Aric Davis's "The Fort"

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Born in Ithaca, New York, Aric Davis has lived most his life in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of A Good and Useful Hurt and the acclaimed YA novel Nickel Plated, called by Gillian Flynn a “dark but humane, chilling and sometimes heart-breaking work of noir” and given a “Top 10” Booklist designation in 2011. A punk-music and tattoo aficionado, Davis has been a professional body piercer for sixteen years.

Here Davis dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, The Fort:

I have to admit, though I frequently have fantasies of one of my novels being made into a movie, rarely do I go through with actually casting my imaginary production. That said, making this list might just have turned this task into a new hobby. My new novel, The Fort, with its youthful heroes and absolutely deplorable antagonist, seems to me like it would work as a feature film. As fun as writing about this stuff is, imagining actors fleshing out these roles is a freaking riot. Now then, onto the casting call.

Matt Hooper: Who best to play the damaged and insane Vietnam Veteran? As The Fort is set firmly in the year 1987, someone younger than you might immediately think is in order. To me, Michael Fassbender seems a good fit. I think he could do crazy well, and his growing resume in films like Prometheus and Inglourious Basterds more than speaks for itself.

Detective Dick Van Endel: This is a toughie, mostly because I normally picture the grizzled, older version of Van Endel that has graced some of my books set in a more modern setting. Casting The Fort, I need someone who looks like they could grow up to be grizzled, but also has the sort of wet-behind-the-ears jerkiness that helps to define this younger detective. I think Ben Affleck would be a perfect fit for this role, and as he would also be one of my first picks when it comes to choosing directors, he seems to be an ideal choice.

Scott, Tim, and Luke: These are the make it or break it characters, the lynchpin that holds the whole thing together. After all, we’re talking about casting 3 twelve year old boys here, and as anyone who has seen both The Phantom Menace and The Sixth Sense can tell you, casting the wrong kid can define the way an audience reacts to the film. For these three twelve year olds my pick would be to avoid the waiting stable of manufactured Disney Channel fluff, and go with three unknown would be actors.

Andrea Martinez: Dick Van Endel’s butt kicking partner for the mission, judo loving child psyche Andrea Martinez needs to be cast in a way that makes her more than just a shell of a person. Andrea carries weight in The Fort, and I want her to on film as well. I think her shoes would be well filled by Gina Carano.

Molly Peterson: Molly, the unfortunate kidnapping victim of Matt Hooper needs to be strong in a performance that will likely see her suffering for art. I think Demi Lovato might be a good fit for Molly. The X-Factor judge has yet to break out as an adult actress, and I think this could be the role that would do it.

The rest of the casting would have a lot to do with finding people that matched the appearances of the three boys cast as the 12 year old antagonists, but otherwise, I think we have a good group. I’ll probably find some role for me as well, man in bar, homeless person, or guy getting arrested. It’s good to have options!

Learn more about the book and author at the official Aric Davis website.

The Page 69 Test: The Fort.

--Marshal Zeringue