Casting Call Friday - One For The Money

We hadn't seen this kind of feature around on other books blogs, so we here at Lit Snit thought it'd be fun to start a new weekly feature, Casting Call Friday.

We know not every book will be (or should be) turned into a movie, but sometimes you just can't help imagine who in Hollywood would be perfect to play your favorite character. Every Friday one of us will pick a book and give you our dream cast.

This whole thing actually came about a few months ago when I finally got around to reading Janet Evanovich's One for the Money Janelle, Daniela, and I argued for longer than I'm sure any of us would like to admit about who would be the perfect Stephanie Plum, Morelli, and Ranger. In celebration of that first (and probably not the last) casting argument/discussion/belligerent yelling (totally on my part...I get defensive about my Morelli choice) I thought I'd kick off Casting Call Friday with One for the Money, even if it's already cast and in production.

Stephanie Plum: Michelle Monaghan

She's smart and sly, with the ability to play comedy and drama really well. If any of you have seen the movie Trucker, you know Michelle can play a realistic, flawed character with heart. She'd be awesome as the lead character, making those absurd bounty hunter mishaps Stephanie finds herself in, seem realistic and not at all cartoon-y.

Joe Morelli: Jeffrey Dean Morgan

I won't lie. I kind of adore Jeffrey Dean Morgan and think he'd be awesome in most anything, but he'd especially be a great Morelli. He's got that gruff, arrogant but sweet charm that makes Morelli my favorite of Stephanie's love interests. Morgan just embodies Morelli in my mind. He could even pull off lines like, "It's not the pizza, darlin', its my masculine presence" without making me cringe.

Ranger: Kevin Alejandro

Kevin Alejandro has the perfect mysterious badass vibe that's needed for Ranger. He'd be a great bounty hunter mentor to Stephanie, while keeping the sexual tension alive and well.

Grandma Mazur: Cloris Leachman

Hilarious and uncensored, Leachman would be perfect as Stephanie's gun-toting, delightfully batty grandmother. I can just hear her delivering Grandma Mazur's dry, blunt quips, while serving as a lovable meddler in Stephanie's personal and professional life.

Lula: Mo'Nique

Mo'Nique proved this past year that she's one hell of an actress with Precious, and I think she'd be brilliant as Lula, the hooker who Stephanie befriends and eventually becomes her sometimes partner. She's funny and sweet and you'd know she'd have Stephanie's back.

So that's my dream cast for Janet Evanovich's One for the Money. What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? What's your dream cast for the Stephanie Plum series?

EDIT: I've just discovered the hilarious blog Forever Young Adult who cast the main characters in their reviews. If you like this feature, check them out!