Ellison Cooper's "Caged"

Ellison Cooper has a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCLA, with a background in archaeology, cultural neuroscience, ancient religion, colonialism, and human rights. She has conducted fieldwork in Central America, West Africa, Micronesia, and Western Europe. She has worked as a murder investigator in Washington DC, and is a certified K9 Search and Rescue Federal Disaster Worker. She now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son.

Here Ellison dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Caged:

I don't know a single author who hasn't fantasized about their book being turned into a movie. Which is to say that I know exactly who I would love to cast in Caged.

My main character, Sayer Altair, is a biracial FBI neuroscientist and I would love for Zazie Beetz to play her! Beetz was fierce as Domino in Deadpool 2, tough but also funny and genuine.

I actually wrote Sayer's partner, Vic Devereaux, with Misha Collins in mind. He has the perfect "undertaker handsome" vibe I imagined.

I would love for the jowly, brusque FBI Assistant Director Janice Holt to be played by Sigourney Weaver.

One of the victims in Caged, a teenage girl named Adi, is a tough-as-nails survivor and I would love for her to be played by Millie Bobby Brown.

Last but not least, Sayer's Nana, who is kind of having a late mid-life-crisis, would be perfect for Helen Mirren.

Visit Ellison Cooper's website.

--Marshal Zeringue