Casting Call: In Hero Years… I’m Dead

In the past I’ve been asked by folks what I’d do if Hollywood came calling about a book of mine. I generally answer that I would “take the money and run.” I’m still of that opinion. But the other day I was given reason to think about my superhero noir novel, In Hero Years… I’m Dead, and the possibility of a film. After all, superheroes are doing huge box office numbers; and optioning an original novel is going to be less expensive than buying a high-priced franchise and…

So Kat Klaybourne and I were on the phone and started playing the Casting Call game. You pick a character, choose some actors, and all of a sudden you have a star-studded cast that would cost a bazillion dollars to assemble, but someone in Hollywood will have that vision, right?

I thought I would share with you some of our choices. You’re welcome to weigh in with your own in comments. It’ll be useful to have a cast in mind when Hollywood calls. (In any discussions, please avoid spoilers for those who’ve not yet read the book.)

For our hero, who’s never really named, we had a tough time because the character can be a chameleon, has to be world-weary yet capable of action, smart, aggressive and tough. We came up with a number of choices. I think all of those actors can hit those marks. I’m just not sure which would be best. What do you think of our nominees?

Alan Rickman
George Clooney
Pierce Brosnan
Tim Roth
Mark Valley

Doctor Sinisterion: There really are only two choices for Sinisterion, who has to be ruthless and cold, and needs to show signs of having had a hard life. He’s got to be brilliant and regal, and yet capable of a civilized exchange. And the nominees are:

Max von Sydow
Clint Eastwood

Nighthaunt: This was another tough one to cast. You have to have an action hero who is well past his prime, and still very strong and capable. In the novel he has a presence within the shadows and is never fully seen; so his voice has got to be very strong, as would be his sense of drama. Here we had three nominees:

Gene Hackman
Anthony Hopkins
Sean Connery

Graviton: Casting Graviton was only slightly easier than Nighthaunt, since he’s the most normal of the characters in the book. Well, normal for someone born on another planet who can whittle rebar with a fingernail. Strong, noble, but feeling his years; a man of conviction who knows his glory days have passed him by, Graviton offered a number of interesting nominees:

Timothy Dalton
George Lazenby
Tom Selleck

Scarlet Fox/Selene Kole: Selene is the meatiest female role in the book. She’s tough, brilliant, very independent and sexy. Four actresses immediately suggested themselves:

Sigourney Weaver
JoBeth Williams
Emma Thompson
Michelle Pfeiffer

Those are the main five characters in the novel. I’ll let you think about them. Discuss—please, mind the spoilers.

I have ideas for the other roles, too, like Redwing, Kid Coyote, Puma, Golden Guardian and Vixen. I’ll post them another time.

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