Andrew Welsh-Huggins's "Sick To Death"

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the Shamus, Derringer, and International Thriller Writers-award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, featuring a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned investigator, and editor of Columbus Noir. His stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, the 2022 anthology Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon, and other magazines and anthologies.

Here Welsh-Huggins dreamcasts an adaptation of his newest novel, Sick to Death:

Sick To Death is the eighth book in my series about Andy Hayes, a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned private eye. When thinking about who would play Hayes in a movie, I always remind people that Keanu Reeves has twice played a former Ohio State quarterback—FBI agent Johnny Utah in 1991’s Pointbreak, and down-and-out NFL player Shane Falco in The Replacements in 2000. However, though I’m a big Reeves admirer, I don’t think he’s right for the role of Hayes. Thinking about Sick to Death on the big screen, I decided to focus on four characters:

Hayes; his newly discovered adult daughter, Alex Rutledge; Hayes’ friend and sometimes collaborator Otto Mulligan, a bail bondsman; and Suzanne Gregory, an award-winning TV journalist who also happens to be Hayes’ ex-fiancée. This time around, I’m selecting Jake Gyllenhaal to play Hayes. Although I like the breadth of his work, I’m leaning mainly on his performance in the 2024 remake of Roadhouse. Gyllenhaal is a lot buffer than I imagine Hayes, but what draws me to him is the baggage that Gyllenhaal’s character carries in the movie from a violent incident in his past as a UFC fighter. Hayes has baggage to spare, and I think Gyllenhaal could aptly portray Hayes’ ongoing efforts at redemption.

For Alex, I would tap Hailee Steinfeld. I first saw her playing Mattie Ross in the remake of True Grit and became an admirer for her role in the Marvel limited TV series, Hawkeye, in which she plays Kate Bishop. Bonus: at age 31, she’s close to Alex’s age in the book when we meet her.

For Otto, I’d love to see Mahershala Ali in the role. I know of him for his roles in House of Cards and the independent feature film, Moonlight, and enjoyed him more recently as a rental homeowner and financial adviser with a secret in the dystopian film, Leave The World Behind. I think he’d bring the perfect blend of humor, loyalty, and skepticism that characterizes Mulligan.

Finally, there’s Suzanne. She and Hayes have a rocky history: their engagement ended the night she was receiving a journalism award and Hayes, his ego unable to handle the spotlight on her, sneaks away for a make-out session with a cheerleader with the Columbus Crew soccer team who is at the same event and also feeling left out. Over the years, Suzanne and Hayes reach a détente of sorts, with Hayes turning to her for information about cases in exchange for scoops when the case is solved. The actor I’d love to see play Suzanne is June Diane Raphael. I’m most familiar with her from her scene-stealing role as Jane Fonda’s daughter in Grace and Frankie, but also from her performance in Long Shot as assistant to presidential candidate Charlotte Field, played by Charlize Theron.

Visit Andrew Welsh-Huggins's website.

My Book, The Movie: An Empty Grave.

Q&A with Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

The Page 69 Test: An Empty Grave.

Writers Read: Andrew Welsh-Huggins (April 2023).

My Book, The Movie: The End of the Road.

The Page 69 Test: The End of the Road.

Writers Read: Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

--Marshal Zeringue