Casting Call Friday — Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes

I've had a crazy week traveling all over for weddings and work trips, so I didn't know what my Casting Call pick was going to be until I thought back to my review of Bachelor Boys and realized none of us had cast Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married despite Janelle's glowing review a few months ago.  So, I've decided to remedy that.  I'll admit this is a hard one to cast.  I'm not entirely happy with my picks so I'm looking forward to seeing who you think should play Lucy and Daniel.

First, a synopsis (via Goodreads): What happens when a psychic tells Lucy that she'll be getting married within the year? Her roommates panic! What is going to happen to their blissful existence of eating take-out, drinking too much wine, bringing men home, and never vacuuming? Lucy reassures her friends that she's far too busy arguing with her mother and taking care of her irresponsible father to get married. And then there's the small matter of not even having a boyfriend.
But then Lucy meets gorgeous, unreliable Gus. Could he be the future Mr. Lucy Sullivan? Or could it be handsome Chuck? Or Daniel, the world's biggest flirt? Or even cute Jed, the new guy at work?
Maybe her friends have something to worry about after all....

Now onto the cast...

Lucy Sullivan — Lucy is 26 and hopeless in love.  She's self-deprecating and funny, but slides into "funks" now and then and is known for her moodiness.  She sees what she wants to see in her love life and family, often missing what's right in front of her...


Cast: Carey Mulligan 
Carey Mulligan is a bit young, but I think she's got the right look and "cheekiness" for Lucy.  Plus she can handle the more serious turns the character takes throughout the book.  Having her as Lucy will keep the story from going too "zany rom com" and keep some of the gravitas that makes this story great.

Daniel Watson — Daniel is Lucy's best friend and a notoroious womanizer.  He's not necessarily the most handsome man, but he's got oodles of charisma and charm.  He's always been there for Lucy and is often the voice of reason to Lucy's overactive imagination.


Cast: James McAvoy 
I'll admit, I love James McAvoy, but I'm not completely convinced he's the right fit for Daniel.  I think he's got the right charm and sweetness, but there's just something missing.  If I could combine him and Chris Pine into one human being, not only would I have created the perfect leading man, I think I'd have exactly what I'd envisioned Daniel as.

Karen — Karen is Lucy's bossy flatmate who never shies away from putting Lucy down and telling her the ugly truth saying it's "for her own good."  She's incredibly competitive and arrogant, but can be a good friend to Lucy (when it's convenient for her). 

Cast: Abbie Cornish 
This was another tough one.  Marian Keyes described both Karen and Charlotte as blonds so I wanted to keep Karen blond, even though I think Emily Blunt might make a good Karen (she's a lot like her character from The Devil Wears Prada), but I think Abbie Cornish might do a good job too.  She's got a lot of range and I'd be interested to see her do a more rom com type movie even if she's not the leading lady.



Charlotte —Charlotte is Lucy's other roommate.  She's a sweet, but spacey girl from outside London who's still trying to find her way in the city.  She's even more hapless in love than Lucy, but always tries to look on the bright side of things.

Cast: Rosamund Pike 

Rosamund Pike has the perfect mix of innocence and sultriness that epitomizes Charlotte.  She'd be a great pair to Abbie Cornish without getting lost in big personalities.  She was great as a wide-eyed waif in Pride and Prejudice and I think she could take that type of character up a notch here.

 

Gus—Gus is Lucy's Irish boyfriend who's great at mooching off other people and drinking.  He's fun and loves a good time, but isn't reliable and still acts like he's 18.


Cast: Chris O'Dowd

I love Chris O'Dowd from The IT Crowd.  He might be a bit goofy for the role, but be a great lovable overgrown child and you would understand why Lucy gets taken in by him.  He's got the right charm and affability for Gus.  Oh, and he's really Irish so points for that.

 

There are a lot of characters in Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and, to be totally honest, I'm way too tired to cast them all, but I did want to mention my picks for Lucy's parents: Miranda Richardson and Jim Broadbent.  Though it might be because of Bridget Jones' Diary, Jim Broadbent has always been in my head as Mr. Sullivan when I read (and re-read) this book.  After much thought, Miranda Richardson would be good as the put-upon Mrs. Sullivan.

 

So What do you think?  I feel like I'm pretty wishy-washy about my picks so I'm eager to hear who you would cast in Marian Keyes awesome book!

Oh, and did you know this book has already been a TV show!?  I still have not dared to watch this entire thing with sound because I feel like it might destroy the book for me, but check it out.  It ran for a whole season and, yes, that is Gerard Butler as Gus!