So I’ve been thinking more about who to cast if someday Hollywood comes knocking with a briefcase full of cash, asking to turn the Dream Doctor Mysteries books into movies or a TV series. Not at all coincidentally, I’ve become a huge fan of the new “The Flash” series (I only caught it in January – I don’t know how I missed it last fall!). The show is full of young (early to mid 20’s) actors and actresses, playing a group of very smart, somewhat geeky people who are keeping a huge secret about supernatural (OK, “metahuman”) powers, and saving lives while also working out their personal relationship issues.
It’s probably not surprising that I made a connection between the show and my books, is it? So here are some choices from the show and pictures to give you an idea of what my Dream cast might look like…
Here’s Danielle Panabaker (Dr. Caitlin Snow on the show), looking pretty much exactly like Sara (although Sara would probably wear less stylish boots and slightly shorter hair). Watch the episode “Crazy For You” – when Caitlin gets drunk and embarrasses herself at the karaoke bar, that’s exactly how I imagine Sara at her silliest/most awkward.
Here’s Grant Gustin (The Flash/Barry Allen on the show). The way he plays Barry is pretty much exactly how I picture Brian, so he’s perfect for the role.
Here is Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak, who’s a regular on “Arrow” but also occasionally shows up on “The Flash”), who is almost a perfect match looks-wise for Beth (in the books, Beth is 4-5 inches taller than Sara, and in real life, she and Danielle Panabaker are around the same height, but that’s just quibbling). I couldn’t find a photo of it, but check out the episode “Going Rogue” – the dress she wears in the trivia night scene could easily come out of Beth’s closet. And personality-wise, I think she’d be a perfect fit, too.
And this is Tom Cavanaugh (he plays Dr. Harrison Wells on the show). I can totally picture him as Howard Barnes, Sara’s father. Just pay attention to all the scenes where he acts as a surrogate father to Barry and Cisco, and ignore the scenes where he reveals that he’s a ruthless criminal from the future, or the ones where he murders anyone who interferes with his evil plans.
Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore on “Gilmore Girls”) who I unconsciously based Helen Alderson (Sara’s mother in law) on for the first three books before I finally realized what I was doing.
And, finally, Nicola Bryant (Peri on “Doctor Who”), who is the ONLY choice for Betty Barnes (Sara’s mother), and who also narrated the short story starring Betty, BETTY & HOWARD’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE.
The actors I picked for Sara, Brian and Beth are all in their early 20’s, so they could play the college-age characters of DREAM STUDENT, and also the adult characters, probably up through DREAM VACATION.
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