Steve Hockensmith's "Dreadfully Ever After"

Steve Hockensmith is the author of Dawn of the Dreadfuls, the best-selling prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. He also writes the “Holmes on the Range” mystery series. He lives in Alameda, Calif., with a grown-up person, two non-grown-up people and a semi-grown-up dog.

Here he explains the prospects for a big-screen adaptation of his latest novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, and his choices for the cast:

Does anyone ask a kernel of corn if it wants to be ground up for tortillas, canned as a Niblet or puffed and powdered and dumped in a Count Chocula box? No. Because everyone knows the kernel of corn has no say in the matter.

Oh, and corn can’t talk. There’s that, as well. If you’ve been asking yourself why your popcorn’s so stand-offish every time you try to start a conversation, now you know why.

I think most people get this about authors, too. Not that we can’t talk! Good god, can we talk. Ever hang out in the bar at a writer’s conference? What a bunch of Chatty Cathys and/or Carls. Finally, we’re in the company of people who find writer’s block, e-book pricing and ourselves as fascinating as we do -- and the booze is tax deductible! The result: schmoozapalooza.

But back to the point at hand. (Yes, there is one.) Most people understand that writers have no say in what becomes of their creations once Hollywood takes them upstairs to show them its etchings. So talking about the cast or director or best boy that you, The Author, would prefer...? It’s not just pie in the sky, it’s usually pie somewhere beyond the orbit of Pluto.

My sky-pie is just a wee tad closer to Earth than usual, however, for this reason: I’ve written the sequel to a novel that might (or might not) be turned into a film very, very soon (or 35 years from now). I’m waffling on the timeline because the adaptation in question hasn’t had a smooth road to the screen. The road, in fact, seems to be mined. Here’s the deal.

My new book is Dreadfully Ever After. It’s the sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which has been in development as a feature film since shortly after the invention of celluloid. I think the first director attached to the project was Buster Keaton. Eventually, Flirting with Disaster/Three Kings auteur David O. Russell was brought in to write and direct, and Natalie Portman was set to produce and star. But then Russell left, and Portman left, and a replacement for Russell (Year of the Dog writer/director Mike White) came and went so quickly it felt like a weird dream afterward. (“And then a pony was driving a fire engine, and a giant dog ate the tires, and my mom got mad at the dog and chased it with a newspaper, and Mike White was hired to direct Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and the dog sat on a...hey, wait. Didn’t that Mike White thing really happen?”)

As I write this, word on the street has it that Craig Gillespie (director of Lars and the Real Girl and the upcoming Fright Night remake) is taking over the project. Could be. Sometimes the word on the street is something one really should pay heed to. Like when it’s STOP, for instance. The rest of the time one should just treat it like NO DUMPING. DRAINS TO BAY. (You ignore that one, too, don’t you? Please tell me it’s not just me. I mean, what else am I supposed to do with all the toxic sludge that’s left over after I’ve brewed up a batch of homemade anti-freeze?)

Any day now (meaning any day between today and the moment our sun goes supernova), it’ll be announced who’s going to play Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and Disemboweled Ball Guest #4 and so on in the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie. And that’ll determine what actors I get when my novel’s brought to the screen three-ish years later. Assuming the first film’s a hit, of course. If it’s not, when/if my book gets filmed it’ll star refugees from WB dramas of the early ’00s and will premiere on Netflix Instant View.

So, to recap: My novel is actually closer to having a real, live cast than most books, even though “closer” means half a step forward on the high road to China. With that in mind (“that” being the utter futility of this whole thought experiment), I herewith offer my casting picks for Dreadfully Ever After: The Motion Picture.

Elizabeth Bennet: Betty White

Fitzwilliam Darcy: Samuel L. Jackson

Lady Catherine de Bourgh: Lady Gaga

Anne de Bourgh: Adam Lambert (Really. I think he’d nail it. And wouldn’t this whole thing be better as a musical anyway?)

The Dreadfuls: The Kardashians

Disemboweled Ball Guest #4: Me

Visit Steve Hockensmith's website.

Writers Read: Steve Hockensmith.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Russel D. McLean's "The Lost Sister"

Russel D McLean writes for Crime Spree Magazine, The Big Thrill, At Central Booking and Crime Scene Scotland. His short fiction has been published in crime magazines in both the US and the UK.

His debut novel The Good Son was released in the UK in 2008 and the US a year later. His latest novel The Lost Sister is now out in the US.

Here he shares some ideas for casting adaptations of the novels:

Considering that both The Good Son and The Lost Sister have a recurring cast of characters, I've often thought more of a series of TV movies for the books, or maybe an adapted series. I'd love to keep things Scottish in location and cast, although this might present a few logistical problems for my ideal cast. Mostly that of convincing accents (let us not speak of Mel Gibson in Braveheart…)

MAIN CAST:

J McNee - The “hero” of the books is a tough one to cast. I've always said I'd like to go unknown. But I would consider someone like Robert Carlyle, although ten or fifteen years ago. Some people have suggested both David Tennant and James McAvoy, but both seem too fresh faced for the part. Although perhaps this is to do with the roles I have seen them in. McNee is young, but I always feel he looks lived in. Which is why I would go out on a limb and consider someone like Paddy Considine. But on one condition: he'd have to be able to do a convincing Scottish accent.

David Burns - is a recurring thorn in the side for McNee. A former thug turned “businessman”, he's got interests in all the city's criminal activity. He's a Godfather figure, worked his way up from poor beginnings to where he is now. He's a conflicted character, and I love that about him. Although physically I don't describe him as such, I've always thought of Dundee's own Brian Cox in the part. I just feel there's something he could bring to the role that would own it. Watch his turn in Manhunter again and the way he plays Lector as a horrifically intelligent thug. Take away the extreme psychopathy, add thirty-odd years and I think we have the ideal David Burns.

Susan Bright - Susan's a tough part to cast. She's tough and yet provides emotional balance. She could run the risk of becoming a “love interest” when she's much more than that. She's a damn fine police officer. A decent human being with a strong sense of justice drummed into her through an upbringing in a family of coppers. Kelly McDonald has been on my mind lately when thinking about the part - she could tear up the screen as Officer Susan.

Ernie Bright - Really only appears in The Lost Sister and yet he's vital in so many ways. Susan's father is a DCI in the force, and he was McNee's mentor before our hero left the force. I have considered two actors I think would work well in the role. The safe bet is Bill Paterson, who I think could really nail the character, particularly his professional side. But my wild casting card is Robbie Coltrane, who I think might be able to bring a physicality and even a darker edge to the role. Having just rewatched Cracker, I think Coltrane could really do something special with Ernie's arc.

Learn more about The Lost Sister at Russel McLean's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Good Son.

Writers Read: Russel D. McLean.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Mark Russinovich's "Zero Day"

Mark Russinovich works at Microsoft in the Windows Azure product team as a Technical Fellow, Microsoft’s senior-most technical position. He earned a Ph.D. in computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and he joined Microsoft when it acquired Winternals Software, which he co-founded in 1996. He is also author of the popular Sysinternals Windows administration and diagnostic tools. He is coauthor of the Microsoft Press Windows Internals book series, a contributing editor for TechNet Magazine, and a senior contributing editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine.

Here he shares some ideas for casting the leads in an adaptation of his new novel, Zero Day:

Most of my friends and family members who’ve read drafts of Zero Day told me they thought that it reads like a movie, so I’ve been involved in constant debates and discussions about who would play the leading roles. Based on the passionate arguments, you’d think that the cases made for various nominees were serving as actual input for casting decisions. I know that the chances of having a book made into a movie make the chances of having a book published in the first place seem like a sure thing, but it’s fun to pretend.

There are several main characters, but just deciding who would be good fits for the protagonists has generated more than enough controversy that conversations have never gotten to picks for the secondary characters. Both leads, Jeff Aiken and Daryl Haugen, are intelligent, have cerebral jobs and are in their late 30’s or early 40’s. Jeff works as an independent security consultant and Daryl is assistant director of the Computer Infrastructure Security Unit at the Department of Homeland Security. Jeff is pretty straight-laced with a blazer, button down and khaki pants serving as his work uniform, while Daryl is feistier, an above average height blond and very attractive.

The selection of well-known actors that are in the right age bracket and that can play roles that are a mix of thought and action seems somewhat limited. James Franco was one of my favorites for Jeff and Natalie Portman my candidate for Daryl for a long time, but more recent brainstorming with my family, spurred by this question, has changed my thinking. Eric Dane, the actor that plays “McSteamy” in Grey’s Anatomy is my current choice for Jeff. He’s got an action edge to him, but has a smoldering seriousness that’s appropriate for someone that can sit at a computer for hours on end matching wits with viruses. Mila Kunis, who played Lily in The Black Swan, has the stunning looks and seriousness of Daryl. She’s a little young for Daryl, but I think she could act a part that’s a little older than her age. I can only hope that Zero Day makes it to movie form and the director cares about my opinion!

Read an excerpt from the novel, and learn more about the book and author at the Zero Day website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Zero Day.

Writers Read: Mark Russinovich.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Scott Mariani's "The Mozart Conspiracy"

Scott Mariani grew up in St. Andrews, Scotland. He studied Modern Languages at Oxford and went on to work as a translator, a professional musician, a pistol shooting instructor and a freelance journalist before becoming a full-time writer. After spending several years in Italy and France, Mariani discovered his secluded writer's haven in the wilds of west Wales, an 1830s country house complete with rambling woodland and a secret passage. When he isn't writing, Mariani enjoys jazz, movies, classic motorcycles and astronomy.

Here he shares some suggestions for casting an adaptation of his new novel, The Mozart Conspiracy;

Especially now that my Ben Hope series has been optioned for film, lots of readers ask me who I see playing the lead role and come up with their own suggestions, ranging from Clive Owen to Jason Statham. I don’t have any particular actor in mind while writing Ben, although I can think of a few with the right qualities – it would have to be someone with the depth to bring out Ben’s more vulnerable and sensitive side, while maintaining his toughness and strength. Paul Bettany could do it very well, so could Ewan McGregor. Among the US talent, Leo DiCaprio would make an excellent Ben Hope, and I also like the idea of Timothy Olyphant in the role.

As for the character of Leigh Llewellyn, international opera star and Ben’s first true love, my vision of her has always been clear: she’s beautiful, she’s a singer, she’s Welsh... she’s Catherine Zeta-Jones.

If I was casting freely for the parts of the other characters in the book, I’d pick Jude Law for the part of Ben’s deceased buddy, Leigh’s brother, Oliver Llewellyn. The rest of my dream cast would include:

The gruff, wily former East German detective Markus Kinski: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Kinski’s young daughter, Clara: Dakota Fanning, as she appeared in War of the Worlds

Arch-villain Werner Kroll: Patrick Stewart

The scatty but brilliant Professor Arno: Max Von Sydow

Kroll’s entrapped mistress, the mysterious femme fatale Eve: Radha Mitchell

Kroll’s vicious, sadistic henchman: top choice would be a muscly version of Gary Busey, as he appeared in Under Siege – you can’t beat that wicked, sick leer he does!

Learn more about the book and author at the official The Mozart Conspiracy website.

The Page 69 Test: The Mozart Conspiracy.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Jesse Bullington's "The Enterprise of Death"

Jesse Bullington spent the bulk of his formative years in rural Pennsylvania, the Netherlands, and Tallahassee, Florida. He is a folklore enthusiast who holds a bachelor's degree in History and English Literature from Florida State University. His novel The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart was one of Amazon's top ten Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 2009.

Here he shares some ideas for cast, director, and soundtrack for an adaptation of his latest novel, The Enterprise of Death:

Awa would possibly be the toughest to cast, as the novel follows her from adolescence to adulthood. I think either Naomie Harris or Meagan Good would be awesome as adult Awa, but it might be tough since the book opens with her as a young teenager. I think Keke Palmer or Camille Winbush would make a good younger Awa, but then there’s the opposite problem of their maybe not being old enough for the later sequences. Perhaps the solution would be to make it an animated film, and then she could be voiced, young and old, by Angela Bassett or N’Bushe Wright.

At first I was thinking Niklaus Manuel could be played by Sam Rockwell or Tom Hardy, so long as whoever it was had an appropriate wig and a little paunch, but the more I mull on it the more obvious a choice Matt Berry seems—this could be his break-out starring role. Julie T. Wallace fifteen or twenty years ago would be an ideal Monique, but she’s a little old for the part now—maybe Noomi Rapace, if they used camera trickery to make her seem a lot bigger and rougher. No, wait, you know would be awesome if they hulked her out, made her less pretty? Alia Shawkat (Maeby from Arrested Development)—she’d own that part, no question. Either Paul Giamatti or Ricky Gervais would make a suitably bombastic Paracelsus, I think, since Jeffrey Jones is a little old for the role. Perhaps Brad Dourif or Keith David as the necromancer, John Goodman or Rip Torn as Albrecht von Stein, Jeffrey Combs as Inquisitor Kahlert, and the Egyptian actress Zeina as Omorose—well, her or Raven-Symoné.

In terms of direction, I think it would benefit from someone fresh, like J.T. Petty (The Burrowers) or Antti-Jussi Annila (Sauna)—I think the vitality a comparatively newer director could bring to it would be great. In terms of those with a few more titles under their belts, there’s Guillermo del Toro, who knows his way around the emotional stuff as well as action sequences and fantastical elements. Along similar lines, I’m a big fan of Peter Jackson from early on in his career, and if he wanted to get down and dirty again I suppose I might deign to give him a crack at it. Then again, the semi-masochistic temptation of seeing what someone like Werner Herzog might do with it is also strong. In any event, soundtrack by Kronos Quartet, The Tiger Lillies, Cradle of Filth, and A Hawk and a Hacksaw.

Read an excerpt from The Enterprise of Death, and learn more about the book and author at Jesse Bullington's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart.

The Page 69 Test: The Enterprise of Death.

Writers Read: Jesse Bullington.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Lou Manfredo's "Rizzo's Fire"

Lou Manfredo worked in the Brooklyn criminal justice system for twenty-five years. His short fiction has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Brooklyn Noir.

Here he shares his preferences for the star and director of adaptations of his novels Rizzo's War and  Rizzo's Fire:

My first Joe Rizzo novel, Rizzo's War, was published both in hard cover and audiobook. Emmy Award winning actor, Bobby Cannavale, performed as reader, and when first I heard his Rizzo rendition I was shocked: It was exactly the voice I’d been hearing in my ear as I wrote the book. His performance was chillingly picture perfect.

I’ve recently watched Mr. Cannavale in his recurring role on the CBS crime drama Blue Bloods, and I am thoroughly convinced. If ever there is a Joe Rizzo movie, Mr. Cannavale would be perfect.

In writing Rizzo's War, I had merely a blurry, faceless image of Rizzo in my mind’s eye. But with Rizzo's Fire, Bobby Cannavale was in sharp focus and has so remained as I work on Book III. He may need a little makeup since he’s younger than Joe Rizzo, but other than that, he’s a natural for the role.

Now, if we could get Martin Scorsese on board to direct, we just might have something.

Read more about Rizzo's Fire and Rizzo's War.

The Page 69 Test: Rizzo's War.

Writers Read: Lou Manfredo.

--Marshal Zeringue

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Trilby Kent's "Stones for my Father"

Trilby Kent studied History at Oxford University and Social Anthropology at the LSE. She has written for the Canadian and British national press and in 2010 was shortlisted in the Guardian's International Development Journalism Competition. She is the author of two novels for children (published in Canada and the U.S.) and one for adults (published in the U.K.) and is working on a PhD. She lives in London, England.

Her Stones for my Father follows 12-year-old Coraline Roux through the darkest days of the Anglo-Boer War: from the sacking of her family’s farm, to a trek across the battle-scarred Transvaal, to internment in a British concentration camp. Scattered throughout are moments of quiet beauty, including a figure of hope who emerges in the form of a Canadian soldier.

Here Kent shares some suggestions for casting an adaptation of Stones for my Father:

I think it would have to be an unknown actor to play Corlie Roux. A native Afrikaner, preferably (because the accent is so tricky to get right), with a realistic ‘look’ and a spark of raw talent. Ditto Corlie’s younger brother, Gert – perhaps someone like little Guy Witcher in The Power of One? – and her best friend, Sipho.

You’d need a really formidable actress to play Corlie’s mother. She’s a deeply flawed, cruel woman, but it would be pointless simply to depict her as an ogre. Tilda Swinton would be excellent – terrifying and fragile at the same time.

James McAvoy seems a natural fit for Corporal Byrne. And as he’s ‘done’ an American accent before, I’m sure a Canadian one wouldn’t be beyond him!

Read more about Stones for My Father at the publisher's website, and visit Trilby Kent's Red Room Writer Profile.

The Page 69 Test: Stones for My Father.

Writers Read: Trilby Kent.

--Marshal Zeringue

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