Let’s be honest. Most of us who write novels want them to be made into films. It’s just really fun, and the option money isn’t bad, either. (Plus, we all secretly fear more people will probably experience our stuff if it shows up on Netflix someday.)
I’ve worked in small-scale videomaking for over a decade — YouTube, music videos, weddings, and commercials, both shooting and editing. I’ve never worked on a feature set, but I know how to see through a camera’s eye, and I know how things look when you’re done and staring at a folder of clips in Avid. I actually credit my tilt from amateur to pro writer not just to practice, but to those years spent telling stories visually and listening to how people talk. Making something visual out of Architects of Memory would be a total compliment.
(Plus, there’s at least one amazing chase scene that any director would love. I’m just saying.)
… here is the cast of Architects of Memory as they currently appear in my head:
EMILY BLUNT as KATE KELLER, ship’s captain. In my book, Emily Blunt can do no wrong. If she’s in a movie, I will see it, even A Quiet Place, which was terrifying, and oh nooooo there’s another one now. I saw Edge of Tomorrow just before starting my book — she’s absolutely terrific in it, and when I thought of Kate, the physicality she had in that role just fits. Runners-up: Maria Bello, Lena Headey.
ASHLAN JACKSON, indentured salvage pilot, is a hard one, because she’s had a number of faces throughout the years. ELLEN PAGE is the one that comes up most often, because Ellen Page can also do no wrong in my book. Everything she touches is magic. Through the years, Ashlan has also been Hannah John-Kamen, Olivia Munn, Rooney Mara, Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez.
(There is a very good reason I do not work as a Hollywood casting director.)
BRIDGET REGAN as ALISON RAMSAY, Twenty-Five’s XO and lead salvage engineer. Ramsay has been Bridget Regan in my head since the beginning of time. Before the world began and the stars ignited in the sky, Alison Ramsay was played by Bridget Regan.
I’m just saying.
Runners-up: … Bridget Regan?
The others I can only do off looks and looks alone, and as I don’t enjoy judging books (or people!) by their cover, I’ll just have to hold off until real casting directors get their professional hands on my intellectual property.
Lastly, in the realm of “stuff I’d love but have no control over since the writer is the least powerful person in nearly every similar deal,” since the book is almost exclusively driven by female characters in their thirties, I would love the movie or series to be made by a female director and DP as well.
This was fun! Thank you, readers, for allowing me this delightful dip into the what-ifs of the future. Back to finishing the sequel…
