The Rising of The Elements: Casting the characters

Who would I cast in an adaption of The Rising of The Elements?

So, if you didn't already know, I released my first book last month; The Rising of The Elements - Goodreads page here. Available worldwide on Amazon. Now, I started TROTE years ago when I was merely 15/16, I then abandoned the book, only to return in 2015. As I returned, I noticed character development was virtually non-existent, so I cracked down and figured out what each character looks like, sounds like, talks like, is like. To do this, I actually used real life actors to create my characters, 'casting' them as characters in the book, which I talk briefly about here in my interview with Mercedes Fox. It would be a dream come true to see TROTE come to life, albeit as a film or a tv series, and while that's unlikely, we can always dream. So, I may have procrastinated writing too far and actually photoshopped who I would cast to fit how I imagine the characters (if you've imagined them differently, let me know because I always find it very interesting!!). Minor spoilers, of course. 

But aside from that, here's who I imagined when creating the characters and thus who I would also cast in a live-action adaptation of The Rising of The Elements.

Isaac Williams played by Tom Holland.

Decked out with blue hair and youthful vibes, Holland, the new Spider-Man, would be the perfect fit for the main protagonist, Isaac Williams. Isaac's story leads TROTE, and Tom Holland has the ability and charisma to do so. When imagining Isaac, I imagined a character that could transcend from vulnerable to powerful with ease, especially with his transformation throughout the book being about his level of maturity and how he copes with everything that's happening around him.

Jenna Sutherland played by Ella Purnell.

3 Especially how Jenna's death at the hands of her father is the catalyst for Isaac's determination to bring Deatra and the subordinates down. 4

Fresh with some dark grey hair and stark grey eyes, Ella Purnell is who I imagined when creating Jenna Sutherland. Jenna's 'arc' is a particular plot that I'm very proud of. I've had people talk to me about Jenna's part in the ending of TROTE SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
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where she is killed by her father, which is a catalyst for the Uprisers to finally defeat Deatra Allstrong.
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and Ella Purnell could definitely pull off the strength and wit of Jenna Sutherland.

Darcy Cassano and Warren Potes played by Aurora Perrineau and Freddie Highmore.

My two favourite characters, Darcy and Warren, I'd totally be willing to do a spin-off with just these two. Who better to bring Darcy Cassano's fierceness and fire to the screen than Aurora Perrineau, and who better to bring Warren Potes' comedy and love to the screen than Freddie Highmore. Also, I'd like to point out that the 'ginger sidekick' is not because of that ginger sidekick from Harry Potter, but that he's ginger because he's an Earth element, and in TROTE people adapt their characteristics to fit their element. 

Alice Levingston and Sophia Bell played by Bel Powley and Zawe Ashton.

 Alice Levingston and Sophia Bell, the two I 'ship' the most. These two characters are actually minorly based on two of my friends. I imagined Alice Levingston as an almost glamorous yet willful and intelligent character, with a vulnerability that's brough out by Sophia Bell, who's quirky, strong yet laidback; the two are the epitomes of Bel Powley and Zawe Ashton. 

Claude and Ange Bellator played by Jude Law and Billie Piper.

Isaac's || SPOILER secret aunt and uncle, revealed in the final few chapters, || are at the top of the Uprising. Ange is riddled with secrets as she leads the Uprising and Claude takes care of Isaac before the Elemental Battle, only for both to be struck by Deatra's fury. Billie Piper is perfect for the commanding Ange, I was particularly inspired by her performance as Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, circa series 4 when she returned as a true badass, and Jude Law is the suave, confident and battle-ready English gentleman I needed for Claude. 

Phoebe Taylor, Clark Liu and Jay Leach played by Danai Gurira, Daniel Dae Kim and Gerard Butler.

The ones in charge, I needed strong, authority figure characters. Who better than Michonne from The Walking Dead, Jin-Soo Kwon from Lost, and King Leonidas from 300. While 2/3 of these characters meet a tragic end in what a reader has told me was a 'traumatic and shocking scene',  for the most part, these characters are the ones that hold everything together. Phoebe, in particular, is the big boss, the ones behind the Uprising. 

Lindy Downer, Marek Reeves and Robbie Hart played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Marc Elliot and Jeremy Irvine.

 Lindy and Marek, the doctors at the Reformation Building, and Robbie Hart; a latecomer to the Uprising who moves in after the train crash that - SPOILER ||fatally kills Marek Reeves||. Gugu, in particular, inspired Lindy Downer in her delicacy and fiest, Marc Elliot inspired Marek Reeves with his spontaneity and tenderness, and Jeremy Irvine inspired Robbie Hart with his comedy and screen prescence. 

Deatra Allstrong played by Rachel Weisz (with additional inspirement from Jenna Coleman and Priyanka Chopra).

She's played 'evil' before and has done it incredibily well, so who better to play the power-hungry, nefarious Deatra Allstrong, right? When creating Deatra, I wanted an intimidating figure, especially with the white suit and purple braid running down it. I toyed with Jenna Coleman, Priyanka Chopra and Rachel Weisz and, for the book I visioned a combination of all three, but with mostly Rachel Weisz' mannerisms and diction.

SPOILERS BELOW

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Amara Williams and Maxine Williams played by Stephanie Leonidas and Katy Manning.

As Isaac and the Uprisers venture to the island of Carria, they reunite with Isaac's sister Amara (who they thought to be dead), and grandmother Maxine. Both are fiesty and have experience in being generally badass, which would be necessary for their involvement in the final battle.  

Scarlett Allen and Oscar Perry-Evans played by Cara Delevingne and Justin H. Min.

Both Scarlett and Oscar are found with Amara and Maxine in Carria, and accompany Amara back to the Uprising Quarter. However, during the train crash Scarlett gets trapped and sinks to the depths of the ocean with the trainwreck. Oscar plays an important role in retrieving the elementarium stone. Both actors are remarkable and, Cara in particular, was a huge inspiration for Scarlett, especially with the characters wit and heroism. I guess if TROTE were made into a film/series, casting Cara would be an issue as Scarlett only appears briefly before her 'death'. But then, that wouldn't be an issue because she's quite important in the sequel (spoiler/hint alert).

Thanks for reading. As I continue to write (the sequel to TROTE and another story not part of TROTE), I'm still creating characters using real life actors (which is also incredibly fun, by the way). Check back for more The Rising of The Elements-related posts, and more!