Mansyur S - Benci

Since I finally finished my revisions on TIES OF VALOR and got them turned in, I’m taking a little writing time-out to refill my well. In a nutshell that means I’m going to delve into my TBR stack like a mad woman and call dibs on the TV to watch hours upon hours of movies. Though the SAG awards interfered with prime viewing time, I did start to delve into my to-be-watched list. Which led me to a question—is it just me or have you also noticed how many movies started out as books?

For instance, I popped in EARTHSEA (originally aired as a mini-series on the Sci-Fi Channel) and discovered it was based on a series of books. Monday also saw the kick-off Lifetime’s airing of four made-for-TV movies based on Nora Roberts’ best-sellers. Also originally in print were CHILDREN OF MEN, ERAGON, HARRY POTTER as well as the newly opened BLOOD & CHOCOLATE.

I remember the days when WIZARD magazine started a column documenting which actors/actresses should play the Who’s Who of the comic industry. Though I don’t think Kelsey Grammar was their pick to play the X-men’s Beast, nor do I think Nick Cage had the rough-guy image to top the list for Ghost Rider. But I guess Hollywood saw it differently. (Maybe it has to do with the dollar signs floating before their eyes.)

I’ve heard tell of writers who have their Hollywood heartthrob taped to their wall beside their computer, or even put up computer wallpaper with them strutting their stuff. I myself have Drew Barrymore—my favorite actress—smiling sheepishly during a scene in Music & Lyrics. I know she isn’t right for my currently finished manuscript, nor my upcoming novel. But the question of who would be perfect prompted my brain to storm. (Which is a good sign it hasn’t turned to Jell-O like I believed.)

Here’s the short list of main characters I came up with for TIES OF VALOR (in order of appearance):

Zara Dior—Mila Jovovich (For her role in Fifth Element & Resident Evil)

CHIRI—Rachel Weiss (The spitfire voice-over for Saphira in ERAGON—A+)

Awyn Shandar—Eric Bana (How could I not pick him after Troy?)

Rolan Ebar—Sean Connery (I had to fit him in somewhere! All hail Quartermain!)

Oron Shandar—Dougray Scott (Could definitely pull off bookish & hot at the same time)

Rumius—Jeremy Irons (The man is brilliant with a Golden Globe & SAG this year!)

Talis Shandar—James Franco (Only because of his role in TRISTAN & ISOLDE)

Anida Shandar—Melanie Lynskey (Loved her as Drew’s sister in EVER AFTER)

Weyde Shandar—Harrison Ford (Who else could play a cooler dad after FIREWALL?)

Commander Geist—Rip Torn (He played a similar role well in X-Men 3)

Queen Sircie—Julia Ormond (All I have to say is Guinevere from FIRST KNIGHT)

Lieutenant Ellis—Cary Elwes (Loved his good guy/bad guy play in PRINCESS BRIDE.)

Fiona Dior—Felicity Huffman (She’s dramatic, funny & evil plus she looks like a Mom)

I can tell you for sure I don’t have enough 0’s in my bank account to hire this star power, but it costs nothing to imagine. Care to tell us who you daydreamed about to play your hero, heroine or your cast of characters in a movie?