The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz

Zipper Sisters and Others => Deryni Movies => Topic started by: Bynw on March 06, 2007, 07:07:52 PM

Title: The Casting Call!
Post by: Bynw on March 06, 2007, 07:07:52 PM
Who would you like to see in the movie based on Deryni Rising??
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: TheDeryni on March 06, 2007, 07:14:08 PM
Ooooh. I'll think on this one and repost in a day or two. Cool question.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Rex_Kelsonus (RIP) on March 09, 2007, 02:53:09 PM
very good question......i'll think on it as well



-ambush

PS. new nick for here :)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on July 04, 2007, 04:08:58 PM
Alaric Morgan--Viggo Mortenson
Edmund Loris--John Noble
Bradene--Jon Voight
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Rex_Kelsonus (RIP) on July 04, 2007, 10:13:56 PM
I agree with those fully.....but, the question remains on my mind.....who should be cast as Kelson?

-ambush
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on July 07, 2007, 06:46:06 PM
Maybe Nick Stahl as Kelson.  Stahl played John Connor in T3: Rise of The Machines.  John Connor didn't start out looking like the leader of the human rebellion against the machines, but ended up defeating the machines.  Kelson was more sure of his abilities to be a good king for Gwynedd and he will most likely go down as the greatest ruler of his kingdom.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Old English on July 08, 2007, 01:35:52 PM
Natalie Portman as either Jehana or Charissa.  It would be interesting to see her play either role.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on July 08, 2007, 03:40:27 PM
I would like to see Erika Christensen as Charissa.  Her role in Swimfan as the evil other woman was very convincing.  She would make an interesting Charissa.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on July 17, 2007, 02:33:10 PM
Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter Movieverse) would make a good villain. Perhaps a good Wencit. Sam Neill would be a good Rhydon of Eastmarch

Isaacs might make a fair Morgan, but I've mostly seen him in villainous roles. And he's a little old for Morgan, now.

In terms of looks, Keira Knightley might make a good Araxie. I don't think all that much of her acting prowess, but she is decorative.

As Charissa, perhaps Helena  Bonham-Carter.

Hans Matheson could play the adult Kelson.

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Old English on July 23, 2007, 12:35:16 PM
Keira Knightley? *shudders*  Over-rated and talentless.

May as well just put a piece of 2x4 in a dress and wig, paint on a pout with lip-gloss, then prop it up in a corner.  Would be just as good as the real thing - and a darn sight cheaper to employ.   ;)

I love Helena Bonham-Carter, even if all she does these days is portray mentally deranged women in gothic atture, but she'd be too old to play Charissa if the film is sticking to characters' ages from the books.  If not, then yes, absolutely HB-C for Charissa.   Jason Isaacs could be Ian Howell - again if book-age is not strictly adhered to in the movies?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Historian on July 30, 2007, 11:20:51 AM
I think it is really important to keep to the ages in the story. Kelson is only 14. While his training would have imparted some grace of movement, etc. 14 year old boys are by nature gangly. A ripped 18 or 20 something isn't going to project the right image to go with the bout of insecurity, etc.

The others can stretch the age a couple of years one way or the other. I think Natalie Portman is a little young looking for Jehanna, and not cold enough for Charissa. This might be a great chance to use some up and coming talent. 

Helena Bonham Carter might work for Charissa. Could Russel Crowe pull off Nigel or Brion?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on July 30, 2007, 02:12:27 PM
This is later in the series than Rising, but I just re-read Quest and kept seeing Tom Fenton (Draco Malfoy) as Connell (in a dark wig, of course).

How about Rupert Grint as Dhugal?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on August 01, 2007, 07:09:56 PM
MAK, this is what you get when you called for action instead of posting something for a good discussion LOL
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on August 25, 2007, 04:51:09 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on July 30, 2007, 02:12:27 PM
This is later in the series than Rising, but I just re-read Quest and kept seeing Tom Fenton (Draco Malfoy) as Connell (in a dark wig, of course).

How about Rupert Grint as Dhugal?

Hmmmmm, that might work!

Only one person could play King Donal in my opinion.... Sean Connery.  ;)

I've also thought that perhaps Mira Sorvino would make a good Charissa.

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on August 28, 2007, 12:46:47 PM
RG is the only redheaded boy the right age I can think of.

But if anyone suggests Daniel Ratcliff as Kelson. . . .  .!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: thistlethorne on August 31, 2007, 10:16:57 AM
Ewan McGregor for Morgan.

Liam Neeson as Thomas Cardiel.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on September 11, 2007, 01:27:29 AM
'Been thinking about this for a while and have finally come back to it.  Should a film of DR actually come to be cast I don't think well-known actors will hold the major roles, but possibly a few of the supporting ones.  But one actor who does come to mind for Morgan is Paul Bettany.  He's just about the right age, has the right coloring, and plays both heroes and villains with equal finesse.  Check him out in 2004's The Reckoning.

Kelson should definitely be an unknown--that somehow seems to work out for other films.  A few years ago, Hugh O'Conor (young King Louis in 1993's The Three Musketeers) would have made an excellent Kelson, but at 32 he might be a little old for the fourteen year old boy king.  He'd make a very handsome Duncan, perhaps . . . .

Diane

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on September 11, 2007, 01:18:36 PM
While I'm thinkng about this, Christian Bale might make a very good Lord Ian Howell.

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on September 14, 2007, 03:25:31 PM
Paul Bettany does have the look you'd expect from an evil deryni lord (as seen by certain bishops)

but somehow I expect a more muscular heavier Morgan (and Duncan).  Not sure if there is specific reason in the books for that image
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Kelsa on October 07, 2007, 10:27:42 PM
I agree with the image of Morgan being big and muscular.  But I always pictured Duncan as being less muscular and more intellectual and agile/nimble.  I like the picture of Viggo as Morgan (as both Strider and Aragorn, he cuts the right image).  Orlando Bloom has the right "look" size-wise for Duncan and while he could probably do a good job, I don't think you would want to recast LOTR movies. 
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on October 08, 2007, 02:22:10 AM
I had been picturing Ewan McGregor for Morgan too, although even he wasn't quite right.  I didn't know Paul Bettany but went and looked him up and he does have the right sort of look.  I've noticed in my reread that PB is replacing EM as my mental image, so that says something to me. 

Agree on the treatment - if it ended up like Eragon it would be shocking!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on October 12, 2007, 08:57:11 PM
Ok, Paul Bettany not muscular enough?  Got another I like even better--Kevin McKidd, who played Rome's Lucius Vorenus and now stars in the NBC show Journeyman.  Don't let his American accent in that show fool you.  He's a Scot, he's 34, 6 foot tall and he's got the right look and build.

I can't see guys like McGregor, Bale, or heaven forbid, LOTR movie flunkies playing any major role in a DR film.  Viggo's great, but too old (49) to play a young Morgan, now.  And I think Bloom's just a little too lean for Duncan.

Still haven't found a worthy Kelson and still searching, but Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) might make a devilishly handsome Connell--he plays a great 'heavy', and looks younger than he is.

Diane
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on October 17, 2007, 03:53:37 PM
Quote from: adagiomin on October 12, 2007, 08:57:11 PM
Still haven't found a worthy Kelson and still searching, but Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) might make a devilishly handsome Connell--he plays a great 'heavy', and looks younger than he is.

Diane

I've never seen "The Tudors", but I've seen stills of JRM as the young Henry VIII, and I think he might be a good choice.  (Through most of Quest I wanted to reach through the pages of the book and slap Connell, and JRM looks like the sort of young man who needs to be slapped regularly just on general principles.)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Sabrina Wolfe on October 22, 2007, 05:16:01 PM


Am I the only one out here who believes that Justin Hayward, the lead singer of the Moody Blues, would make a great Alaric Morgan in Deryni Rising?  He has the right hair and build.  As for Kelson, you definitely need a 14 year old and unknown actor to pull it off right. 

Sean Connery would be great for Donal but, Sean has offically retired.  He turned down the opportunity to play Dr. Henry Jones in the new Indiana Jones movie.

Sabrina

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on October 23, 2007, 05:58:44 PM
Daniel Radcliffe might make a good Derry, he has the vulnerability, but redhead or not (besides this is hollywood - hair color is whatever bottle the stylist uses) Ron the dufus just doesnt fit my mental image of anyone in the books.  Emma Watson would make a good Mearan princess but thats later in the books
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on October 30, 2007, 11:24:00 AM
Quote from: adagiomin on October 12, 2007, 08:57:11 PM
  Viggo's great, but too old (49) to play a young Morgan, now.  And I think Bloom's just a little too lean for Duncan.

If you put him in a dark wig, I think he might make a good Biron or Nigel.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on November 08, 2007, 10:11:46 PM
Quote from: Sabrina Wolfe on October 22, 2007, 05:16:01 PM


Am I the only one out here who believes that Justin Hayward, the lead singer of the Moody Blues, would make a great Alaric Morgan in Deryni Rising?  He has the right hair and build. 


Justin Hayward--born in 1946, 61 year old Justin Hayward?  Morgan is 29 years old at the onset of DR.  And if you check Hayward's current pics, I think his hair color comes out of bottle these days!  Seriously, check out Kevin McKidd here:  http://www.tv.com/photos/viewer.html?type=21&ref_id=132022&ref_type_id=104&pic_number=107584
An actual blond!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on November 08, 2007, 10:13:51 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on October 30, 2007, 11:24:00 AM
Quote from: adagiomin on October 12, 2007, 08:57:11 PM
  Viggo's great, but too old (49) to play a young Morgan, now.  And I think Bloom's just a little too lean for Duncan.

If you put him in a dark wig, I think he might make a good Biron or Nigel.

I agree, Brion or Nigel.  And Viggo does look younger than he is. 
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on November 08, 2007, 10:29:41 PM
Quote from: tenworld on October 23, 2007, 05:58:44 PM
Daniel Radcliffe might make a good Derry, he has the vulnerability, but redhead or not (besides this is hollywood - hair color is whatever bottle the stylist uses) Ron the dufus just doesnt fit my mental image of anyone in the books.  Emma Watson would make a good Mearan princess but thats later in the books

Despite the natural red hair and as much as I like Rupert Grint, I can't see him as Dhugal.  But Emma would fit in somewhere quite nicely, she's turned into a real beauty.  And I think Daniel Radcliffe at 18 needs a few more years of maturity to pull off the 23 year old Derry.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BishopCullen on November 24, 2007, 01:11:09 AM
Jason Isaacs, yes, but as Edmund Loris. 
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BishopCullen on November 24, 2007, 10:51:06 PM
Hang on.  Here's the long list!
Alaric Morgan-John Rhys Meyers
Duncan McLain-Orlando Bloom
Brion Haldane-Brad Pitt
Edmond Loris-Jason Isaacs
Lawrence Gorony-Patrick Stewart
Rhydon/Stefan Coram-Gary Oldman
Thomas Cardiel-Sam Neill
Denis Arilan-Alec Baldwin
St. Camber-Sean Connery
Wencit-Alan Rickman
Bran Coris-Ben Afleck
Queen Jehanna-Nicole Kidman
Richenda-Jessica Alba
Nigel Haldane-Daniel Craig
Archbishop Bradene-Harrison Ford
Charissa of Tolan-Tricia Helfer
Ian Howell-James Callis
Lionel de'Arjenol-he was the voice of Skar in Lion King, also in Die Hard With a Vengence but i'm drawing a blank on his name.
Kelson and Connall should both be unknowns, I agree.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on November 25, 2007, 07:50:32 AM
Jeremy Irons provided the voice of Scar in "The Lion King" and was Bruce Willis' adversary in the 3rd Die Hard movie.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Coasty on November 25, 2007, 09:57:16 AM
  T' answer your Question? I would love to see a movie based on this series! As for the Cast I will leave that to others.  
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Kelly on January 08, 2008, 02:04:30 AM
I think that Wentworth Miller would be an outstanding Duncan.  He has that quiet dignity that I think whichever actor plays him would need to possess.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on January 09, 2008, 12:59:48 PM
Quote from: BishopCullen on November 24, 2007, 10:51:06 PM
Hang on.  Here's the long list!
Brion Haldane-Brad Pitt

Nigel Haldane-Daniel Craig

I thought that all the Haldane men were dark-haired.  Why suggest two blonds?

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BishopCullen on January 10, 2008, 10:55:49 PM
hair color can be changed.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on January 25, 2008, 11:31:08 AM
Quote from: BishopCullen on January 10, 2008, 10:55:49 PM
hair color can be changed.

Perhaps.  Pitt's too pretty, though.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: morgan on February 09, 2008, 07:49:38 AM
It will be good to have a Deryn movie!! I'm forcing my brain to find some good casting but...I can't imagine someone SO good to play Morgan, eh eh. And don't know lots of the names of actors you named so...let's try!
What do you think about a shaved  ;D Josh Holloway for him? Yes, he's a little older but not so much. Or maybe Paul Walker?
For Kelson, I imagine the Drew Fuller of some years ago.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DeryinOpus on April 28, 2008, 10:08:22 AM
I think that Shia Labof would be great as Kelson, with Harrison Ford as his father.   :)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on April 28, 2008, 01:45:46 PM
Harrison is too old to be Brian, he could play Camber, Kelsons great--grandfather
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on April 28, 2008, 02:04:34 PM
I like  Harrison Ford, but I just can't see him as Camber, I'm afraid. I'd always be looking for the wookie.  Peter O'Toole, although he's a little old for it now, is more my image of Camber.

But I know the perfect person to play Loris: Ian Richardson, who was the wonderfully awful Francis Urqhart in the PBS series House of Cards back in the nineties. He can play distinguished with an undercurrent of nastiness beautifully.

The person who looks most like Morgan as I see him is Julian Sands. 

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on April 29, 2008, 06:47:33 AM
I recently saw Peter O'Toole as a high church man in an episode of "The Tudors" (which I love and if you have Showtime you should definitely check out) and you're right, Shiral.  He's got the right vibe for Camber, if only he were still in the shape he was in ten or fifteen years ago.  He's not aging well, and I pictured Camber as aging quite gracefully, still active well into what was considered old age in the medieval world.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on April 29, 2008, 03:43:04 PM
Oh, and Shiral reminded me of who would make a good Conall Haldane.  Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund in the Narnia movies.  He does devious quite well, and has the right look for a young Conall.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: lancingboy on May 07, 2008, 01:13:46 AM
I think Chase Crawford would be perfect as an older teenage Kelson. I read this book years ago before Chase was even known (at least by me) and he is very close to how I pictured Kelson at 17-18. As for the younger Kelson, I have no idea.

As for the female cousin of Kelson's that he was suppose to marry, you know, the red head one? I pictured the daughter from the show Grounded For Life as her. And her mom played by the same person who played her mom on that show.

When I read books, I usually write down on a piece of paper which people I imagine as what characters. It's easier to remember characters that way. I'll find one of my Deryni books later on and add onto the characters I envisioned.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on May 07, 2008, 01:43:49 AM
Quote from: DesertRose on April 29, 2008, 06:47:33 AM
I recently saw Peter O'Toole as a high church man in an episode of "The Tudors" (which I love and if you have Showtime you should definitely check out) and you're right, Shiral.  He's got the right vibe for Camber, if only he were still in the shape he was in ten or fifteen years ago.  He's not aging well, and I pictured Camber as aging quite gracefully, still active well into what was considered old age in the medieval world.

Alas yes, Peter O'Toole is showing the inevitable march of time a bit too much, now. But I still love his face--he looks like a man who's really lived. Which is a must for Camber!

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on May 07, 2008, 02:42:42 PM
Plus Peter O'Toole has the right tall slender blond look for a MacRorie.  Pity he's not aging well, or that we can't turn back time to 10 or 15 years ago when he looked a bit more well.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: GrtWhtShark on May 13, 2008, 01:53:32 AM
Peter Weller (of Robocop fame) as Edmund Loris
Jim Cavizel as Duncan
Julian Sands looks a little too menacing to be Morgan. How about Aaron Eckhart?
Gerard Butler as Brion (or Nigel)
Cate Blanchett as Jehenna
Michelle Pfeiffer as Charissa
Sean William Scott as Connell

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on May 20, 2008, 03:26:08 PM
What about Rollo Weeks for Kelson?  He played a youngster in The Theif Lord, when he was 20.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on June 27, 2008, 07:01:32 PM
Just thought of a good possibility to play Brion: Rufus Sewell. Although if it's in DR, it's really pretty much a cameo for him. But I have something of a soft spot for him in my heart.

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Shiral on July 27, 2008, 01:01:33 AM
Quote from: Shiral on June 27, 2008, 07:01:32 PM
Just thought of a good possibility to play Brion: Rufus Sewell. Although if it's in DR, it's really pretty much a cameo for him. But I have something of a soft spot for him in my heart.

Melissa

Another brainstorm. Ciaran Hinds who played Julius Caesar in Rome would make a great Alister Cullen. Or possibly Cinhil.

Having seen Troy Unfortunately, the only person I see Brad Pitt playing is.... Brad Pitt wearing various funny costumes.  Julia Ormond, whom I rather liked, seems to have vanished from the acting scene. But I thought she might make a passable Jehana.  Or for the older Jehana, perhaps Emma Thompson.

Melissa
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: jemler (RIP) on August 31, 2008, 07:11:32 PM
Here's one for Azim or al-Rasoil - Oded Fehr. He played Ardeth Bey on the Mummy with Brendan Fraser.
John Rhys-Davies could play Duke Ewan of Claibaorne I think.
I already mentioned in chat about Brzad Dourif playing Gorony.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on October 14, 2008, 03:13:51 PM
Always love to check in here and see how it's going.  (Sorry I've not posted much but I became a grandmother this April past and am loving it!  Gabriel Joseph is his name and he's now 6 mos. old and the happiest baby I've ever known--my daughter and her husband don't know how fortunate they are to have such a good baby.) ;D

And now the question:  is there any more to a real movie deal for KK and DR, or is all this casting fun just that--just a bit of whimsical supposition on the part of ardent fans?

I love Rufus Sewell, Melissa!  And Brion can always appear in flashbacks, and therefore have a substantial role after all.

Oh, and I think Oded Fehr would make a wonderful Azim--but I also think that's jumping the gun a bit--one novel/movie at a time, please. ;)

And no one commented on my choice for Morgan so I will reiterate here--Kevin McKidd.  His series Journeyman was cancelled (idiots!) so it's a bit tougher to see him in action, but he has a few movies in production, and did a guest spot on Grey's Anatomy on this season's opener (and I only watched it to see him).  Cast as Dylan Thomas in a upcoming film about the writer, he is also being considered for the part of "Thor" in the proposed Marvel movie.

I love many of the choices considered here, but would prefer unknowns and/or British actors over Americans for obvious reasons--unless American actors can affect the proper accents for the roles.  Color me biased, but that's the way I've always heard the characters voices in my head.

Off-topic I know, but also sorry to learn of the Con's cancellation.  Was planning on attending if my ride could have been had, but that fell through some time ago.  I'm not even doing PA Ren Faire this year for the same reasons.  (Did do a week at Pennsic this August past--my fourth year!)  Hope those from this group that did go this past weekend had a great time there--I've been attending it for almost twenty years now and it's a great fair.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: adagiomin on October 14, 2008, 03:46:39 PM
Quote from: adagiomin on October 14, 2008, 03:13:51 PM
And now the question:  is there any more to a real movie deal for KK and DR, or is all this casting fun just that--just a bit of whimsical supposition on the part of ardent fans?

And now that I've prematurely posted that before reading the chat posts, I'll answer my own question--I see that it is more real than not!  To quote KK from the Sept 28th chatlog:  "...It looks like the script of DR is going to sell.  It's gone to legal.  More reports next week,I hope."

Wonderful news!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on October 15, 2008, 03:27:27 PM
I like Kevin Mckidd also, but he is too dour for Morgan (although maybe is good enough actor to do that).
He might make a good Arilan

Russell Crowe has much more the attitude I think of as Morgan, although he may be too old now
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on October 16, 2008, 03:04:50 PM
Quote from: jemler on August 31, 2008, 07:11:32 PM
Here's one for Azim or al-Rasoil - Oded Fehr. He played Ardeth Bey on the Mummy with Brendan Fraser.


What about Alexander Siddig, Dr. Bashir from ST:DS9?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Obiwan3 on October 19, 2008, 08:33:33 AM
Would Siddig be mysterious, almost sinister, enough. I've mentally pictured Azim in that light. Not quite sure if he's a bad guy until well into his storyline. An intriguing role.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on October 21, 2008, 09:27:08 AM
Quote from: Obiwan3 on October 19, 2008, 08:33:33 AM
Would Siddig be mysterious, almost sinister, enough. I've mentally pictured Azim in that light. Not quite sure if he's a bad guy until well into his storyline. An intriguing role.

I think he could be.  Before DS9 he played Saud (the founder of Saudi Arabia) in a BBC movie about the Arab Uprising (covering similar ground to Lawrence of Arabia.)  He was originally, on that basis, considered for Cisco, but after he took his beard off they realized he was too young.  I think that now that he's a bit older than he was then, he could do it.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: thistlethorne on October 24, 2008, 07:12:57 AM
Saddig would be good.  I hadn't thought of him until someone else mentioned, but he would be a good choice.  I saw him in '24' and he can do ruthless quite well.  He was also in 'Syrianna' if you want to see him in close to appropriate garb for the part.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: PaulaT on January 01, 2009, 02:33:07 PM



    Yes, I would like to see this movie made. It sounds like the author of the script as read the books and has brought about a good script. As we fantasize about the casting, let us remember  ;)  just because we can't see the actor in the part, doesn't mean he or she can't do a great job bringing the character to life in the eventual film,( If and when the film is actually cast and filmed.)

   After reading the postings, many of the suggestions I would have made have already been posted. I do like Nicole Kiddman for Jehenna and Jeremy Irons for Loris. love the idea of Helen Bohnam Carter but would she be too old to play CHarissa?. How about Robert Pattison? 
  Don't forget that lesser known players won't cost as much for the first movie, a big name in a few of the parts will give it weight and, appealing to the younger crowd by adding a "heart throb" who can act.
   I too "hear" the british accents and "see" certain people in certain roles.  It will be fun to see what happens with the movie.


Paula

                                                                               
                                       
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on January 18, 2009, 12:11:24 AM
What about Rutger Hauer for Camber, if they ever get around to those books?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on January 20, 2009, 07:22:22 PM
I think Rutger Hauer is a little too big for Camber.  Camber is supposed to be tall but fairly slim.

In a perfect world, I think Peter O'Toole fifteen or so years ago would have made a great Camber, but now he's just not aging at all well.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on January 25, 2009, 10:05:50 PM
What about James Purefoy for Morgan, if you dyed his hair blonde?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on January 26, 2009, 02:45:07 AM
James Purefoy as a blonde could work for Morgan; I had to look him up on IMDB to remind myself who he was, but I loved him in "A Knight's Tale."
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on January 26, 2009, 10:11:21 AM
Well, I'll put in my cast list, with some explanations. A couple of points first. One: I'm flexible on ages, to a point. Health care and cosmetics being better in this 21st century world, I'm the first to admit that many people don't look their age (Even I get carded, and I'm nearly 40. Not bragging, just a statement of fact.). All the clichés a là "30 is the new 20" seem to bear this out. Two: I think KK not only creates pairs of books in terms of story arcs (as I read elsewhere in this forum), she also has characters who work in pairs (Morgan & Duncan, Cardiel & Arilan, Kelson & Dhugal, even Loris & Gorony). Some of my casting is done with this in mind.

That said, I present for your consideration...

Camber has to be Derek Jacobi. Full stop. I'll admit I've always mentally cast him in the part, aging him in my imagination during the late 80's (see his Chorus in Henry V), and his Cadfael performances bolstered my view. More recent appearances in Underworld Evolution and The Golden Compass don't discourage me, nor does his Col. Protheroe in the recent television production of Sleeping Murder.

Richard Roxburgh as Morgan and Ian Hart as Duncan. These two have already worked together in an adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, with RR as Holmes and IH as Watson. I mention this primarily because the Morgan/Duncan partnership is similar to that of Homes and Watson: the former in each pair has notoriety and a slight dark edge to the heroic, while the latter has specialized training (medicine:priesthood) and a partial military background. RR turns up in some interesting places, frequently as villains (Moulin Rouge, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing). IH conveys a great deal of intelligence and political acumen as William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley in The Virgin Queen (check out the Masterpiece Theater site); these traits are also keys to Duncan's character.

Kristin Scott Thomas as Jehana. The role is a bit of a challenge, because it demands a fine balance of grief and fear, without lapsing into "hysteria". After all, Jehana keeps her wits well enough to wield her authority in the regency council. She also has to hold her own against Morgan and Nigel. And that's just the first book; if they keep going, she has to do all that emotional growth in King Kelson's Bride (with Patrick Stewart as Barrett?). Considering her work in Gosford Park and Keeping Mum, I think KST is up to it. I'm inclined towards Anne-Marie Duff for Charissa, and Helen Mirren as Caitrin, with Jennifer Ellison as Janniver, Anne Hathaway as Rothana ar-Rafiq and Emma Watson as Araxie Haldane (I'm stumped for Meraude and Sidana). I run this list of royal ladies in part because I suspect the filmmakers will condense things (though fans of the books may not like it); Deryni Rising might start things off, with Deryni Checkmate and High Deryni folded into one film (likely with Kevin and Bronwyn's parts reduced or cut), then The Bishop's Heir and The King's Justice combined, and finally The Quest for Saint Camber and King Kelson's Bride also combined. I suppose much depends on how far they go into the history (in other words, how much attention they give to events in the 900's), and how much money they make.

If the filmmakers start with Deryni Rising, Brion's is a small part. It could be expanded a bit, if say flashbacks to the defeat of the Marluk and the trip to Saint Neot's are included. Hugh Jackman may not take it because it verges on a cameo, but I think he has the charisma it demands. If he did take it, I'd cast Clive Owen as Nigel. Alternatively, CO could play Brian with Rufus Sewell as Nigel. Nigel may be deferential to his king, but he still must stand up to Jehana, serve as an effective regent for Kelson, and train all those pages and squires.

Bill Nighy is my pick for Loris. He has the build and features as described in the books, and I think he has the fanaticism/lust for power and ecclesiastical dignity in his repertoire (I base this mostly on the first two Underworld movies--as I haven't seen the new one--and his part in the biopic The Lost Prince. Jason Isaacs could mesh very well with him as Gorony (I think he's bit too young and muscular for Loris); if you want a sort of visual echo in build, have Richard E. Grant play Gorony. At first blush, I'm inclined to skew Arilan older, although the books make him only seven or eight years older than Morgan and Duncan. I suppose I base this on a generational mindset (go-slow, be discreet, work behind the scenes), together with his stuffed-shirt high-handedness and his endless juggling of his various secrets as a Deryni bishop and a member of the Camberian Council. Perhaps that's why my first choice for the part is Patrick Malahide; I've seen a number of Elizabeth I biopics in recent years, and his Walsingham stands out for me. (Come to think of it, he might also make much of Edmund Loris.) Given that Arilan and Cardiel must work hand in glove as a slightly younger generation against Loris and Patrick Corrigan (Alan Bates, anyone?), I'm inclined to offer Paul Giamatti for Arilan, with Kenneth Branagh as Cardiel. PG did that great turn in The Illusionist, holding his own with Edward Norton, and I think KB has it in him to be both the leader of the rebellion against Loris and the awed-fascinated human friend and superior to PG's Arilan. (Speaking of Edward Norton, and assuming the movie series thing goes to King Kelson's Bride, I'd pick him for Mátyás in a heartbeat, largely on his performance in The Illusionist. What say we add Ralph and Joseph Finnes as Mahael and Teymuraz respectively?)

Christopher Eccleston is my pick for Wencit of Torenth, partly from his role in Elizabeth, and partly for his role in A Price Above Rubies. Give him a beard, and he makes me think of the vulpine figure described in High Deryni. I think he'd also sort well with Jeremy Irons as Rhydon of Eastmarch (I want to cast Stefan Coram separately, but am stumped), Daniel Craig as Lionel d'Arjenol, and Kevin McKidd as Bran Coris. I'll round out the rogues' gallery with Liev Schreiber as Ian Howell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Conall (though I haven't seen The Tudors, I recall him vividly in Gormenghast).

I may get some raspberries for the rest of these, but I submit (in no particular order):

Sean Earl Derry................................ Elijah Wood
Kevin McLain.....................................Sean Bean
Ewan McEwan Duke of Claibourne......Ian Holm
Caulay MacArdry................................Liam Neeson
Sicard MacArdry.................................William Hurt
Vivienne de Jordanet..........................Maggie Smith
Sofiana Vastouni................................Judy Dench
Laran ap Pardyce...............................Ciarán Hinds
Tiercel de Claron................................Orlando Bloom
Bradene de Tourz...............................Sean Connery
Wolfram de Blanet..............................Ian McKellen
Henry Istelyn.....................................Simon Callow
Creoda..............................................Charles Dance
Warin de Grey....................................Christian Bale
Dhugal MacArdry................................James or Oliver Phelps (take your pick)
Azim ar-Rafiq.....................................Oded Fehr


Finally (if you've read this far), I leave Kelson and Liam-Lajos unfilled. Liam doesn't really come into his own until King Kelson's Bride, so the question can be held in abeyance. For Kelson, I feel I lack sufficient data. At the risk of incurring some opprobrium, I'll admit Daniel Radcliffe might be able to fill the role, but I'd prefer to see more of his work (my purse isn't long enough for a jaunt to Broadway for Equus). A great deal depends on putting people together, and I am not a casting director outside of my own head.

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on January 26, 2009, 11:21:50 AM
I still think Rollo Weeks would be a good Kelson.  He looks younger than his age.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: TheDeryni on January 26, 2009, 01:31:29 PM
Gee, BalanceTheEnergies, tell us how you really feel. lol. I have to google a lot of these, but I'd say I'm impressed. Also, BTE, welcome and I look forward to your future posts! :)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on January 26, 2009, 08:09:32 PM
BalanceTheEnergies, you clearly have put a lot of thought into this.  I have to admit, Maggie Smith as Vivienne is BRILLIANT, and I like Patrick Stewart for Barrett de Laney as well.

I don't know if Daniel Radcliffe could handle Kelson though.  Don't get me wrong, I love him as Harry Potter, but I'm not sure he's got the range for Kelson.

And I don't think Anne Hathaway is exotic enough for Rothana.  I was thinking somebody out of Bollywood for Rothana.

Ralph and Joseph Fiennes for Mahael and Teymuraz is another brilliant idea.

And I wonder if the filmmakers will have the budget for the rest of your ideas.  But it looks pretty good.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: thistlethorne on January 26, 2009, 08:42:59 PM
I am very impressed with your casting, BalanceTheEnergies.  Absolutely brilliant casting and well thought out.  Now if we could just find a studio with a bottomless budget!  :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on January 27, 2009, 01:20:25 PM
Thanks for the kudos. To amend/expand (and I'm not even in Congress  ;D):

A lot depends on the budget the filmmakers can command. Money chases success in Hollywood, so anyone with a good track record can get more scratch. I also wonder if Columbia is trying to find a flagship franchise, in the manner of other studios (Warner Brothers has Harry Potter, Fox has Marvel heroes, Paramount has Star Trek). For the actors, there may be other considerations besides the bucks--working with people they've always wanted to work with, finding a smaller role that could be fitted in a busy schedule, even making a film that espouses dearly held values (like the tolerance discussed elsewhere).

Like I said, I can't commit to DR as Kelson, for I don't feel I've seen enough of his work. Part of the trouble with playing the role is that he grows from 14 to his early 20s, again depending how far the bending filmmakers pursue the story. I am heartened by his stage foray; Equus isn't a walk in the park, so taking it on does suggest a certain amount of ambition. With the Potter films nearing completion, he may have the time. Could he do it? I think that answer to that is the Scottish verdict "Not Proven." Rollo Weeks is an intriguing thought; I'll have to borrow The Lost Prince from the library and have another look.

I suggested Elijah Wood for Derry, but Ewan McGregor could also do well in that part. Derry is extremely popular with the fans, and his part of the story is very important, both to Morgan's character and to the whole thematic exploration of Deryni-human relations.

Detractors may find my packing the Camberian Council with so many high-powered actors excessive, but the Council's contentious deliberations require a great deal of intellectual and emotional heft to be projected, mostly from sitting positions. Surely that requires some serious acting chops, yes? Casting the bishops has a similar difficulty: the costumes will make them look largely identical, so the faces and voices and body language must distinguish them.

I'd also entertain swapping Orlando Bloom and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the roles of Conall and Tiercel. Part of the question relates to the casting of Kelson, but I'd still like to see these two work with the whole chafing-under-the-restraints vibe. Conall and Tiercel are very much another of the pairs, in my view.

For those who don't know, the Phelps twins play Fred and George in the Potter films. I always like to see more of them, and I think either of them would look enough like Liam Neeson (as Caulay McArdry)--Dhugal is long taken to be Caulay's son before he proves to be his grandson. I'm afraid Rupert Grint strikes me as too young, though he's actually the right age and colouring.

I picked Anne Hathaway largely on the strength of Rachel Getting Married, though I also recall Rothana is related to Richenda (who's either a redhead or a strawberry-blond). Most of the nobility are related, often multiple times (Morgan and Duncan are what, fifth cousins on their fathers' side as well as first cousins on their mothers', and they're related to Kelson via the Drummonds.) Appearances have a great deal to do with casting, for good or ill. As for Richenda, I still find myself going round in circles: Tilda Swinton? Cate Blanchette? Somebody else?

I'm also turning over the problem of Stefan Coram. Whoever gets the part should be of a similar size and build to the actor playing Rhydon, since the chapter in the grimoire suggests maintaining a shape change is easier when the target is similar to the caster (I suppose since matter is neither created nor destroyed, merely changed). I seem to recall that Rhydon had dark hair and Stefan was blond, though I haven't got the Codex to hand. If we start with Jeremy Irons, who is close to his size? And should he take Coram and leave Rhydon for someone else? Jonathan Pryce? Charles Dance?  ???

Other possibilities, again depending on how far things go:

Hugh de Berry...........................David Thewlis
Morag Furstáná.........................Miranda Richardson


Thanks again for all the feedback; I look forward to continuing these discussions.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on August 12, 2009, 07:16:43 PM
I still think that Rollo Weeks would be a good Kelson.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on August 12, 2009, 07:46:49 PM
I've said it before, but if anyone suggests Dan Radcliffe as Kelson with Rupert Grint as Dhugal, I will probably start screaming and not be able to stop.

YES, Dan does fit the physical description of Kelson--tall, good looking, dark haired.  And yes, Rupert is a red-headed boy about the same age, but STILL.  Even though I'm working on a Harry Potter crossover, the idea makes me cringe.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: LeDuc on November 10, 2009, 02:02:42 PM
I want to play the role of Brion Haldane, King of Gwynedd. It might be a 'short-lived role', though. hehehe!!!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on May 20, 2010, 04:11:49 PM
As a new member, I thought I would resurrect this, and add another couple of names to the suggestions.

Mark Strong as Wencit (or indeed any of the Furstans).  He's currently on-screen as Godfrey in Robin Hood, but if you want to see him as a Torenthi, look at him as the head of Jordanian Intelligence in Body of Lies.   

Alas, he is probably slightly too old now, but David Wenham (Faramir in LOTR) comes very close to my idea of Alaric.   Perhaps we could find a role for him somewhere?   ;)

Alkari
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on May 20, 2010, 09:53:59 PM
I had to look up Mark Strong on imdb, but I think he would indeed make a good Wencit.  As for David Wenham as Alaric, that's a good idea too.  I don't guess he's too old just yet, as my choice for Camber is.  (I think Peter O'Toole 15 years ago would have made a great Camber, but he's just not aging well, and I don't think he could pull off Camber's vigor any more.)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on May 20, 2010, 10:08:09 PM
It's fascinating to look up some of these 'unknowns' on imdb.  So often they come to attention in one movie, you look them up - and find they have had a whole lot of really interesting roles.  Sometimes they are very good British actors, often with years of stage and TV experience, who don't necessarily have a high profile in the USA.   

Oh yes, and can we find a role somewhere for Paul Bettany?  I think he'd be uite good as someone like Tiercel, or maybe even Arilan.  He's another one of those chameleons - think the intellectual Maturin in Master and Commander, but the blond killer monk in The Da Vinci Code

Aussies will recall David Wenham as having had some very sexy roles in TV series and local movies, so he would certainly be ideal as Alaric.  And I totally support the suggestions for Cate Blanchett as Richenda: only a glimpse in DC and a small role in HD, but she has to be dramatic and gorgeous enough to captivate Alaric at once.

Alkari
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on May 24, 2010, 11:58:13 AM
Problem I'm having with some of these is age.  Morgan and Duncan are supposed to be 29/28 respectively in DR and some of these actors are well into their 40s.  In terms of looks, I used to picture Morgan as Ewan McGregor, but since someone mentioned Paul Bettany earlier he has pretty much become my "minds eye" Morgan.  So someone who looks a lot like Paul Bettany but is younger would be great  ;D  PB has the height, too, I think he's 6' 3" or thereabouts, and much is made of Alaric's height throughout the books.

If we ever need a young Alaric, I'm picturing the lad who played the young Jacob in Lost as being a lot like Alaric around about the Marluk time.

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on June 05, 2010, 07:34:40 PM
I think age is somewhat fungible, in part because of technology and in part because of improved health and nutrition. People make cracks about what age is the "new 40" frequently, but I think they have a point. Think about it: Does Hugh Jackman really look 40, as we're used to thinking of "40" as "middle-aged"? Mr. Jackman is only one example.

The other, related point is stress, and the toll it takes on people, and by extension, their looks. (I speak from experience; my mother has been living with chronic pain for some years, and it has aged her appearance rather dramatically.) We're talking of filming characters who lived in the equivalent of our late medieval Western Europe, and many of them living for extended periods under emotional and physical stress. I hold that living in the Eleven Kingdoms, and particularly being a Deryni in the Eleven Kingdoms, would age people's appearance, and that this gives the people doing the casting for the movies some considerable leeway in their choices.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on June 05, 2010, 11:08:08 PM
Well, I would much prefer to have quality acting over actors chosen merely on looks or because they happen to be the right age.  If you look at the Harry Potter movies, Alan Rickman and Gary Oldman were too old to play Snape and Sirius Black: according to the books, they should have been more than ten years younger.  But Rickman is the absolutely sneeringly perfect Snape, and Oldman was a wonderful Sirius. 

I think the main thing for the Deryni movies is to get the relevant age differences reasonably correct.  In terms of the Deryni world, where people are adults at age 14 and women can be married at 14-16, we are essentially looking at a generation between Kelson, and his mentors in Morgan and Duncan (and Nigel).  So if you cast Morgan and co with actors around 40, you can then go for an actor of around 20 for Kelson.    Arilan, Cardiel and co can then be into their fifties. 


 
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on June 07, 2010, 12:57:35 AM
Quote from: Alkari on June 05, 2010, 11:08:08 PM
Well, I would much prefer to have quality acting over actors chosen merely on looks or because they happen to be the right age. ...

I think the main thing for the Deryni movies is to get the relevant age differences reasonably correct.  In terms of the Deryni world, where people are adults at age 14 and women can be married at 14-16, we are essentially looking at a generation between Kelson, and his mentors in Morgan and Duncan (and Nigel).  So if you cast Morgan and co with actors around 40, you can then go for an actor of around 20 for Kelson.    Arilan, Cardiel and co can then be into their fifties. 


 

I concur on both counts. Good acting counts for a lot. Colouring can be fudged a bit with makeup and other things. I didn't settle on Mr. Roxburgh as Alaric Morgan for his colouring as much as his teamwork with Mr. Hart (see my earlier post) and his propensity for audacious villians (he has almost more fun than should be legal in Van Helsing)—Alaric Morgan is rather more than a "bad boy," for he carefully cultivates his sinister reputation as a means of protecting himself, while suffering the toll that discrimination/persecution take on a disfavoured minority and rising above it with style (only consider what he does with that fellow's whip early in DR).

Actually, I put forward Patrick Malahide as a candidate for Arilan in part because Arilan seems to be of a different generation, though in fact he's only some eight years older than Morgan and Duncan. To me at least, Arilan represents an older, more cautious generation of Deryni, preferring to work behind the scenes. A running theme/subplot involves a basic dispute between Deryni who live discretion to extremes and those who feel that hiding only promotes the fear that fuels the persecutions; this is dramatised in the tension between Arilan and Morgan & Duncan during the Chronicles (Didn't Cardiel remark upon it when he and Arilan were alone? And wasn't the situation the impetus for Arilan revealation of himself to Cardiel?), and again when Duncan is torn between Dhugal's desire to be open and Arilan's penchant for secrecy (specifically recall Arilan's displeasure with Duncan after Dhugal's accolade, and Duncan's response). When Duncan gets to consecrate the Camber Chapel in KKB with the archbishops at his elbows, Arilan attends but watches discreetly from the back, as if passing the torch to a younger, more open generation of Deryni.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on June 07, 2010, 02:54:10 AM
Quote from: BalanceTheEnergies on June 07, 2010, 12:57:35 AM
... Arilan seems to be of a different generation, though in fact he's only some eight years older than Morgan and Duncan. To me at least, Arilan represents an older, more cautious generation of Deryni, preferring to work behind the scenes. A running theme/subplot involves a basic dispute between Deryni who live discretion to extremes and those who feel that hiding only promotes the fear that fuels the persecutions; this is dramatised in the tension between Arilan and Morgan & Duncan during the Chronicles ...

You make an excellent point here: it's one of the ongoing tensions in the books, and it will be interesting to see how it works out.  Mind you, Arilan has had to work behind the scenes, because of his situation.  If Loris and co. excommunicated Alaric and Duncan, and later tried to burn Duncan, imagine what they would have done to Arilan!  Yes, Patrick Malahide would be excellent for the role - or you could grab Richard E Grant.

When you look at the characters' ages, there is considerable leeway to fit in actors of the 35-55 age group.  Nigel, for example, always has that air of 'seeming' older than Alaric and Duncan, but in fact he is only about 6 years their senior, and Jehana is almost exactly their age.

I *do* like your suggestion of Roxburgh and Hart as the Morgan / Duncan combination - Alaric Morgan definitely had some fun cultivating his image, even though much of it was for self-protection.  Whoever plays the role must have a definite twinkle in his eye at times.  

ETA:  You earlier suggested Tilda Swinton as one option for Richenda.  She is an excellent actress, but for me, altogether too 'hard' for Richenda.  But I think Swinton would make a really superb Jehana, because she would be able to portray the older/thinner and anguished Jehana we see in the later trilogy, after her return from the convent.  It is only later in HKKB that we get a glimpse of her softening, both physically and in attitude, and I think Swinton could really handle that.


Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 07, 2010, 01:28:09 PM
Wow, this is a tough one. I have no clue who I would cast in a present-day movie, although back when I first read the books, I had also just recently watched the movie Labyrinth, so my mental images of Alaric and Richenda are inextricably linked with Rutger Hauer's "Etienne of Navarre" and Michelle Pfeiffer's "Isabeau," and the guy who played the Bishop of Aquila will forever be my mental image of Archbishop Loris.  I never have found an actor, past or present, who quite lived up to the Duncan McLain who lives in my head.  As for Kelson, I don't envy any casting director that decision! Dhugal, on the other hand, is ridiculously easy for me to imagine now, at least as he first appears in the books.  I have a fifteen year old freckle-faced redhaired son.   :D

I noticed, however, that on my recent "reading" of the audiobooks, for some inexplicable reason I kept picturing Denis Arilan as Timothy Dalton.  That's a bit disconcerting, as up until now I've never been much of an Arilan fan, but if he looks anything like Timothy Dalton, I might have to reconsider....   ;)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on June 08, 2010, 03:48:20 PM
The movie you're thinking of is Ladyhawke, isn't it?  That you'd just seen?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 08, 2010, 04:17:26 PM
LOL!  Yes, Ladyhawke.  That's what I get for trying to write posts while answering phones at the same time.   ;D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on June 08, 2010, 04:48:37 PM
Quote from: Evie on June 07, 2010, 01:28:09 PMmy mental images of Alaric and Richenda are inextricably linked with Rutger Hauer's "Etienne of Navarre" and Michelle Pfeiffer's "Isabeau,"
Yes, a young Rutger Hauer would have been OK as Alaric, though I am not a Michelle Pfeiffer fan.  However, if we follow BalanceThe Energies' suggestions, and cast Richard Roxburgh as Alaric, then why not go all Aussie and have Nicole Kidman as Richenda?  She's very slim, and her natural colouring is exactly right  :)

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on June 09, 2010, 12:20:59 PM
Alkari: I had put down Mr. Grant for Gorony (his Stapleton in the Roxburgh/Hart Hound of the Baskervilles is quite villainous, and I think he'd do well with Bill Nighy as Loris), but recalling his turn as the Scarlet Pimpernel suggests he could play Arilan—lots of secrecy and dissembling in that part. As always, the actors' preferences and prior commitments will play a part. Come to that, Mr. Jackman may fancy the bigger part of Nigel more than a cameo as Brion, and his stardom will give him plenty of clout in the matter.

As for Jehana, don't forget her anguish over the assassination plot (in TKJ, I think), when she "overhears" the assassins and warns Nigel. Whoever plays the part will have to bring the baggage of a true love poisoned by her internalized hatred of herself and all things Deryni to the early books (the Codex and DR suggest her first marriage did not go smoothly), then face circumstances in which those feelings threaten to cost her a son as well as a husband, then begin to open up and reconsider what she has been taught, and at last to open herself both to her Deryni heritage and a second chance at love with Barrett. Further, she comes from the Eleven Kingdoms' equivalent of France, and I think Ms. Thomas would be better at projecting that as well; I've heard she in fluent in French and has performed in some French films.

I must tip my hat to your suggestion of Ms. Kidman for Richenda. I hate to say it, because I've seen her and Roxburgh in Moulin Rouge (not to mention one of my Derry candidates, Mr. McGregor) and I finally borrowed Australia from the library recently, but it did not occur to me to consider her for the part. I guess I think of her more as a blonde. Silly, really—as you pointed out, her colouring is a natural fit, and as I pointed out, certain aspects of colouring (say, hair) can be fungible. Perhaps that's why I'm not a professional casting director.  ;D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on June 09, 2010, 05:43:36 PM
Perhaps that's why I'm not a professional casting director.

LOL - I think your suggestions have been excellent!  Shame that we've probably just blown the budget for at least half a dozen Hollywood blockbusters ...

Oh well, if we are spending imaginary dollars, may I add one person to your list for a Torenthi character, perhaps Wencit or Teymuraz, though he can do good or bad.  Javier Bardem.   Say no more!

I would LOVE to be able to find a role for Gary Oldman, who is such an excellent chameleon actor, both in looks and voice, that he could do anyone between the ages of 35-80.   He'd be great as Gorony, for example, or maybe even the hooded figure of 'Saint Camber' in DR and the Chronicles.  But as he looks like being committed to the role of George Smiley in a movie of le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (what an inspired choice and a Must See movie!), we will, alas, probably have to give him a miss for the moment.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 09, 2010, 08:11:10 PM
Oh, goodness yes, Gary Oldman could do a great Gorony.  Or pretty much most roles short of Kelson or Richenda.   ;)  (OK, I exaggerate, but he is really versatile!)

KK makes so many references to Wencit's "russet" hair and foxlike features, though, I'm having trouble picturing Bardem for that role, though I could see him as Teymuraz.  I see Wencit as looking closer to how Jason Isaacs did in "The Patriot."
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: wombat1138 on June 15, 2010, 03:26:12 PM
Shamefully, I have to confess that on my most recent re-read, my brain cell kept making Wencit look like The Burger King. *headdesk*
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 15, 2010, 03:37:52 PM
Quote from: wombat1138 on June 15, 2010, 03:26:12 PM
Shamefully, I have to confess that on my most recent re-read, my brain cell kept making Wencit look like The Burger King. *headdesk*

*dies laughing*  Great.  The Burger King, impaling soldiers on pikes.  I'll never think of fast food quite the same way again.   :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on June 15, 2010, 05:06:43 PM
That is awesome.  We were just talking about how creepy The Burger King is.  And I can totally see it--in a cartoon sort of way.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 12:27:48 PM
How about Conan O'Brien as Wencit?   ;D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 16, 2010, 02:11:06 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 12:27:48 PM
How about Conan O'Brien as Wencit?   ;D

You're evil.   :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 03:52:48 PM
Quote from: Evie on June 16, 2010, 02:11:06 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 12:27:48 PM
How about Conan O'Brien as Wencit?   ;D

You're evil.   :D

So's Wencit.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 16, 2010, 04:37:45 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 03:52:48 PM
Quote from: Evie on June 16, 2010, 02:11:06 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 12:27:48 PM
How about Conan O'Brien as Wencit?   ;D

You're evil.   :D

So's Wencit.

We'll just cast you, then.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 17, 2010, 10:31:55 PM
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.morphthing.com%2Fshowimage%2F2%2F0f45768a2979c4f081189eb6a55a7c26%2F0%2F27095701%2Fburger-king-jpg--Conan-OBrien.jpeg&hash=4f17deedcb9323153aec2a5a8787556e87f2e185) (http://www.morphthing.com/image/27095701-burger-king-jpg-Conan-OBrien?key=0f45768a2979c4f081189eb6a55a7c26)

Looks like some spell went horribly wrong.   :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on June 18, 2010, 11:53:50 AM
Quote from: Evie on June 16, 2010, 04:37:45 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 03:52:48 PM
Quote from: Evie on June 16, 2010, 02:11:06 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on June 16, 2010, 12:27:48 PM
How about Conan O'Brien as Wencit?   ;D

You're evil.   :D

So's Wencit.

I'm not a redhead.  What about Chuck Norris?

We'll just cast you, then.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on June 18, 2010, 02:44:39 PM
How many times have we discussed hair dye?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on June 18, 2010, 05:17:15 PM
Or a suitable wig.  Wonderful things can be done with those!  Cate Blanchett is a very soft blond, but was a rather fetching dark brunette in Robin Hood , and I'm sure Johnny Depp doesn't wander round in Pirate dreadlocks ...   
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on June 19, 2010, 08:21:58 PM
I wouldn't put it past Mr. Depp.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 20, 2010, 09:32:09 PM
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.malestarz.com%2Fuploads%2Fphotos%2F0e5d24b0c1c6d8f33dcd8e653be91a523.jpg&hash=058a1281b905916ea8b69e3f980ede3c421b18a8)


(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poptower.com%2Fpic-11602%2Flogan-huffman.jpg&hash=41b1fa45bed00d7435785d90ef1101098ad07c7e)

I believe this is the young actor that KK mentioned in chat tonight as having the right look to play Kelson.  His name is Logan Huffman.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on June 21, 2010, 11:54:53 AM
I can see that.  I can also see the Twilight teen brigade deserting Robert Pattinson/Taylor Lautner in their droves to put him on their bedroom walls.  Best clear a space on DD's wall right now, in fact.  Just so long as she likes Kelson and not Alaric, there will be no blood spilt in this house. ;)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on June 21, 2010, 11:55:57 AM
Very nice
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 21, 2010, 12:08:29 PM
Looks at the picture of "Kelson" and remembers a time when that poster most certainly would've been posted on my bedroom wall.

Wonders when I got old enough to be that cute kid's mom? 

Gets a wicked gleam in eye and wonders if there's an online program similar to Morphthing that will do age progressions, so I can get a good picture of Nigel or Brion for the wall....

;)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on June 21, 2010, 01:30:55 PM
Oh yes - even this REALLY ancient old lady reckons that kid is Rather Nice Indeed.  And wonders how many female hearts he is going to break ...

Ahem.  He certainly is an excellent model for Kelson, and almost exactly as I had imagined our young king.

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 21, 2010, 01:58:48 PM
Heh, poor Sophie!  I rather suspect my fictional lady-in-waiting will soon develop a mad, unrequited crush on her young King.  Good thing she's got the sense to realize it's going to remain unrequited, so she won't make too much of a fool of herself.  Unless the voices in my head dictate otherwise as I'm writing them, of course....   :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Gyrfalcon64207 on June 21, 2010, 02:37:14 PM
You just like tormenting them.  Admit it.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on June 21, 2010, 02:43:13 PM
As my other favorite author (Lois McMaster Bujold) advises, when it comes to writing, "Think of the worst possible thing you can do to your character(s), then do it.  And then figure out how your character deals with that situation.  Lather, rinse, repeat, and there's your story."  OK, so that's a very broad paraphrase, but it's advice that seemed to work well enough when I was writing ANAMCHARA, at least, and right now it's serving me in good stead as I torture work on a scene with Derry....   :D

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: the Bee on July 11, 2010, 07:16:49 PM
I can see Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt from The Mentalist TV series) as Jehana.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on January 20, 2011, 07:22:20 PM
Maybe Ian Somerhalder (Damon from "Vampire Diaries") or Steven McQueen (Jeremy from "Vampire Diaries" for Conall.  McQueen's brooding portrayal of Jeremy might do for a younger Conall--Somerhalder for an older Conall for his bad side (pushing Tiercel down that secret fireplace or using magic to nearly kill his own father Nigel).
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on January 20, 2011, 08:53:34 PM
Mmmm - like either of those two.   ;)   '

I think Steven McQueen would be better (with darker hair) as Ian Somerhalder is a bit too old for even Older Conall, who was only 18 in QFSC.  Of course, I'm sure Evie will come up with some role for him!  :D

I am still looking for an ideal Alaric: I keep finding 'older' versions, like this nice Italian actor Kaspar Capparoni:-
(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.movieplayer.it%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fkaspar-capparoni-e-luca-nella-fiction-al-di-la-del-lago-112887.jpg&hash=12cc9080e253313312817be17c9a95ac1880e9dd)

*sigh*  Will keep looking ....


Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on January 20, 2011, 09:23:43 PM
Quote from: Alkari on January 20, 2011, 08:53:34 PM
I think Steven McQueen would be better (with darker hair) as Ian Somerhalder is a bit too old for even Older Conall, who was only 18 in QFSC.  Of course, I'm sure Evie will come up with some role for him!  :D

Oh yeah, Annie pointed Somerhalder out to me in chat recently.  I was thinking he looks a bit more Sextus Arilan-ish, though obviously Sextus wouldn't be in a DR movie.   :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on January 20, 2011, 09:30:39 PM
Well, Denis Arilan is only late 30s in the DR, DC and HD trilogy, so maybe we age him slightly and have him for Denis! 
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on January 20, 2011, 09:38:31 PM
I suppose that would be easier than making Timothy Dalton look young enough again to play Denis.   :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on January 21, 2011, 05:21:59 PM
How about Peter O'Toole to play either Creoda or Patrick Corrigan?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on January 21, 2011, 06:26:51 PM
Ooh, yeah, since he's too old to be Camber, he'd make a great Creoda.  I saw him play a scheming churchman on "The Tudors" and he did beautifully.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on January 21, 2011, 06:37:51 PM
He was the top scheming churchman (The Pope himself) on the Tudors.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on January 23, 2011, 11:21:56 AM
>author=DesertRose
>Ooh, yeah, since he's too old to be Camber, he'd make a great Creoda.  I saw him play a scheming >churchman on "The Tudors" and he did beautifully.

Anyone see what NCIS did with the Vance character?  They had him playing a 20 year younger self so well, people were asking how they found a young actor that matched so well.

they used makeup plus CGI
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on January 23, 2011, 04:41:29 PM
Makeup plus CGI would do well enough to de-age his face and all, but the problem is, at least from my point of view, that Peter O'Toole's health has gotten a bit fragile, and I don't think he has the vigor for Camber any more, sadly.  Fifteen years ago, he'd have made a GREAT Camber, in my opinion, but he just doesn't have the vim for the role now, I don't think.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on January 23, 2011, 10:43:42 PM
Agree, alas, Desert Rose.   O'Toole could do a 'walk on ' part as old Carsten perhaps, but I think we have to look for someone else as Camber.  

I totally support BalanceTheEnergies' suggestion of Derek Jacobi as Camber.   Of course, they'd better make the movies before HE gets too old, LOL - in which case we could reconsider the role for either Patrick Stewart or Richard E Grant.   Better still - the wonderful Ian McKellen.   Camber is not actually an "old" person in the Camber trilogy, so we don't need someone too elderly.

ETA:  Still trying to work out where we'd fit him in, but I'd just love a role for one of my favourite character actors, Robert Carlyle.   He does Evil really well too!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on February 28, 2011, 06:40:56 PM
Yes, I do wish they'd get on with it. I stand by my choice of Sir Derek for Camber (perhaps it's the voice as much as anything else), and my selection of Sir Patrick for Barrett, as I have seen his recent Shakespeare efforts  and (on that evidence) believe he has what it takes for the Transfer Portal scene with Jehana in KKB. I also hope they do as in LOTR and shoot as much at once when everybody is together.

I also think this is the cultural moment for these movies to be made and succeed. More on that in another post shortly.

By the way, in light of The King's Speech, I'm thinking of Colin Firth for the role of Thomas Cardiel. What say you?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on February 28, 2011, 08:01:54 PM
Very interesting choice!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on February 28, 2011, 08:39:38 PM
Yes, Colin Firth would certainly do it well.   From a stuttering Prince and then King, to a brave and determined human Bishop standing up for his beliefs - yes, Firth would do a good job.

Of course, by the time Evie finished casting heart-throbs as Duncan and Denis Arilan, and we got a handsome and dashing Alaric, plus KK's choice for young Kelson - well, they'd be beating off the female fans at the doors!  :D   
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on February 28, 2011, 10:00:48 PM
I like Colin Firth as Cardiel.  That's a good call.  Wonder if we'd get that lucky. :)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on February 28, 2011, 11:03:05 PM
After seeing the various appearances at yesterday's Oscars, I think we could change BalnceTheEnergies' original suggested list and have Christian Bale as Wencit rather than Warin de Grey.  The moment I saw Bale with that pointy beard yesterday, my mind shrieked:  "Wencit!" . 




Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on February 28, 2011, 11:43:36 PM
QuoteI like Colin Firth as Cardiel.  That's a good call.  Wonder if we'd get that lucky. Smiley

We might. Given what I've read about his recent stint at programming for the BBC and his viewership of MSNBC's Countdown, I think the themes would appeal to him personally. There's also plenty for him to do: leading the schism, discovering Arilan's identity, watching magic in action, arguing with Morgan and Duncan when the cousins go to the rebel bishops to dispute their excommunication (and use their powers in church), scowling when Duncan gives Dhugal that very special accolade, dealing with the crisis over Henry Istelyn, lending support when Duncan consecrates that altar in the Camber chapel...

QuoteAfter seeing the various appearances at yesterday's Oscars, I think we could change BalnceTheEnergies' original suggested list and have Christian Bale as Wencit rather than Warin de Grey.  The moment I saw Bale with that pointy beard yesterday, my mind shrieked:  "Wencit!" .

Perhaps. I saw the beard and the energy of his award-winning performance and saw the fanaticism and charisma of Warin de Grey. I kept thinking that while watching Slate's slideshow of quiet supporting performances. Specifically, I pictured Mr. Hart in the role of Duncan offering himself to be stabbed, and Mr. Bale doing it.

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on February 28, 2011, 11:56:44 PM
But Wencit is a slightly larger part, and he needs to come across in a number of ways.  He is a well-respected person in Torenth, after all, so he needs to come across as a leader and very powerful Deryni there.  Plus he is the coldly charming and scheming person who persuades Bran into treachery, who tortures Derry, and who arranges / helps Bran to arrange, the little 'reception' involving the Cassani soldiers.  He also has his own long-standing grudges against Haldanes and Morgan.   I think it might be easier to get someone for Warin's part, which is really only two main scenes - the Healing witnessed by Derry, and the stabbing scene to which you refer.  His other appearances, including the scene where Loris and co are taken in Coroth Castle, are basically 'walk-ons'.




Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on March 01, 2011, 09:06:26 AM
Heh.  Well, as Christian Bale with a goatee is already my mental image for my sociopathic fanfic character Walter, it's hardly a stretch at all for me to imagine him as either the charismatic and fanatical Warin or the powerful and scheming Wencit.   ;D   Though I see him more as Warin because of his overall appearance, I agree with Alkari that he does have the "right stuff" to play Wencit as well--and is a big enough name to probably prefer the meatier role--if the longtime fans are willing to overlook the fact that he looks nothing like Wencit is depicted in the books.  (Personally, if he were cast as Wencit, I'd rather see him play the role as-is rather than try to fit him with colored contacts and hair dye to make him look the part, because I suspect russet hair would look awful with his complexion.  No one but the diehard fans would know he's supposed to have russet hair and foxlike features to go with his foxlike cunning, after all, so a dark-haired Wencit wouldn't be a big deal for general audiences.)

Or we could have Jason Isaacs as Wencit and Christian Bale as Warin, and I'll just start rooting for the bad guys from now on....   ;)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: the Bee on March 13, 2011, 08:10:50 PM
Quote from: Alkari on February 28, 2011, 11:56:44 PM
But Wencit is a slightly larger part, and he needs to come across in a number of ways.  He is a well-respected person in Torenth, after all, so he needs to come across as a leader and very powerful Deryni there.  Plus he is the coldly charming and scheming person who persuades Bran into treachery, who tortures Derry, and who arranges / helps Bran to arrange, the little 'reception' involving the Cassani soldiers.  He also has his own long-standing grudges against Haldanes and Morgan.   I think it might be easier to get someone for Warin's part, which is really only two main scenes - the Healing witnessed by Derry, and the stabbing scene to which you refer.  His other appearances, including the scene where Loris and co are taken in Coroth Castle, are basically 'walk-ons'.

But those scenes and characters don't appear until Deryni Checkmate.  Maybe we can give Bale a major role in the sequel to Deryni Rising.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on April 01, 2011, 12:06:29 AM
Well, none of this is set in stone. Not the casting; we could go with Branaugh as Cardiel and Firth as Arilan (to give another example). Not the relative size of Warin's part; his role could be expanded, with his coping with his changing beliefs as a parallel or counterpoint to Jehana's development.

BTW, isn't Checkmate the sequel to Rising?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Rahere on September 15, 2011, 04:09:17 AM
Go search around Alleyns' for the right youngster, that's the kind of School where the right script could make this a runner. If you've never heard of the place, it was the crucible of the entire Youth Theatre movement, produced Jude Law, Florence (and the nuts and bolts of the Machine), one Chemical Brother, Sam West, Pixie Geldoff, the list gos on and on...
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Arilan s Fan on January 20, 2012, 11:54:13 PM
I hope the silence on and off the board about "Deryni Rising - the Movie" does not indicate that the whole project has ground to a halt.

Populating the movie with talent from around the British Isles would be the saving of the budget as well add a sense of cultural continuity for the to-be-hoped-for franchise.  You wouldn't have to be as stodgy as casting Irish actors as Mearans, but having actors play Mearans as Irish.  I offer the example in ignorance of exactly what the best real world equivalent the Katherine Kurtz had in mind when she created Meara.

The European actors get a crack at the big American market, the film industry gets their need to test talent in different roles, and we get a movie that is completed.

On this thread I have seen the cruel fate of film actors being fondly suggested long after their ability to play the role has passed.  I would have liked to have seen Rebecca De Mornay play Charissa, but that will never be.  I wish for Charissa to be played in a similar way that Rebecca De Mornay played Lady D'Winter.  The mind wobbles to think what a sufficiently young Faye Dunaway would have done with the part.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on January 21, 2012, 03:11:12 PM
We can always hope that a Deryni movie will be made, but it doesn't look like it.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on January 21, 2012, 03:36:52 PM
If it is made, find the person or casting company responsible for casting Game of Thrones for HBO and hire them! The casting for that series has been superb, with the right combination of well-known faces, up-and-comings and unknowns and each of them pretty spot on for their roles. The only one I was less than convinced about was Jon Snow as he wasn't my mental image of Jon Snow at all, but the actor has done a decent job, so he's winning me over gradually. I hope he has the depth for the role as it develops.

And while I'm on the subject, I am now campaigning for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to be Alaric. He is Jaime Lannister in GoT and he's as close a match to "my" Alaric as I've seen in a long time.

http://getasword.com/blog/822-game-of-thrones-first-pictures/

Check out that pic and tell me you can't see Richenda falling for him when their eyes meet when he pushes her carriage at St Torins!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on January 21, 2012, 04:17:31 PM
Agree with AnnieUK - the critical thing is to get the actors who are right for their roles.   Country of origin is not terribly important, especially as many actors can do a variety of accents: look at the  Lord of the Rings trilogy, with actors from a number of different countries.  

QuoteThe European actors get a crack at the big American market,
Not really an issue these days.  Time was when the very parochial American market 'demanded' American actors (and even had 'strange' accents subtitled!), and it was often hard for other very deserving and talented actors to get a break.   But there are plenty of very successful recent movies with all-British (or a wider European) casts.   The Harry Potter franchise hasn't done too badly with having an all-British cast, after all  :D     And there are movies when the actual storyline demands a non-US cast - e.g. The King's Speech, and Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy.    I believe that there was some pressure on Spielberg to put some US actors in Warhorse, but one of the few good things he did with that movie was refuse those demands, saying that the story was about British, French and German people.  

Yes, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau looks pretty OK for Alaric  :D    Well, *I'd* go and watch him in the role, LOL.   Now all we need to do is find a suitable Duncan for poor Evie ...

PS:  Am still hanging out for Mark Strong as Wencit.  The man is just so very good at being bad !!    (He's naturally bald, but give him a suitable wig ... )  



Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on January 21, 2012, 05:37:47 PM
My latest suggestion for Duncan. Don't think even Evie can find *too* much fault with him.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1895990016/nm1485069
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on January 21, 2012, 06:28:24 PM
Yes, he'll do.   :)

Here's another pic, with lighter hair.  Definitely Duncan material!

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2011/04/19/1226041/477763-switched-on-partick-moore.jpg

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Arilan s Fan on January 22, 2012, 12:21:09 AM
I don't suppose there is any young male relative of Peter Cushing to play Wencit?   
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Arilan s Fan on January 22, 2012, 12:34:06 AM
Quote from: Alkari on January 21, 2012, 04:17:31 PM
Not really an issue these days.  Time was when the very parochial American market 'demanded' American actors (and even had 'strange' accents subtitled!), and it was often hard for other very deserving and talented actors to get a break.  
Unleashed (Jet Li, Bob Hoskins, and Morgan Freeman) had to be dubbed in standard English because in American tests the Glaswegians were too difficult to understand.  LOTR is the one set of films that a great variety of British inflections were used to great success.  The Harry Potter franchise did not often use an inflection far from the Oxbridge standard.  There is almost more in the way of variation of inflection of English in the British Isles than in the entire North American continent.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on January 22, 2012, 06:02:46 AM
Those of us outside the USA of course, just have to battle along and try to comprehend strange deep Southern accents, etc.  :D    The non-US movie audience of course doesn't count, but guess what - we somehow manage! 

I am still amused that they actually needed the original Mad Max movie subtitled for US audiences! 

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on January 22, 2012, 06:06:22 AM
Most people in the UK struggle to understand Glaswegians! And Geordies!

My uncle lived in Glasgow most of his life and my daughter can't understand a word he says!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on January 23, 2012, 11:01:30 AM
Quote from: AnnieUK on January 21, 2012, 03:36:52 PM
And while I'm on the subject, I am now campaigning for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to be Alaric. He is Jaime Lannister in GoT and he's as close a match to "my" Alaric as I've seen in a long time.
Check out that pic and tell me you can't see Richenda falling for him when their eyes meet when he pushes her carriage at St Torins!

there are a lot of similarities between Alaric and Jaime, once you get past the incest thing.  I just finished the 4th book and Jaime is turning into a strong character with a lot of impact on how the Game will conclude, just as Morgan is central to Deryni world.  with a name like Nikolaj, the actor has a hint of Torenthi in him too.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DesertRose on May 13, 2012, 10:35:20 AM
Reviving this topic to show off someone I think would make a good Rothana.

Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil Crawley on "Downton Abbey" for anybody else besides Festil and me who might be addicted to it)

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4044534528/nm3726887
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: derynifanatic64 on May 13, 2012, 03:37:55 PM
Interesting choice for Rothana.  Even I am a big fan of Downton Abbey.  Looking forward to Season 3 next January.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: cynicalmedic on August 09, 2012, 06:00:35 AM
Since I am new, I have been reading a lot of the old threads, and this one intrigues me. I am surprised that no one has mentioned the lovely and talented David Tennant for a role.  ;D

I also like Chris Pine - the young gentleman that played Kirk in the last Star Trek movie. He may be too short to play Morgan, but he might make a good Derry. Adrian Brody might be a good choice for one of the Torenthi lords, too.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on August 09, 2012, 09:52:14 AM
Of those three, I'm only familiar with David Tennant, but as much as I like him, no particular Eleven Kingdoms character is springing to mind when I try to imagine who he might play.  He doesn't really match any of the physical descriptions of the main characters that I can think of (although it might be possible to alter that somewhat with hair dye and/or colored contacts), though he might work well as a secondary character.

I haven't seen the last Star Trek movie yet, but at least if Chris Pine were to end up in a Deryni movie, I already know where I can find his "Captain Kirk" action figure to modify accordingly!   ;)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: cynicalmedic on August 09, 2012, 10:11:44 AM
Here is Chris Pine http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517976/

The blue eyes make me think of Derry, but I have always pictured him looking more like a young Brady Anderson http://www.bradyanderson9.com/

Can you tell Derry is my favorite character?  ;D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on August 09, 2012, 10:49:38 AM
Here's the Captain Kirk doll that's based on Chris Pine's characterization:

(https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.manbehindthedoll.com%2Fimages%2Fstartrekkenkirkhs.jpg&hash=7ceae0da9890ebc5c8296e8228ad0fb880c1613a)

I wonder if it might be possible to make that short hair a bit curlier somehow to make a more "Derry-like" action figure?  The main reason I haven't tried to add a Derry to my action figure collection is that it's been next to impossible to find a light-brown-haired Ken (though at least now I know how to change hair color), much less a curly-haired one.  But maybe if I wind the longer bits of hair around bobby pins to curl it, and then give him a boil perm?  His coloring looks fine for the part, otherwise.

/me wanders off to ponder the problem and to see how much Captain Kirk Ken tends to run on eBay these days....
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: cynicalmedic on August 09, 2012, 12:40:58 PM
I saw curly doll hair at Michaels - in a nice shade of brown. Hmm - perhaps it is time for a small experiment. :D
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on August 09, 2012, 12:54:10 PM
Yeah, though I was hoping to get away with as little re-rooting as possible, given how my last attempt at that turned out, but feel free to try that and let me know how it works out.    :D

Though bringing the topic back to casting, it would be lovely if even one of the cast members for a future Deryni movie could have at least some vague resemblance to one of the action figures I've made for the roles.  So maybe I should throw in my vote for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau for Alaric--that would make Alkari and Annie happy, at the very least, and if this movie ever happens, maybe official action figures would come out as well.  Even though I've grown pretty fond of my own version, I could probably learn to live with having a 12" Nikolaj-clone Alaric action figure on my shelf....   ;)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on August 09, 2012, 01:27:28 PM
Did someone mention Nikolaj Coster-Waldau?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Jerusha on August 09, 2012, 04:25:52 PM
How about David Tennant as Kevin McLain?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: tenworld on August 09, 2012, 05:29:25 PM
Quote from: AnnieUK on August 09, 2012, 01:27:28 PM
Did someone mention Nikolaj Coster-Waldau?

I think he could be Morgan, and if HBO follows the books his character will remind you more of Morgan.  He is not the pure evil he seemed at the beginning.

Also I would much prefer a GoT adaptation of Deryni than a movie after watching the Borgias too.  They could even run the timelines simultaneously, that would be a first.  NC_W could play Morgan and Joram.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: AnnieUK on August 10, 2012, 02:50:17 AM
Yup, I've seen that cited as a way to tell who has read the books and who has only seen the series - if people have only seen the series they still hate Jaime Lannister. :)  (Although I always have a soft spot for the bad guys anyway!)
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: cynicalmedic on August 10, 2012, 05:35:39 AM
I was thinking of David as the slinkingly evil Iain - it would be a change for him to play the bad guy. Actually, I am coming around to Nikolaj Coster -Waldau as Alaric - I haven't watched GoT, but he is starting to grow on me.

How about Ioan Gruffudd as Kevin McLain?
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on August 10, 2012, 10:04:36 AM
I like Ioan Gruffudd too, though I don't picture him as Kevin.  Maybe a high-ranking Torenthi lord, if there's ever a High Deryni movie?  Since KK has specified that Duncan's brown hair is on the light/medium end of the spectrum, I've tended to imagine Jared's and Kevin's hair color as being somewhat similar, although Duncan and Kevin had different mothers, so it's certainly possible that one of the McLain sons has darker hair.  Or, for that matter, Jared's hair might have been a darker brown before it grayed, and Duncan's lighter shade might be due to the influence of his mother's lighter-haired genes.  (Vera's hair was a honey golden-brown, IIRC.)  Dark hair is more likely to be dominant, but there are always exceptions to the general rule.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: cynicalmedic on August 10, 2012, 10:32:15 AM
I loved Ioan in "Horatio Hornblower" and was quite surprised to see him in the Fantastic Four movies (my husband is a Silver Surfer fan - the only reason I saw the second one)

I guess Hollywood can do anything - after all, they made munchkin man Tom Cruise into the tall and elegant Lestat, and butchered the casting on Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels, turning it into the leaden Gettysburg. It would be just our luck that some idiotic casting director would make the decision that Justin Bieber would be a wonderful Kelson!  :P
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Evie on August 10, 2012, 11:00:14 AM
Quote from: cynicalmedic on August 10, 2012, 10:32:15 AM
It would be just our luck that some idiotic casting director would make the decision that Justin Bieber would be a wonderful Kelson!  :P

<Luke Skywalker scream>  NOOOOOOoooooOOOOoooOOOOOOO!!!!!   :o  </Luke Skywalker scream>
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Alkari on August 12, 2012, 05:53:18 PM
* Echoes the Luke Skywalker scream*

Much as a I love Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, he is - alas - too old for Morgan in the first two Kelson trilogies, though he could do a great Morgan in KKB.    I'm still keeping my eyes out for suitable cast members though - an added interest when going to the movies, LOL.    Though the last movie I saw was the Danish one,  "A Royal Affair", and while I like Mads Mikkelson as an actor (he has a really interesting face), he is too old for most of the key characters in the Kelson era.   

Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on September 03, 2013, 02:49:04 AM
Have been digging up my old notebook on this from several years ago. Here's my cast, with one or two revisions:
Camber MacRorie....................................Derek Jacobi
Kelson Haldane........................................Tom Hiddleston
Brion Haldane..........................................Rufus Sewell
Jehana de Bregmane.................................Kristin Scott Thomas, alt. Gillian Anderson
Nigel Haldane..........................................Hugh Jackman
Meraude de Traherne................................Emily Watson
Saer deTraherne........................................Alan Cumming
Conall Haldane........................................Daniel Radcliffe
Alaric Morgan..........................................Richard Roxburgh
Duncan McLain.........................................Ian Hart
Charissa of Tolan.....................................Jennifer Lawrence, alt. Emma Watson
Ian Howell................................................Gerard Butler
Bran Coris............................................... Kevin McKidd
Edmund Loris...........................................Bill Nighy, alt. Patrick Malahide
Laurence Gorony.......................................Richard E. Grant
Creoda of Carbury.....................................Sam Neill
Patrick Corrigan........................................Alun Armstrong
Stephan Coram.........................................Iain Glen
Vivienne de Jordanet.................................Maggie Smith
Barrett de Laney.......................................Patrick Stewart
Sofiana Vastouni.....................................Judi Dench, alt. Miranda Richardson
Laran ap Pardyce....................................Ciarán Hinds
Tiercel de Claron.....................................Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Warin de Grey.........................................Christian Bale
Sean Earl Derry....................................... Ewan McGregor
Hugh de Berry.........................................David Thewlis
Kevin McLain........................................David Wenham
Jared McLain..........................................Bernard Hill, alt. Ian Holm
Ewan McEwan Duke of Claibourne......Ian Holm, alt. Billy Connolly
Gwydion ap Plenneth.............................Hal Sparks, alt. Peter Dinklage
Richenda of Marley...............................Kirsten Dunst
Thomas Cardiel.....................................Kenneth Branagh, alt. Colin Firth
Denis Arilan............................................Colin Firth, alt. Michael Fassbender
John Nivard..............................................James McAvoy
Wencit  Furstán......................................Viggo Mortensen
Rhydon of Eastmarch.............................Jeremy Irons
Dhugal MacArdry.................................James or Oliver Phelps (whichever one is left-handed)
Caulay MacArdry..................................Liam Neeson
Ciard O Ruane........................................Kevin Conroy
Sicard MacArdry..................................William Hurt
Caitrin Quinnell...................................Helen Mirren
Judhael Quinnell...................................David Tennant
Bradene de Tourz..................................Charles Dance
Wolfram de Blanet................................Ian McKellen
Ralph Tolliver........................................Sean Bean
Henry Istelyn........................................Simon Callow
Azim ar-Rafiq.......................................Oded Fehr
Rothana Nur Hallaj................................Anne Hathaway, alt. Natalie Dormer
Araxie Haldane....................................Emma Watson, alt. Jennifer Lawrence
Morag Furstáná....................................Miranda Richardson, alt. Gillian Anderson
Mahael  Furstán.................................. Ralph Finnes
Teymuraz Furstán................................ Joseph Finnes
Mátyás Furstán................................... Edward Norton, alt. Tom Hardy
Patriarch Alpheios...............................Alan Rickman
Liam-Lajos  Furstán............................Jack Gleeson (From King Kelson's Bride forward)
Rory Haldane......................................Isaac Hempstead Wright  (From The King's Justice forward)


Yeah, I know Hiddleston is actually too old, but I suggest using technology (like that used in the recent Captain America film) to simulate a growth spurt, rather than trying to plan a shooting schedule around an actor's natural one. Also, listen to him in the DVD extras for a non-Loki voice and some intellect (particularly the stuff on The Avengers) As for the rest of the part, well, there's acting.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on August 14, 2014, 12:57:28 PM
I was just watching "Criminal Minds."  Matthew Grey Gubler as John Nivard.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Goscamber on January 13, 2015, 11:19:04 PM
Outlander fans played this game for years before the STARZ series.  Unsurprisingly, not a single fan pick was cast.  But almost everyone is pleased with actors picked, who were all relative unknowns.

The key to an excellent adaptation, either film or series, is to have a producer who cares and active author participation that really matters.

The producer's wife is big fan.  He said that if he messed things up, she'd murder him.  So we've got to have a homicidal spouse in the mix! ;)

Another series that might be coming is Eric Flint's 1632.  I posted the same analysis on Baen's Bar.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Elkhound on January 14, 2015, 07:30:46 AM
Alexander Siddig as Azim.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on August 25, 2015, 03:40:05 AM
Yeah, this topic is still on my mind too. Have been thinking of James McAvoy for Derry...
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: bronwynevaine on January 06, 2016, 04:59:57 PM
A Deryni movie doesn't seem likely  :'( but it's still fun to imagine who might play who...

One actor could play Brion and Nigel Haldane (like the twins in the in the two Parent Trap movies). My vote is Brendan Coyle (Bates from Downton Abbey). He's older than they were but makeup could fix that.

Many years ago I thought that Brian Blessed (Duke of Exeter in Henry V) could play Brion and Nigel, but he's 79. A very young-looking 79 but still too old.

Also from Downton Abbey, Rob James-Collier (Thomas Barrow) for Morgan and Allen Leech (Tom Branson) for Duncan. It would be nice to see the two of them as allies instead of adversaries. It would also be nice to see Rob James-Collier in a likeable role.

Someone else suggested Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil) for Rothana. Maybe we could just move the cast from Downton Abbey to Rhemuth Castle...

Sohpie McShera (Daisy) could be Araxie; Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith) could be Richenda; Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) could be Charissa; Joanna Froggatt (Anna Bates) could be Jehanna.

Getting away from Downton Abbey...

Kenneth Branagh could play Archbishop Loris; Gary Oldman could play Ewan, Duke of Claiborne; Alan Rickman could play Barrett de Laney.

When I saw the 2012 version of Les Miserables I thought Eddie Redmayne (Marius) was perfect for Dhugal. Now I think he's too old for Dhugal but he could be Wencit.




Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: BalanceTheEnergies on February 08, 2016, 12:17:03 PM
I still think about this myself (you can see an extensive list earlier in this thread). These days most of those recommendations stand, though of late I'm contemplating Yannick Bisson as Nigel and maybe James MacAvoy as Derry. This is still a fantasy subject, since the movie seems to be in development hell.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: LeDuc on January 10, 2021, 12:34:54 AM
How about some 'new blood', someone never seen before to play a character. I have always like Cinhil Haldane, the 'restored' King. Lived a good life, tried his best, yet had reservations. I would play the part, I'm in the right age range and able.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: HoundMistress on January 10, 2021, 12:15:47 PM
I think I missed the whole end of the last game bcz it stopped sending me notifications. If anyone has it, please send to me.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DerynifanK on January 10, 2021, 12:59:43 PM

if you are referring to GotP, it has not ended. has been in a hiatus. It will return and completed.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DoctorM on April 05, 2022, 06:43:45 PM
I've been looking over my "Two Kingdoms" fanfic and trying to think of how I see characters there-- something a couple of the site regulars have asked about, too. So, then-- let's see...

NOTE: Some character choices will require age adjustment, some are based on particular roles actors have played. I'll try to annotate those things.

Let's try the Shadow Court at Valoret, plus a couple of others--

Charissa-- Aymeline Valade. Alt: Blake Lively (age-adjusted) [Charissa in 26 when the Two Kingdoms stories start, so not a lot of adjustment]

Christian-- Nathan Fillon. Alt: Michael McElhatton (age-adjusted-- Roose Bolton in GoT).

Aurelian-- Christoph Waltz (age-adjusted)

Richenda-- Jessica Chastain (age-adjusted). Alt.: Saorse Ronan.

Kyri-- Rebecca Ferguson

Bran Coris-- Jamie Dornan

Lionel of Arjenol-- Jeremy Irons (age-adjusted to c. 1980)

Yusuf al-Fayturi (Josh Brolin-- very much like Gurney Halleck in 'Dune')

Brennan de Colforth-- David Morse (age-adjusted). Alt: Jack Lowden.

Any thoughts?




Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Nezz on April 06, 2022, 12:07:46 PM
I would not have expected Nathan Fillion in the Christian role, Fillion seems more... I'm not sure, I just would have pictured someone else.

When I first saw your actress for Charissa, I thought "what the heck?" but then I saw a few other pictures and found some that made me think "ah, I understand now."
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DoctorM on April 06, 2022, 06:41:44 PM
Quote from: Nezz on April 06, 2022, 12:07:46 PMI would not have expected Nathan Fillion in the Christian role, Fillion seems more... I'm not sure, I just would have pictured someone else.

When I first saw your actress for Charissa, I thought "what the heck?" but then I saw a few other pictures and found some that made me think "ah, I understand now."

It was hard to think of someone for Christian. I liked Fillon in "Firefly", and physically he's not too far off from what I imagined. Christian doesn't have the six-foot-three, ripped abs look of so many current male actors. He's five-nine (still a head shorter than Charissa), but...a bit square built, as a horse-archer would be. I needed someone who could be dark and intense without *quite* being a young Alan Rickman. I'd thought a bit about the late British actor Nigel Terry-- his looks in 'Edward II' and 'Caravaggio' aren't too far off.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Laurna on April 06, 2022, 10:21:03 PM
May be you will think this is funny, but when I see Christian as I am reading, I think of Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale.  I think curly brown/blondish hair, kind of unkept, a mustache (Heath Ledger has one in other movies) kind of Boyish rogue but really good at what he does. I fear Nathan Fillion is far too much in command, he would never have been second fiddle to Charissa.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Nezz on April 06, 2022, 10:48:52 PM
Second-in-command, yeah, that's probably it. And too sarcastic. I can see Christian being sardonic, but not sarcastic (usually).
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DoctorM on April 07, 2022, 07:31:19 PM
Quote from: Laurna on April 06, 2022, 10:21:03 PMMay be you will think this is funny, but when I see Christian as I am reading, I think of Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale.  I think curly brown/blondish hair, kind of unkept, a mustache (Heath Ledger has one in other movies) kind of Boyish rogue but really good at what he does. I fear Nathan Fillion is far too much in command, he would never have been second fiddle to Charissa.

And that is very interesting. Now I always see Christian as dark-haired (House Falkenberg runs to black hair, and his mother was an illegitimate daughter of the Arjenol line), but then that's because I see him as, well, my character. Raven's-wing, short-cut hair, dark eyes, clean-shaven...though back in the Long Ago, I saw him with a close-cropped beard around his mouth because...well...I had one back then.

He is good at what he does, and he's found a good niche as Queen's Remembrancer. He knows he's not a general, but he is very good at...finding things out.

I don't think he sees himself as second fiddle to Charissa. He's well aware that she's higher in rank than he is (and taller), and he's also well aware that his own value is in being her interlocutor, and in being the one who values her for things no one else sees.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DoctorM on April 07, 2022, 07:34:52 PM
Quote from: Nezz on April 06, 2022, 10:48:52 PMSecond-in-command, yeah, that's probably it. And too sarcastic. I can see Christian being sardonic, but not sarcastic (usually).

Sardonic, absolutely. But rarely sarcastic. He's been with Charissa since they were children, and while he knows that she out-ranks him, that's not something that bothers him. They do make a good pair-- they know how to finish one another's sentences. He probably has a somewhat lighter touch than she does.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: DoctorM on April 08, 2022, 07:44:53 PM
Gaaah! Colin Firth! How could I have forgotten the young Colin Firth as a possible Christian?!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Laurna on April 08, 2022, 07:47:29 PM
Pride and Prejudiced, Colon Firth! Oh yes!  I can see that! Good idea!
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Nezz on April 08, 2022, 07:53:07 PM
Seems a bit stuffy for Christian, but I could see it happening...
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: JudithR on October 21, 2023, 02:58:38 PM
Quote from: AnnieUK on January 22, 2012, 06:06:22 AMMost people in the UK struggle to understand Glaswegians! And Geordies!

My uncle lived in Glasgow most of his life and my daughter can't understand a word he says!
I can do Geordie if pushed.  Oddly enough, it wasn't until I'd lived in London for several years that I could "hear" Northern accents when I went back to visit family
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Stitcher001 on January 01, 2024, 02:15:08 PM
When I first started reading Katherine's books, I saw Edward Albert playing Alaric Morgan.  Edward was an expert swordsman and horseman.
Title: Re: The Casting Call!
Post by: Nezz on January 01, 2024, 03:11:09 PM
Quote from: Stitcher001 on January 01, 2024, 02:15:08 PMWhen I first started reading Katherine's books, I saw Edward Albert playing Alaric Morgan.  Edward was an expert swordsman and horseman.

Oh, I can see that. He would have been the perfect age for it in the late 70s/early 80s.