Today debut author Graham Reed takes over our blog to tell us about his dream silver screen adaptation for his novel, The Chairman's Toys (3 July 2018, Poisoned Pen Press.
“...takes the reader on a fast, furious, and often hilarious tour. Watching him zigzag through the twisting plot is pure pleasure." - Publisher's Weekly “
Reed's lively mystery debut may be overloaded with colorful characters and tricky subplots, but too much of a good thing is still a good thing.” - Kirkus Reviews
“...definitely belongs on your short list of amiable stoner sleuths, along with Bart Schneider’s Augie Boyer and Hal Ackerman’s Harry Stein. The dark-comedy aspect of this debut will also appeal to fans of Chris Knopf, David Freed, and Tim Cockey.” - Booklist
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The Chairman’s Toys - coming to a theatre near you!
by Graham Reed
If (when) my novel, The Chairman’s Toys, is adapted for the silver screen, casting will be mission critical to embody and communicate the story’s Geist der Zeiten, or “spirit of the times”, to use Hegel’s preferred phrasing rather than the more commonly used zeitgeist, both of which, conceptually, aren’t far removed from Thomas Carlyle’s more chauvinistic “Great Man theory” (revealing the spirit of his times), which sees history as the result of the actions of heroes and geniuses. Which is to say, a casting director who is both a hero and a genius will be required.
Casting Director: Debra Zane and/or Lori Wyman. Both worked on the Netflix series, Bloodline. Those of you who have seen the series know what I’m talking about when I say they absolutely kill it in the casting department. Those of you who haven’t seen it really need to get on that. Unless you’re only pretending to like crime fiction.
As a lowly writer, I will be well advised (possibly required) to defer to the CD on minor roles but I hope and believe that Debra and/or Lori will my vision for the main characters:
Jake Constable: I believe a Ryan is the natural choice here. Reynolds’s lighthearted ‘let’s make the best of a bad situation’ smartass charm as exemplified in Deadpool and Van Wilder: Party Liaison would definitely push the caper button and hold it down for a solid two hours. If he’s unavailable due to a scheduling conflict I would be sad, but remain confident that Gosling would compellingly cultivate the tough, mercurial nooks and/or crannies in Jake’s psyche. Both Ryans have the Canadian DNA that would serve as the magic ingredient to put the second ‘u’ in humour in this much-anticipated (by me) movie adaptation.
The Norwegian: Half man, half tractor, all business. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Game of Thrones) would be my pick here. I can already hear the howls of protest from the Norwegian Actors Guild: Björnsson is Icelandic, you nimrod! Fair point, but I would like to remind the Guild that he did beat a 1000-year-old record set by Orm Storolfsson at the World's Strongest Viking competition in Norway, where he carried a 33 ft log weighing 1,430 lb for five steps. The man is a 300lb dark horse outsider with a ‘can do’ attitude. Just like The Norwegian.
Nina: A friend of mine recently recommended I check out The Newsroom. Olivia Munn was brilliant in it, and I think she would be great for Nina as well.
Richard: Is anyone handsome enough for this role? If Jed Bartlet still had control of the West Wing, my agent would be calling Rob Lowe’s agent right now, but time marches on all our faces Also, Super Troopers 2 had a surprisingly obstructive post-publicity schedule, so my agent is currently waiting for Orlando Bloom’s agent to call back. A man who has played an elf is perfect for this character in so many ways.
Dante: Tough one here. I would be fascinated to see what Oscar Isaac could in this role. I know, don’t say it! Dante’s parents wer With luck, Oscar’s Guatemalan-Cuban ancestry would be close enough to satisfy Hollywood’s standards for ethnic authenticity.
Key Grip: Tom Kerwick. Also worked on Bloodline, so he must be good.
Gaffer: My friend, Kevin. (I owe him a favour)
Vancouver, British Columbia - land of psychotically expensive real estate, high-grade cannabis, and Jake Constable. A man adrift.
The Chairman's Toys
Available NOW!
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