Here she shares some suggestions about the above-the-line talent for an adaptation of her latest novel, Somebody to Love:Parker Welles belongs to the 1%—she lives off the interest from her trust fund, has never had to check a price tag in her life and lives in a Rhode Island mansion with 29 bathrooms. That is, until her father informs her that he’s drained her bank account to cover an insider trading scheme. She’s broke, unemployed, needs to move, and asap. She only has one thing left: a tiny, battered house she’s never seen on the remote northern coast of Maine. She has the summer to flip it and make a nest egg before her son starts kindergarten. The last person whose help she wants is Thing One, better known as James Cahill, her father’s attorney and the son he never had. James, meanwhile, has spent much of his life trying to make amends for a childhood accident that ruined his family. Feeling in large part responsible for Parker’s ruined finances, he’s determined to help her in any way he can, whether she wants him there or not.Learn more about the book and author at Kristan Higgins's website and blog.
Parker’s a very intelligent, capable woman, but the new developments in her life have left her reeling. I think Charlize Theron would make an excellent Parker—she’s one of those mercurial actors who can convey six emotions at once. James Franco might make a great Thing One, in that he has both a regal sense about him as well as a fantastic comedic sense. Other key characters are Lavinia, Parker’s crusty, earthy cousin—in a dream world, I’d have Dame Judi Dench play her. Alec Baldwin would perfect as Harry, Parker’s edgy, corrupt father. And because it’s on my bucket list to meet her, I’d cast Meryl Streep as Althea, Parker’s mom and the serial trophy wife to increasingly elderly husbands.
For director, Nancy Meyers has directed two romantic comedies that I’ve loved—It’s Complicated and What Women Want, both of which had humor and heart. So as long as we’re wish-listing, why not?
--Marshal Zeringue
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