Friday, August 4, 2017

Michael F. Haspil's "Graveyard Shift"

Michael F. Haspil is a geeky engineer and nerdy artist. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he had the opportunities to serve as an ICBM crew commander and as a launch director at Cape Canaveral. The art of storytelling called to him from a young age and he has plied his craft over many years and through diverse media. He has written original stories for as long as he can remember and has dabbled in many genres. However, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror have whispered directly to his soul.

Here Haspil dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Graveyard Shift:
I think Graveyard Shift is extremely cinematic. There's a reason for this; I started my writing career as a spec screenwriter and I still see the scenes I write through a camera's lens. I would love to see it turned into a limited episode show, something along the lines of HBO's True Detective. If they were shooting it right now and asked me whom I would recommend for the cast, here's what I would tell them.

Jacob Anderson would play Alex Romer, the main protagonist and reanimated immortal pharaoh. He currently plays Greyworm on Game of Thrones. He's a little on the young side, but that's okay. He definitely could bring the hotheadedness needed to play the pharaoh Menkaure.

For Marcus Scaevola, his Roman vampire partner, I imagine Adrian Paul or Marton Csokas. I love both these actors and they could bring gravitas to the role. For the police lieutenant, Constance Howe, I've always imagined Molly Parker in the role. She plays damaged characters that look great on the outside but hurt on the inside extremely well.

Alicia Witt would play Lelith, the figurehead of the Lightbearer Society. We got to see her play a villain in an all too brief appearance on The Walking Dead recently, and she did an amazing job on Justified. She could bring just the right mix of super sexy maturity needed for Lelith. I always saw Nestor Carbonell as Lugal Zagesi. He'd knock it out of the park.

Father Lopé Aguirre would go to Gael Garcia Bernal. He's great with accents and I think he would do a great job as the religiously fanatical former conquistador. I'd really like to see Morena Baccarin play Stephanie Garza, the new detective to the Nocturn Affairs unit. We'd have to change the character description a bit (Stephanie is tall), but it would work.

Finally, the critical role of the shapeshifter, Rhuna Gallier, I'd like to see go to Cara Delevingne. I loved her turn as the spooky Enchantress in Suicide Squad and I think she would do a great job as Rhuna. However, Natalie Dormer could probably play Rhuna in her sleep, so that's something to consider.
Visit Michael F. Haspil's website.

--Marshal Zeringue