S.F. Henson's "Devils Within"

S.F. Henson was born and raised in the deep south. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Animal Science, which she put to great use by attending law school. Her law degree has gotten some mileage, though, giving her the experience to write about criminals and other dark, nefarious subjects. She lives beside a missile test range in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband, dog, two oddly named cats, and, of course, the missiles that frequently shake her house.

Here Henson dreamcasts an adaptation of her debut novel, Devils Within:

My writing brain works in a strange way. Sometimes the characters appear fully formed. I can see their faces and hear their voices and know exactly who would play them in a move version of the book. And sometimes it takes a little work for me to learn the characters and figure out who they are. The writing process for Devils Within ended up being a mix of these two methods. It took a while to see some of the characters while others popped into my head complete.

The main character, Nate Fuller, is one I had to work to uncover, which pretty much sums him up as a character. Throughout the book, he's figuring out who he is and learning things about himself. If I were able to cast someone to play movie Nate, I would be pretty open to finding the right actor for the role, but I do think that Tyler Young would be a good Nate.

Then there's Nate's friend, Brandon Kingsley. He pushes Nate, but he has his own problems too. I've always pictured Michael B. Jordan as Brandon. In reality, he's a little too old to play sixteen-year-old Brandon, but this is my dream cast so I'm keeping him! (Although, I could also see him as Brandon's older brother, Henry).

Brandon's mother, Iria Kingsley, has been Debbie Allen from day one. From the moment the character popped in my head, it was Debbie Allen's voice, movements, and facial expressions. She's also older than Brandon's mother would actually be, but again, my dream cast!

Nate's uncle and guardian, Dell Clemons, was also fully formed upon creation. He has always been Norman Reedus. Norman has the ability to pull off the balance of withdrawn but resentfully caring that sums up Dell.

For Brandon's father, Dr. James Kingsley, I would cast Taye Diggs. I've always heard Dr. Kingsley's voice very clearly. He's firm but patient, quiet but commanding. Like Nate, I could see a number of actors playing Dr. Kingsley, but I would love to see Taye in the role.

Dell's girlfriend, Bev Liu, was always clear as to her mannerisms, but I couldn't picture her face. Not until I saw a Vogue cover with Liu Wen on it. I knew the instant I saw her that she was Bev. Liu Wen is a model, not an actress, but maybe she could be convinced to cross over.

Finally, there's Kelsey Sawyer, Nate's best friend growing up. His "what if?" girl. I would cast Katherine Langford play her. Kelsey is tough and determined. Like Nate, she's had a hard life and has had to do things that haunt her. I think Katherine could show those layers really well.

For director, absolutely David Fincher, His aesthetic would be perfect for the dark feel of the book. Add in Trent Reznor for the score and I would be over the moon!

Visit S.F. Henson's website.

--Marshal Zeringue