal Zeringue