Fandom love!
What with so many fantastic book series being recreated in live action movies and/or television, I got the whim to cast some of my particular favorites. We're starting with my current favorite series, and one that I highly recommend to anyone, whether you're a fantasy fan or not...the Nightside series.
Dream Casting: Nightside, by Simon R. Green
Description:
My name is John Taylor. I've made that a name to be respected and feared, but it's also made me a target my whole life.
I operate as a private eye, in a world where gods and monsters are real. The Nightside: the sick, secret magical heart of London. A place where dreams come true, whether you want them to or not. It's not easy to find a way in, and it can be even harder to find a way out. I can find anything, solve any mystery. Except the answers to the dark and deadly secrets of my own past.
My name is John Taylor. And if you've come looking for me, either you're in trouble, or you're about to be.
John Taylor, as played by Will Snow.
"The main character of the series, John possesses the ability to locate anything with a supernatural ability he refers to as his "private eye". This allows him several secondary abilities, such as unloading enemy weapons at a distance or removing cavity fillings, or disrupting magical forces and wards by finding and removing the lynch-pins that hold them together. Taylor is the son of Lilith, who first created the Nightside. Lilith herself has stated that her history is a parable and not literal truth. This fact has made Taylor a primary target for many powerful forces e.g. the Harrowing, who wish to aid or kill Taylor depending on their opinion of his mother."
Honestly, Will Snow is a bit too old for the role, but I'm thinking of Will as he was in The Lost World, and not currently. (Though he remains sexy with that salt and pepper hair.)
Alternate: Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Though I imagine John leaner than JDM, I think JDM has that rough and tumble look.)
Suzie Shooter (Shotgun Suzie), as played by Tricia Helfer.
"The Nightside's most dangerous bounty hunter, named for her trademark pump-action shotgun. Known for bringing back her bounties dead because, as she always puts it, "it takes less paperwork". Later in the series, she reveals to John that her older brother raped her and made her pregnant when she was a teenager, forcing her to have an abortion. After she murdered him, she disappeared into the Nightside. Later in the series she and Taylor become lovers. Introduced in the book as "Suzie Shooter, also known as Shotgun Suzie and Oh Christ its her, RUN!!!"
I love this casting just in the fact that I think Tricia is one of few actresses who could do both the "broken" aspect of Suzie, and the "strong" aspect at the same time. It's a complex character, and much of the characterization would have to be subtle. One of the main things I love about Suzie is that it's not that she's unattractive, it's that she's unapproachable. I think Tricia would have a field day with this role.
Razor Eddie (Punk God of the Straight Razor), as played by Adrien Brody.
"A former gang member turned homeless vigilante, he is known for prowling the streets and killing bad guys with his trademark straight razor. In later books, he apparently went to the Street of the Gods and became a deity. Razor Eddie is also mentioned in another of Green's series', Hawk and Fisher, as a well known street fighter, turned vigilante from the Street of the Gods. Eddie's pearl-handled straight razor is purportedly the only thing that can end his immortality."
Adrien isn't the exact look I'm going for, but I think he would be great with the very dark/gothic look I see for Eddie. I also think he could do the silent aspect quite well. He'd bring a gravitas to the role that I think other younger actors wouldn't.
Walker, as played by Neal McDonough.
"The man behind the "Authorities". First name Henry. Was a good friend of John's father. Most of Taylor's cases in the Nightside are due to him. He is known for using 'The Voice', allegedly given to him by the Authorities, which forces people to do as he wants, allthough there are a few members of the Nightside that can defy or outright ignore his 'Voice'."
Neal has a way of playing characters quietly, and with subtlety, but with unmistakable presence. I think he would take the role of Walker and embody it so completely that there would be no question as to who belonged in that role. (Also, age-wise he's very close to Will Snow, but honestly I can't picture Walker as an old man, even if he is supposed to have been friends with John's father. I just can't see it.)
Alex Morrisey, as played by David Deluise.
"The current owner of Strangefellows, an irritable young man always dressed in black. Taylor goes to him for information and meets clients at the bar. His sour behaviour has something to do with the fact that Merlin Satanspawn, his direct ancestor, put a curse on the bar so that he can only leave if another member of his family takes his place-and apparently he's the last of the Morrisey family. Has something of a grudging friendship with Taylor."
David is the exact image I have in my head of Alex, and though I've only ever seen him in comedies, I think he'd bring a bit of that self-deprecation to the role and provide some lightness in the dark overtones of a live-action recreation of the series. I remain unsure if he can bring the bitterness needed to the role, though.
Dead Boy, as played by Kyle Gallner.
"Once a young man who was brutally murdered outside a Nightside club, he came back as a zombie to avenge his own death. He is stuck in the Nightside, so in the meantime he does good deeds, often getting in the line of fire because he can't die; but then he can't heal, either, and so he is largely held together by staples and duct tape."
I adore Kyle, and he can play such a wide range of characters that I think this role would be right up his alley. Again, I think he would bring a lightness to an otherwise bitter/dark role that would play well in live action.
Alternate: Tom Dekker (I don't like him personally, but I think he would be a good fit for the role, too.)
Cathy Barrett, as played by Kate Mara.
"Introduced in the first book, Cathy inserts herself into John's life as his secretary and makes a home for herself in the Nightside. She's interwoven in the novels as a humanizing element in John's life, the closest he'll ever come to a daughter (as described late in the series)."*
Cathy starts out as the damsel in the distress, but reveals herself to be one of the real survivors of the story. She's stronger than she looks, and more capable than most think. Still, all that strength is hidden behind a clever mask, so I needed an actress who can do the soft womanly mask, but still be able to do the very capable strength. I think Kate could do it quite well, since physically she looks innocent, but I've seen her in some pretty bad ass roles too.
Lilith, as played by Tabrett Bethell.
"John Taylor's mother, and a force to be reckoned with. She created the Nightside but was overpowered by the very thing she made. She was accidentally freed years ago, procreated, and has been waiting for the right moment to reclaim the city and return it to her true vision, which isn't a very nice one."*
I think Tabrett would frakking OWN this role. We're talking a bad mama jamma, who could be both sexy and powerful. She could make the role both sympathetic, but at the same time not. This is a woman who began the story as a maternal figure, someone who just wanted a place to belong, but by her own nature that place became twisted and deranged, and she along with it. At one point she may have been redeemable, but no longer. I think Tabrett would make this role so dual-edged. Someone so inherently human and fallible, but at the same time so very much a monster in her own right.
* = I wrote the description, otherwise all descriptions come from Wikipedia.
So, this is my dream casting. If they ever actually made a Nightside movie, I would kinda die. Then come alive again, seek out wherever they are filming it, and stalk it so bad.
This is absolutely one of the best fantasy series out there, and I think everyone on my f-list should at least give it a try. If you take one recommendation from me, ever, this is it.
Dream Casting: Nightside, by Simon R. Green
Description:
My name is John Taylor. I've made that a name to be respected and feared, but it's also made me a target my whole life.
I operate as a private eye, in a world where gods and monsters are real. The Nightside: the sick, secret magical heart of London. A place where dreams come true, whether you want them to or not. It's not easy to find a way in, and it can be even harder to find a way out. I can find anything, solve any mystery. Except the answers to the dark and deadly secrets of my own past.
My name is John Taylor. And if you've come looking for me, either you're in trouble, or you're about to be.
John Taylor, as played by Will Snow.
"The main character of the series, John possesses the ability to locate anything with a supernatural ability he refers to as his "private eye". This allows him several secondary abilities, such as unloading enemy weapons at a distance or removing cavity fillings, or disrupting magical forces and wards by finding and removing the lynch-pins that hold them together. Taylor is the son of Lilith, who first created the Nightside. Lilith herself has stated that her history is a parable and not literal truth. This fact has made Taylor a primary target for many powerful forces e.g. the Harrowing, who wish to aid or kill Taylor depending on their opinion of his mother."
Honestly, Will Snow is a bit too old for the role, but I'm thinking of Will as he was in The Lost World, and not currently. (Though he remains sexy with that salt and pepper hair.)
Alternate: Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Though I imagine John leaner than JDM, I think JDM has that rough and tumble look.)
Suzie Shooter (Shotgun Suzie), as played by Tricia Helfer.
"The Nightside's most dangerous bounty hunter, named for her trademark pump-action shotgun. Known for bringing back her bounties dead because, as she always puts it, "it takes less paperwork". Later in the series, she reveals to John that her older brother raped her and made her pregnant when she was a teenager, forcing her to have an abortion. After she murdered him, she disappeared into the Nightside. Later in the series she and Taylor become lovers. Introduced in the book as "Suzie Shooter, also known as Shotgun Suzie and Oh Christ its her, RUN!!!"
I love this casting just in the fact that I think Tricia is one of few actresses who could do both the "broken" aspect of Suzie, and the "strong" aspect at the same time. It's a complex character, and much of the characterization would have to be subtle. One of the main things I love about Suzie is that it's not that she's unattractive, it's that she's unapproachable. I think Tricia would have a field day with this role.
Razor Eddie (Punk God of the Straight Razor), as played by Adrien Brody.
"A former gang member turned homeless vigilante, he is known for prowling the streets and killing bad guys with his trademark straight razor. In later books, he apparently went to the Street of the Gods and became a deity. Razor Eddie is also mentioned in another of Green's series', Hawk and Fisher, as a well known street fighter, turned vigilante from the Street of the Gods. Eddie's pearl-handled straight razor is purportedly the only thing that can end his immortality."
Adrien isn't the exact look I'm going for, but I think he would be great with the very dark/gothic look I see for Eddie. I also think he could do the silent aspect quite well. He'd bring a gravitas to the role that I think other younger actors wouldn't.
Walker, as played by Neal McDonough.
"The man behind the "Authorities". First name Henry. Was a good friend of John's father. Most of Taylor's cases in the Nightside are due to him. He is known for using 'The Voice', allegedly given to him by the Authorities, which forces people to do as he wants, allthough there are a few members of the Nightside that can defy or outright ignore his 'Voice'."
Neal has a way of playing characters quietly, and with subtlety, but with unmistakable presence. I think he would take the role of Walker and embody it so completely that there would be no question as to who belonged in that role. (Also, age-wise he's very close to Will Snow, but honestly I can't picture Walker as an old man, even if he is supposed to have been friends with John's father. I just can't see it.)
Alex Morrisey, as played by David Deluise.
"The current owner of Strangefellows, an irritable young man always dressed in black. Taylor goes to him for information and meets clients at the bar. His sour behaviour has something to do with the fact that Merlin Satanspawn, his direct ancestor, put a curse on the bar so that he can only leave if another member of his family takes his place-and apparently he's the last of the Morrisey family. Has something of a grudging friendship with Taylor."
David is the exact image I have in my head of Alex, and though I've only ever seen him in comedies, I think he'd bring a bit of that self-deprecation to the role and provide some lightness in the dark overtones of a live-action recreation of the series. I remain unsure if he can bring the bitterness needed to the role, though.
Dead Boy, as played by Kyle Gallner.
"Once a young man who was brutally murdered outside a Nightside club, he came back as a zombie to avenge his own death. He is stuck in the Nightside, so in the meantime he does good deeds, often getting in the line of fire because he can't die; but then he can't heal, either, and so he is largely held together by staples and duct tape."
I adore Kyle, and he can play such a wide range of characters that I think this role would be right up his alley. Again, I think he would bring a lightness to an otherwise bitter/dark role that would play well in live action.
Alternate: Tom Dekker (I don't like him personally, but I think he would be a good fit for the role, too.)
Cathy Barrett, as played by Kate Mara.
"Introduced in the first book, Cathy inserts herself into John's life as his secretary and makes a home for herself in the Nightside. She's interwoven in the novels as a humanizing element in John's life, the closest he'll ever come to a daughter (as described late in the series)."*
Cathy starts out as the damsel in the distress, but reveals herself to be one of the real survivors of the story. She's stronger than she looks, and more capable than most think. Still, all that strength is hidden behind a clever mask, so I needed an actress who can do the soft womanly mask, but still be able to do the very capable strength. I think Kate could do it quite well, since physically she looks innocent, but I've seen her in some pretty bad ass roles too.
Lilith, as played by Tabrett Bethell.
"John Taylor's mother, and a force to be reckoned with. She created the Nightside but was overpowered by the very thing she made. She was accidentally freed years ago, procreated, and has been waiting for the right moment to reclaim the city and return it to her true vision, which isn't a very nice one."*
I think Tabrett would frakking OWN this role. We're talking a bad mama jamma, who could be both sexy and powerful. She could make the role both sympathetic, but at the same time not. This is a woman who began the story as a maternal figure, someone who just wanted a place to belong, but by her own nature that place became twisted and deranged, and she along with it. At one point she may have been redeemable, but no longer. I think Tabrett would make this role so dual-edged. Someone so inherently human and fallible, but at the same time so very much a monster in her own right.
* = I wrote the description, otherwise all descriptions come from Wikipedia.
So, this is my dream casting. If they ever actually made a Nightside movie, I would kinda die. Then come alive again, seek out wherever they are filming it, and stalk it so bad.
This is absolutely one of the best fantasy series out there, and I think everyone on my f-list should at least give it a try. If you take one recommendation from me, ever, this is it.