Casting Call #3: Christian Pierce

Posted on October 7, 2012May 30, 2014 by Percival Constantine

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these, but Alias has now been added to Netflix and I’ve started to watch it. I saw about half of the first season, but then ended up missing the rest. Anyway, I’ve started watching it again and I started paying more attention to Bradley Cooper. I had no idea he was in this show, and it reminded me of this Casting Call segment. Particularly one of the protagonists of Love & Bullets — Agency operative Christian Pierce. In the book, Christian is not only an Agency operative pursuing Dante, but he was also once partnered with Angela’s late husband. When he discovers Angela is working with Dante, he tries to turn her into an asset, but in the process ends up falling for his friend’s widow.

One of the reasons I stalled this segment for so long is because I was stuck on who would make a good Christian. It’s not like it’s a very complicated role, but something just didn’t feel right about other actors who came to mind. Now while re-watching Alias, I’m also reminded of two other films Cooper was in recently — The A-Team and Limitless.

Cooper has a tendency to play laid back guys, but he can also do more serious roles. If you take a bit of his performance from The A-Team and combine it with his performance in Alias, I think you’ve got a very good basis for Christian.

Do you think Cooper would make a good Christian Pierce? Sound off in the comments. And if you want to know more about Love & Bullets, you can pick it up for $9.95 in print or $0.99 in digital (also available at other online retailers).

Casting Call #2: Dante

Posted on February 12, 2012May 30, 2014 by Percival Constantine

Going with the second installment of the Casting Call series, who better than Dante, the mysterious power broker who leads the Infernum organization?

Dante first appeared in Love & Bullets, where he served in his primary role as the antagonist. He appeared again in Outlaw Blues, but this time as a supporting character. As the Infernum series is all about his organization, Dante understandably is a powerful force in the series, usually behind the scenes.

This was not an easy character to cast. Dante is one of my favorite characters to write. He’s intelligent, cunning, charming, sarcastic, and very deadly. He also has his own code of honor that he follows. Plus, I wanted to find someone who could fit the description I provided for him in the books. When I was writing the Love & Bullets comic book, I thought of Heath Ledger. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly after I wrote the scripts.

So I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of someone else. And one name struck me so suddenly that I was surprised I hadn’t considered him before — Jude Law. He’s got the look, the personality, and anyone who’s seen one of his many movies knows he’s got the talent.

Do you picture anyone in particular when you read about Dante? Is it Jude Law you think of or someone else?

Casting Call #1: Angela Lockhart

Posted on February 6, 2012May 30, 2014 by Percival Constantine

Over at his Dillon blog, Derrick Ferguson has been doing a series of casting calls for his popular Dillon series and I thought I’d play along with my books and who I’d like to see play my characters. And what better place to start than with Love & Bullets, the first book in the Infernum series?

I’ve long said that Sarah Michelle Gellar was one of my inspirations for Angela Lockhart. The character herself was originally intended to be played by a good friend of mine and a great actress, Maguerite Ada (who posed for the cover). In the event that a Love & Bullets movie were in the works, you can bet whatever apendage you like that I’d fight tooth and claw to get Maggie that part.

But for funsies, let’s go with establish actors for these casting calls. And although at first I was thinking Gellar, that recently changed. When I first started watching Fringe, I was really struck by the main actress, Anna Torv. I could have sworn I’d seen her in other stuff before. I looked up her filmography and it turns out I hadn’t seen her in anything else.

Now though, after getting into the show, I’ve realized who she reminds me of — Angela. Her portrayal of Olivia Dunham is exactly how I tried to depict Angela in the pages of Love & Bullets. Both of them are very strong, capable women who can hold their own in the field and don’t take crap from anyone. Plus, she is the spitting image of Angela as I picture her in my mind.

What do you think? Do you agree that Anna Torv would make a great Angela Lockhart or do you have someone else in mind?