Shelley Sackier's "The Antidote"

Shelley Sackier is the author of The Freemason's Daughter, Dear Opl, and the recently released The Antidote.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of The Antidote:

I’ve been so thoroughly disappointed with most book to screen adaptations in the past, that I oftentimes finding myself shouting at the screen, “Oh, my godfathers! Who was your casting director?!”

Yeah, it’s hard for me to keep quiet during films—especially if I loved the book and feel I know the characters deeply.

So … that said, I’m about to throw myself into peril with the rest of those directors and attempt to put a rather famous face on those of my lead roles.

Bear with me. And please don’t write me hate mail.

For Fee—the young apprentice healer, who discovers she has the nifty little gift of magic in her fingertips, I would love to cast Emilia Clarke (Khaleesi from Game of Thrones)—but with her natural dark hair. There is an innocence required to play her role successfully, but Fee also possesses a deep, thrumming desire to seek out her inner strength and blooming magical power. It’s a stretch of a character arc, but I can see this being a good match.

Xavi—Fee’s best friend and soon-to-be-king, would be served really well if played by an actor like Ansel Elgort (The Fault in our Stars). There is a quiet intensity that swirls around Xavi, and the last vestiges of boyhood that tethers him to the reader as still ‘one of us.’

Savva—Fee’s mentor in the art of healing—is a role that requires a malleable face that can emote a thousand words with not one spoken. Savva is an elderly woman who is full of wisdom, tamped down emotion, and crushing secrets. Dame Judith Dench (“M” in all the Bond films and six bazillion others everyone should watch) would be an absolute catch.

And lastly, Mistress Goodsong—the healer of Fee’s opposing kingdom—is one that will likely make you think I’ve lost my marbles. But hear me out. This woman is both maternal, but a warrior. She is gentle, but razor sharp. She is a natural caretaker, yet must feed her own insatiable appetite. I need this woman to have the face of the United States Senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, but the acting skills of Meryl Streep.

There we have it. My dream cast for The Antidote!

Visit Shelley Sackier's website.

--Marshal Zeringue