The Demon King

The Demon King is young adult high fantasy at it's best. There's not a lot out there these days in this specific genre and classification (most high fantasy is pretty political and violent and aimed squarely at adults, and most young adult stuff is decidedly more love-triangles, paranormal and dystopia), but Chima does it very, very well, and I would D.I.E. if these ever made it to the big screen.


Princess Raisa is the princess heir to the Seven Realms. She's just reaching her "naming" (coming of age, in our world) and is entering the ready-for-marriage arena. She's of a multi-racial; her mother is fair skinned from the "vale" and her father is a dark-skinned man, leader of the clans. Raisa is  stubborn and impulsive, but intelligent and hardworking, too. She wants to be a more benevolent leader than her mother has been, but also wants to be a more involved head of state. She wants to get involved in military matters, as well as philanthropy. I think a pretty but spit-fire-y girl would do well, somebody like  Raquel Castro

Amon Byrne is the head of Raisa's personal guard. He is the good-to-the-core, honorable, dedicated guy you expect to be leading the princess' personal bodyguards. He's sweet and strong and steady and just the nicest stand up guy you can imagine. Oh, and he loves Princess Raisa madly, but can't do anything about it because he's not nobility. I saw Lucas Till

But, you know. Without his hair combed all stupid on his face like that.

Queen Marianna is Raisa's mother. She's this renowned beauty and is very, very young. She married very soon after her naming, and had her oldest daughter very quickly. That would make her somewhere in her very early thirties, with a sixteen year old. We think she's being controlled by her High Wizard, but we're not sure. She could very well be the conniving one, and we won't know until the very end of this story (which won't be completed for two more years- ugh. Series.) So she has to look mysterious, weak, strong, beautiful, powerful, intelligent and manipulative. Piece. Of. Cake. Somebody like Vera Farmiga

Han Alister is a street-gang-leader. He is also distantly descended from the most powerful evil wizard of all time. Not Voldemort, but the wizard in this story. Only he doesn't know it. He is also completely poverty-stricken. He is smart, but uneducated; powerful, but unable to harness his power. He's handsome, but downtrodden. He's suspicious of everybody, and almost always completely dishonest. I saw  Jamie Campbell Bower and I don't care how old he is. He is the perfect Han Alister. If they ever make these movies, they'll have to come up with a total surprise casting choice, or go with an unknown.

Dancer is Han's best friend, a member of the clans that Raisa is related to through her father. Dancer is also of mixed heritage, though he doesn't learn it until later on. He's a moody-broody kind of guy, and he needs to be cast well because he does a lot more in the second book. Somebody like Kiowa Gordon

Micah Bayar is a wizard that Raisa has been having little dalliances with in the back corridors of the palace. She cannot marry a wizard, the laws of the land strictly forbid it (for good reason), but she's having some fun. Micah is charming, bordering on smarmy. He's handsome and arrogant. He's manipulative, selfish, but a really, really good kisser. Hey, she's sixteen. What do you expect her priorities to be? A mysterious looking guy like Taylor Boggan would do well here.

Gavin Bayar is the High Wizard. He's the guy who may or may not be controlling the Queen, may or may not be manipulating his son and may or may not want to kill Raisa. Seriously, we don't actually know the answers to any of these questions, not even at the end of the second book. (I told you this series was awesome- how's that for some serious intrigue?) He's shrewd and calculating and devious. He's powerful and handsome. Who else could it be besides  Jason Isaacs?

You can read my review of this book on Goodreads

Enclave

Enclave is yet another dystopian teen novel, and you might be ready to chuck it on the pile with some of the suck-fests out there, but I assure you this one is much more Hunger Games, and much less Wither. The "romance" (such as it is) is definitely not a prominent part of the story, and the despair that comes with the end of life as we know it is omnipresent. The whole thing is so creepy and chilling and thrilling that I think this would make one heck of a film.

Duece is a warrior whose main job is to protect the Enclave from the zombie apocalypse that is happening all around them and bring home "meat" for dinner. Scout Taylor Compton has the horror/thriller background to handle the down-and-dirty aspects of this character's journey, and she looks tough, but she's also got a little something that could make you believe that she really is scared of this big, bad, everything-has-gone-wrong world.

Stalker is the leader of the Wolves, a gang that Deuce has the unfortunate opportunity to cross paths with. He's hard, calculating and completely cold-blooded. He has survived for as long as he has by being absolutely ruthless and more than a little terrifying. We do eventually see that there is a little more to him, but not much. For the most part, he is who he is, because of how and when he was raised. He doesn't know how to be anything but a savage brute, out to take care of himself first. Somebody a lot like Stanislav Ianevski comes to mind.

Tegan is a girl that has been... well. Let's just say that she doesn't exactly stand up for herself and she's been living with a gang of young men. She's scared and self conscious and just about one baby step above being completely pathetic. The actress that plays her just needs to ooze vulnerability. I pick Charlie Ray.

Silk is the leader of the Enclave. She's hard and bossy and nearing the end of her life, so she's likely to be in her mid-twenties. She sets absolute rules and enforces them without mercy; she feels that the strictness of her leadership is what has kept her enclave safe, and she intends to keep it that way. Natalya Rudakova has that hard-as-nails look in her eyes that I think this part would need.

Fade is Deuce's hunting partner. He wasn't born in the Enclave like everybody else was, he was adopted in after spending an unknown amount of time living on his own, defending himself against the zombie-rific elements. He's brutal and nearly savage, but nurses a pain unlike anything anybody in the Enclave can imagine. In my head, this was Channing Tatum all the way.

But... he's probably too old for this character. Fade's age isn't specifically mentioned; and while we know he's a few years older than Deuce, we are led to believe that nobody survives past their mid-twenties. Channing Tatum is only thirty, and could easily pass for just a few years younger (hi, Hollywood does this all the time), but I think they will go younger and cast somebody more like Tyler Hoechlin

Which would be fine with me.

You can read my review of this book on Goodreads.

Wither

Wither is one of the latest and greatest young-adult-dystopian-love-triangle novels out on the market. It's getting a lot of attention and you can bet your bottom dollar it will be turned into a movie in two tenths of a heartbeat.

Rhine Ellery is the main protagonist. She has long blond hair, one green eye and one blue eye. She's a beaut. No really. Everybody thinks this two-different-eye-color thing is gorgeous. She's the "hero" in this story and would be required to look really scared a lot. Somebody young, pretty and scared looking... there are a plethora of actresses in Hollywood that fit that bill. How about Kate Melton?

Linden is Rhine's husband. He was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, and he has absolutely no idea that his four wives were all kidnapped for his pleasure. He's a nice enough guy, and it's just really too bad that he was born wealthy and has been kept ignorant of Rhine's plight, because she just can't stand him based on those two things that he totally could have changed about himself. In my head, this part was filled by Hans Matheson, but he is just too old to pull off barely-twenty-years-old.

The whole point of this story is how terrifying it is to be an adult when you are considered a child by today's standards, so this actor would have to be very young in order to convey the "terror" these characters are living in. So, we'd have to look at somebody more like Ryan Pinkston.

Gabriel is a servant in Linden's home. Rhine met him and about four seconds later kissed him and decided that she would "save" him from this hellhole and take him out into the big, wide world, where they don't know where they are going, how to get there, how to protect themselves or what they are hoping to find. She's going to take him away from a place where he has to work for his daily bread and make him a fugitive. If that ain't love, I don't know what is. Lucky for him, she succeeds. He's a typical, blond, moody heartthrob-type. Kind of like Lucas Till.

Cecily is another of Linden's wives. She's thirteen, was raised in an orphanage and is more than willing to become the perfect baby-maker. Can we say... abandonment issues? She's a spitfire; tempestuous and headstrong, but she's also desperately eager to please and childishly devoted to her husband/captor. I pick Rachel G. Fox.

Jenna is the third of Linden's current wives (his first died already). She's an ex-prostitute who is inexplicably barren. She's cold and distant, but not cruel. She just doesn't care. She knows her days are numbered and has decided that dying in the lap of luxury with a nice husband who is sweet to her is better than dying cold and hungry on the streets. She's described as being tall and impossibly thin with dark hair and a blank, numb look on her face. I see Mackenzie Rosman.

Housemaster Vaughn is the definition of Creepy McCreeperson. He's a doctor who believes this virus can be turned back with a little medical know-how. When people in his house die, he experiments on their bodies, trying to find a cure for this virus. (sidenote: when Will Smith does this EXACT thing in I Am Legend, he's a hero... this guy is a psycho?) He also arranged for the kidnapping of Linden's brides and has equipped his house with the best security to keep them prisoner (OK- that is creepy and psycho, I admit it). He's supposedly around seventy years old or so, and a real meanie. You know, underneath. We never really see the meani-ness, but you just know it's there. I would give almost anything to see Burt Reynolds in this part.

You can read my review of this book on Goodreads.

The Goddess Test

The Goddess Test is a cute new YA book about Kate and her attempt to be a goddess and prolong her time with her dying mother. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it's a fun, light read that can probably make just about anybody smile: it's a modern day fairy tale and I loved it. 

Kate was raised in New York City by her mother. Now they have moved to Eden, Michigan as her mother lives out her last days. Kate eventually enters into a bargain with Hades, and has to pass a number of tests in order to attain her goddesshood (spell-check is telling me that's not a word? WHY? "godhood" is a word. Why not "goddesshood"? Word-makers are misogynists.)

Anyway. Kate has to be believable as a plain-Jane type of girl, believable as a potential Goddess and be able to convince us that she actually cares about the people around her. This actress was suggested to me by a friend for another book/cast, and I've been patiently waiting until I could find a place for her, and I believe I have found it. I pick Malese Jow

Diana (Kate's Mother) is dying of cancer, and has been gravely ill for four years. Now, however, through the power of Hades' bargain, she is healthy and vivacious in Kate's subconscious, and we need somebody who can manage the mystique and the power of this motherly character. Oh, and she needs to resemble Kate a fair bit. I pick Monica Belucci

Ava is your run-of-the-mill popular-girl-b-word. She's stuck up and vapid and self-centered. Until she dies. Then she hovers in the gateway to the underworld with Kate and the two become friends. Somebody like Amber Heard would do well here.

James is an averagely awkward adolescent. He's goofy, but kind and open-minded. Eventually, though, he needs to be believable as something more, and I think somebody like Kevin McHale would be versatile enough to pull this off.

Calliope is one of Kate's handmaids when she is living in the gateway to the underworld. She's centuries old, smart, bubbly and super helpful. A little too helpful, if you know what I mean *eyebrow waggling* I pick  Olivia Hack

Ella is another of Kate's handmaids, and she's a little more... passionate. Passionate about everything. She's quick to anger, quick to judge, proud, haughty, and desperately devoted to those she loves. She's also centuries old, and a timeless beauty. I think of a girl much like Alexandra Daddario

And now we come to Hades. Or, as he is known in this story: Henry.

I know, right? "Henry"? That's the "modern" name that the nearly omnipotent, all-powerful Hades came up with as a moniker for the twenty first century? Whatever, dude, it's your life. Er... afterlife. You know what I mean.

Henry is typical tall, dark and handsome. He's moody and broody. He's clever and friendly, but guards his feelings very closely. He is responsible for this goddess test that is being administered, and he has watched dozens of girls die in their attempt of it. He feels guilty and powerless to protect those that he is most responsible for. Did I mention he's handsome? And charming?

 Let's see... handsome, timeless, exotic, moody... that can only mean Ben Barnes

Rawr. 

You can read my review of this book on Goodreads.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is an adorable little book about a shy girl, living in Manhattan with nobody around for her Christmas holidays. So her older brother and his boyfriend find an incredibly creative way to set her up with a nice (if totally unknown) young man.

Chaos ensues.

And it is hilarious.

Now, this book has already been optioned for a movie and is set to be made in 2013, but that doesn't mean we can't dream about who we would love to see on the big screen.

First up in a fantasy cast is Lily. Lily is a sweet seventeen year old girl who is struggling to hold onto her childhood, but painfully realizing that she must grow up. She's the girl who loves to bake cookies for Christmas, wishes she could believe in Santa, thinks the best of everybody and shows up to a club wearing a sparkly dress, elf shoes and Christmas bauble earrings. She's adorable, and just the cutest little thing you ever did see. Somebody like Emily Osment:

Now for Dash. He's cute, well-read, sarcastic and willing to play this game of Lily's. He's also cynical and almost perpetually in self-preservation mode. He's cautious with his emotions, but does open up to Lily- and only Lily- as the story goes on. He's a keeper.

Here's the problem with Dash: He is Jess Mariano. And if you don't know who Jess Mariano is, I sentence you to go watch all seven seasons of the Gilmore Girls immediately. Any pop culture junkie worth their salt knows who Jess Mariano is, sheesh. In lieu of watching all one hundred fifty four episodes, you can go to this link and read the conversation that made me fall in love with Jess Mariano for good.

Milo Ventimiglia is obviously much too old to be seventeen anymore, but there are plenty of these type of guys wandering around Hollywood these days, so no worries. Somebody like Avan Jogia:

You can read my review of this book on Goodreads.

Torment

Torment is the sequel to Lauren Kate's Fallen, and while many of the same old characters are here, we do meet some new people. 

Shelby is Luce's roommate at her new school. She's a typical-looking California girl: tall, thin, blond, bendy (she's a yoga fanatic) and pretty. She has a bit of a mean girl exterior, but inside is a pretty good friend. Somebody a lot like Meaghen Martin would fit well here.

Miles is the nice boy. You know, the one who tells you the truth and doesn't treat you like a child. He's friendly and sweet and cute, but in a totally non-threatening, un-dangerous kind of way. Kind of like Finn Jones.

Francesca is one of Luce's new teachers. She's a fallen angel, and has a timeless, powerful sort of beauty. She's intelligent and completely able to take care of herself, but she has a flaw... she's in love with a demon. Ellen Barkin is one of those women who is beautiful, but looks like she has a take-no-prisoners philosophy.

Steven is the demon that Francesca loves. He, too, is timeless, powerful and classically good-looking. Described as a devilishly handsome man with salt and pepper hair, Richard Gere could do very, very well here.

Fallen

Can I just tell you all first, I totally LOVED Fallen by Lauren Kate! First, let's look at the cover:

And we all know that everybody judges books by their covers, despite all advice to the contrary, so don't be so surprised that the cover is the first thing I'm talking about. It's beautiful, as is its sequel (which I have not yet read, but am queued up for through the library). So, hats off to Kate's team for designing such a simple, beautiful and evocative cover. Hats off indeed.

So, let's dive into the fantasy cast, shall we?

Lucinda is our main star, the hero, if you will. She's a pretty girl from a wealthy family, but she's plagued by a little problem: she sees shadows lurking everywhere around her. They've been stalking her all her life, and she's been on anti-psychotics as a result. Also, there's this little problem about her being the only witness to her first boyfriend spontaneously combusting, but whatevs. She's dark and moody, and I saw somebody who looked a lot like Nina Dobrev

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Daniel is her main love interest (come on, you know there had to be more than one). Though Daniel has made it quite clear that he doesn't want Lucinda to come anywhere near him, she's drawn to his gorgeousness like a moth to a flame. Isn't that how it always is? We always want what we can't have. Anyway, Daniel has secrets. Big secrets. I think a guy like  Argiris Karras could pull this one off.

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Cam is Lucinda's other love interest. Well, really, it's just that he's handsome and he's really interested in her more than anything else. I actually pictured David Henrie in this role while I was reading. I know he plays a goofball on TV, but I think there's a lot more to him than just the goofy Disney persona, and I think he could handle it. Plus, lookie:

Arianne is Lucinda's first friend at reform school (oh, did I not mention the reform school? Well, that's our setting.) She's a snarky redhead. Hmm... snarky readhead... I can't think of anybody better than Emma Stone, though, frankly, I did see Natasha Lyonne in my head the whole time I was reading. But, since she's 32, and expecting her to be a believable 16 year old seems unreasonable. So, Emma Stone gets my vote. Because she's awesome.

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Pen is Lucinda's nicest friend at the reform school. She's shy, and she's there because her father is the grounds keeper, instead for behavioral or criminal problems like the rest of the kids. She's also described as being sort of pudgy. Not overweight, just pudgy. And short. And she's kind of a wallflower. Here's the thing: there's no such thing as a pudgy wallflower in Hollywood. There are however, a few brave young girls who are not size twos. And  Ashley Fink is one of them. I would rather see an overweight girl cast in a chubby girl's part than see them (yet again) cast a thin, pretty girl and just refer to her as chubby.

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Molly is Lucinda's instant nemesis at her new school. She's all into the emo-biker-chick stuff; stiletto boots, pixie cut, too much eyeliner... you're thinking what I'm thinking, right? Taylor Momsen

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Roland is Daniel's best friend and the center of the social scene in our story. He's Mr. Smiley, Mr. I Can Do You A Favor Cause I'm Just That Cool. At first, I really, genuinely pictured Corbin Bleu but then I was afraid he was too old. Good news, though, he was one of the youngest of the HSM cast, and as such, is not too old for our purposes!

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 You can read my review of this book at GoodReads.com

Guest Post: The Vampire Academy part 2

Before you get too far into this, make sure you've seen the first half of Lissa's fantasy cast for this vampire series. 

Eddie Castile, dhampir, a less major character but with important recurring roles, to me always seemed like this big butch of a guy with an amazing strong jaw and a wicked smile. Darren Criss hit the spot. He’s like everyone’s male BFF. Don’t you just feel comforted knowing he’s got your back?

We don’t meet Sydney Sage until later in the series, and I don’t want to give away spoilers on her role, so suffice to say that the perfectly human Sydney should be portrayed by Emily Browning, who, you may remember, played Violet Beaudelaire in A Series of Unfortunate Events. The only picture I could find of a blonde Browning was for her upcoming film, Sucker Punch. However, I think it highlights some important points about Sydney (no spoilers!)

Victor Dashkov, Lissa’s uncle. I can’t really say anything at all without giving away spoilers, so suffice to say, he’s an evil bastard who has to be able to pull off being nice, and very, very manipulative. He has to age from about 40 to 70 over the space of the series due to a degenerative disease. It was very hard finding the right actor to fill this role, but I decided on Christopher Walken – because he can pull off being a graceful Moroi, and we know he can be a total dick, totally creepy, and also totally awesome.

Rose’s mother, Janine, is revealed to be a red-haired Scottish woman, and one of the most deadly female Guardians the Academy ever produced. Now we know where Rose gets it from. I know I could have cast any woman around age 40 for this, hair colour and accent be damned, but I just can’t get the businesswoman image of Julianne Moore out of my head. She’s got the whole I’m-in-charge-who-cares-if-I’m-a-woman thing going on. And she’s still pretty hot for a 50 year old.

Abe… Abe… what can I say about Abe? the mysterious Turkish patriarch who always dressed outlandishly like a pimp. Someone tall, gorgeous, yet middle-aged a swarthy… someone who can beat the crap out of you and romance you the next minute… who else but Hugh Jackman?

Another minor but important and recurring role is Tasha Ozera, Christian’s aunt, and the unfortunate victim of his parent’s descent to the dark side. Tasha is a beautiful Moroi, strong and opinionated, and carries the scars of her betrayal. As soon as I saw a picture of Zooey Deschanel raven-haired and blue-eyed, I fell in love with the idea of her playing Tasha. If no one else in my fantasy cast is used in the film, I hope most for her casting. She looks perfect.

And last but not least, Jill Mastrano, the wide-eyed fourteen year old Moroi who falls in love with the idea of fighting for herself alongside the Guardians. Affectionately known to the others as ‘Jailbait’, Jill has to be tall and gangly in that awkward teenage phase, to then grow up and become more womanly later in the series. She also has to bear a certain resemblance to someone in particular. I’ve chosen Samantha Hanratty.

That’s all for now. So what are your ideas? Love it? Hate it? Who would you prefer? Got any extra castings I should have mentioned?

Note from Gina: Thank you, Lissa, for putting together this fabulous fantasy cast! Anybody who puts Hugh Jackman in anything is A-OK in my book ;)