MY BOOK, THE MOVIE: Katia Lief's "Next Time You See Me"

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Katia Lief's "Next Time You See Me"

Born in France to American parents, Katia Lief moved to the United States as a baby and was raised in Massachusetts and New York. She teaches fiction writing as a part-time faculty member at the New School in Manhattan and lives in Brooklyn.

Lief's latest novels are You Are Next and Next Time You See Me.

Here she shares some ideas on who might bring her characters to life in a cinematic adaptation:

Next Time You See Me is the second in a series of suspense novels beginning with You Are Next, in which two strong characters, Karin Schaeffer and Mac MacLeary, battle evil and also come together romantically. Karin is the emotional heart of the series. She’s a damaged, impulsive, restless former cop whose combination of training and fearlessness draws her to danger; she’s also a strong, resilient, loving woman who feels perhaps too deeply. Tall and lean, with the ability to look plain or beautiful, and the capacity for a broad range of emotion, Hilary Swank would make a perfect Karin Schaeffer.

And Matt Damon would make her pitch-perfect counterpart as Mac MacLeary, whose strength and persistence help Karin save herself in You Are Next, and whose love shows her that renewed life after a terrible loss is possible. Matt’s quiet handsomeness and Hilary’s quirky beauty would create sparks on screen. They’re both excellent actors with a palpable presence; they’re both smart and they’re both sexy. I can close my eyes and see them bring Karin and Mac to three-dimensional life as their story catapults across the big screen in Next Time You See Me.

Detective Billy Staples, whose role grows in Karin and Mac’s lives throughout the first two novels, and takes center stage in the third (not yet published) book, should be played by Jamie Foxx, a talented actor with the chops to grow his character in scope and depth as his connection to two trouble-magnets whiplashes him into danger beyond that of his day job with the NYPD.

The movie version of Next Time You See Me would be directed by my husband, Oliver Lief, who produced, directed and edited the book trailer. But if I couldn’t get him, I’d try Roman Polanski, whose films are among my very favorites.