Christopher Hinz's "Starship Alchemon"

Christopher Hinz is the author of seven novels. Liege-Killer won the Compton Crook award for best first novel and was nominated for the John W. Campbell award for best new writer. He has written screenplay adaptations, short stories and a graphic novel, as well as scripting comics for DC and Marvel. His latest publications are the novel Starship Alchemon and the co-written novelette Duchamp Versus Einstein.

Here Hinz dreamcasts an adaptation of Starship Alchemon:

It’s always fun to engage in “who should play the role” scenarios even though Hollywood realities dictate that it’s nearly impossible to get an original science fiction novel made into a medium-to-big-budget science fiction film unless: 1) the book sells about a million copies; 2) a major actor wants to play the lead; or 3) Steven Spielberg’s your uncle.

A further impediment to movie adaptation in the case of Starship Alchemon is that it’s a standalone story, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Unfortunately, that violates a principal Hollywood commandment: "Thine book shall be the first in a series in order that a franchise may be launched."

All that said, Starship Alchemon remains wonderfully cinematic in the Alien-esque tradition, featuring a small group of space explorers aboard an AI vessel struggling to survive a bizarre foe that can attack them on physical, emotional and intellectual planes.

Despite the daunting odds of such a film ever being greenlit, I present the following dream-casting: George Clooney as “Ericho Solorzano,” the ship’s besieged captain; Jennifer Lawrence as psychically tormented “LeaMarsa de Host”; Halle Berry as perceptive crewdoc “June Courthouse”; Javier Bardem as the increasingly deranged “Tomer Donner”; and Constance Wu as pheromonally enhanced scientist “Faye Kuriyama.”

Let thine cameras roll!

Visit Christopher Hinz's website.

The Page 69 Test: Starship Alchemon.

--Marshal Zeringue