Peter Behrens' "The Law of Dreams"

Peter Behrens is the author of the short story collection, Night Driving, and other stories and essays, and the internationally-acclaimed novel, The Law of Dreams.

Here he develops some ideas for a cinematic adaptation of the novel:

The director of The Law of Dreams has to be Terrence Malick.

There's a problem with casting, from a strategic dollars and cents standpoint, because the two leads are wild Irish children, or teenagers (in 1847 the concept 'teenager' hadn't been invented yet). Daniel Radcliffe would've worked for Fergus O'Brian, until about a year ago. Fergus has a lot to do with horses--and I saw a still of Daniel in the London "Equus" production and he looked pretty darn good with a horse in the frame.

My other young main protagonist is Molly. Going back to Terrence Malick, I'm looking for some untamed young actor to play Molly and to do for this movie what Linda Manz did for Malick's Days of Heaven ... i.e., launch it into the sublime.

And I want to see if darling Sinéad O'Connor would be willing to play the character Shea, owner of Shea's Dragon, a Liverpool bordello circa 1847. Anyone out there knows Sinéad, please send her a copy of The Law of Dreams. And either Johnny Depp, or Bob Hoskins, please, to play the old fur trader, Fergus' benefactor, Ormsby.

Read more about the novel and author at Peter Behrens' website.

The Page 69 Test: The Law of Dreams.

--Marshal Zeringue