By request, today on Casting Couch we will be looking at “MIND MGMT.” A book that is covered frequently and in-depth here at Multiversity, “MIND MGMT” was actually optioned by 20th Century Fox and is set to be produced by Ridley Scott, with Matt Kindt acting as a consultant to the film. We can probably assume that the wheels are a bit more in motion for this film than the other ones we fictionally cast, but we can have some fun with it anyway.
Read on for our picks of who should star in “MIND MGMT,” starting with my choice for the director…
Director – Michel Gondry
It’s not a conventional choice, I’ll give you that. Ridley Scott is producing, and somehow I don’t see Ridley Scott producing a Michel Gondry film. However, in the interest of a pure fantasy casting, I think Gondry is the type of director who could actually translate Matt Kindt’s art onto the screen in a decidedly believable way. Kindt’s artwork is so beautiful because of the way that he manages to hide secrets among many layers of meaning and duality, and as much as I like Ridley Scott’s movies, I don’t think the visions he’s brought to life are generally appropriate for this kind of adaptation; not for nothing, but he’s always sort of linear. Gondry has proven he can direct an action film (even if Green Hornet wasn’t very good), and could really bring about a movie that gets into your mind as much as the comic does, hopefully mixing the two elements. While it’s a definitive longshot, it’d be really interesting to see.
Meru Marlow – Brit Marling
When it comes to casting a great leading lady, someone who can be actively inquisitive but also stand on her own as a force to be reckoned with, there was never any doubt in my mind that Brit Marling was Meru Marlow. Brit Marling is one of the most talented actresses to come up in Hollywood in the past few years; Another Earth is an incredibly layered film, and both The Sound of My Voice and The East stand out to me as some of the most memorable movies of the past couple years. I generally think Marling could be good in anything, and I’d love to see her take on a role as big as Meru Marlow; if anyone could help bring Meru’s arc to life in a believable and earnest way, it’s definitely Marling.
Henry Lyme – Corey Stoll
Henry Lyme is a complicated character. He’s one of our leads, definitely a protagonist, but he’s not a good person by any means. In fact, everything in “MIND MGMT” can be pretty much summed up as Henry Lyme’s Fault. So for this role, I wanted to pick someone who I know can play a character that does come off with good intentions yet still makes the wrong, or perhaps selfish, decisions — and everything I’ve seen Corey Stoll in (especially recently) says to me that he’s leading man material and perfectly for someone as dubious or enigmatic as Henry Lyme.
Bill – Donal Logue
Bill was someone who I had a hard time getting a read on, because when you first meet him he seems to fall into a few cliches for his role, yet he comes back later as someone much stronger. So when at first I was thinking he might be a more throwaway role, it’s clear we need someone who can essentially bring the character in a full turnaround from one idea to another. Anyone who watched these past two seasons of Sons of Anarchy or the cancelled-before-its-time Terrier will know that Logue is a fantastic actor, someone who is great at character roles and who can really be both a menacing overbearing figure and just someone you’d want to hang out with. I think that’s rather perfect for Bill.
Perrier – Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson is an incredibly talented actress, and I don’t think she ever gets enough credit for it. She’s appeared in a lot of movies I really enjoy, let alone just memorable roles (Tammy One comes to mind), and I’ll never forget her role as Ruth’s younger sister on Six Feet Under. The thing about Clarkson, though, is she doesn’t seem to get too many roles these days that allow her to really show off her talent — which is why I’ve given her the role of Perrier. Not only is she a good fit visually, but if anyone can bring that character to live with a great deal of nuance and authenticity, it’s someone like Clarkson.
Continued below
Dusty – Suraj Sharma
Dusty was one of the more difficult characters to cast given that he’s so much younger than the rest of the group. So for this, we’re going to fudge his age a little bit, who is 20 and decidedly older than Dusty is in the book. However, consider the following: 1. actors in their 20s play younger roles and teenagers all the time. 2. Suraj Sharma was fantastic in Life of Pi. There were obviously many things that really sold that film, but Sharma’s anchoring performance to everything against what was basically just a lot of visual effects was wonderful. I’d rather see someone I know is talented like Sharma placed in the role and just pretend he’s younger.
Duncan “the Futurist” Jones – David Straithairn
The last of our band of heroes (if we can even call it that), Duncan is a much more aloof character than the rest. I’ve always seen Duncan as the kind of character that seems to operate mostly by circumstance, rather than a personal mission; he doesn’t seem as personally driven as some of the other characters in the book, he just as a stronger sense of morality. And if anyone is good at playing a character with noble intentions who could at any time switch sides, given the right motivation, it’s David Straithairn, who has often played characters like that throughout his career.
The Eraser – Carice Von Hauten
The Eraser is an interesting character, because while she’s the primary antagonist, she also never seems to be a character that is too evil. Sure, she tries to have Meru killed, but she’s never that much more of a villain than, say, Lyme is. That’s what makes her interesting. So for our “villain,” I’ve gone with Carice Von Hauten, most known for her role as Melissandre on Game of Thrones. In many ways, I think the Eraser shares a lot with the Red Woman — she may seem evil to a point, but her motivations are never truly clear. In fact, she may just be the person to save us all in the end; who knows? And that kind of perfect moral ambiguity is something that Carice Von Hauten can deliver in spades.
The Immortal – Lars Mikkelson
The only lackey of The Eraser we’ll cast because, seriously, he’s the best one, the Immortal (who lacks a more defined named) is one of the most interesting villains in the series, both conceptually and visually. Hounding Meru throughout the first two arcs of the series, he’s a relentless foe, and someone that seems just as comfortable hiding in your nightmares as he is actually coming out from around the corner and grabbing you. So for this role, I wanted someone who could be a frightening villain just from a conceptual standpoint, and Lars Mikkelson showed us just how wicked he could be in this past series of Sherlock as Charles Augustus Magnussen. Magnussen may not have been a physical threat, but I’m sure the brother of Mads could beef up a bit to be a bit more physically imposing as well.
