literature, and other media. After college, he became a freelance entertainment journalist, writing stories for SYFY WIRE, The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, and Marvel Entertainment.
Here Weiss dreamcasts an adaptation of Sunset Empire, the thrilling alternate history sequel to Beat the Devils:
My personal fan-casting still stands from last time: Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Morgan Spector (The Plot Against America), or Oscar Isaac (Operation Finale) are all free to play the role of Morris Baker if they ever find themselves interested. For now, though, I’ll continue to sit by the phone, eagerly waiting for Hollywood to call and scoop up the screen rights to Beat the Devils, Sunset Empire, and any subsequent novels that may come out of my head.Visit Josh Weiss's website.
While I don’t have any strong casting thoughts on Book 2 beyond the character of Baker, I think its general atmosphere would be really cool to see on screen — perhaps in the hands of horror maestro Guillermo del Toro? Guillermo, bubeleh, give me a buzz when you get a chance. Let’s talk turkey! All joking aside, I’d love to see del Toro’s penchant for exploring deep themes by way of a fraught historical period by way of this novel.
Sunset Empire takes place against the backdrop of a dreary, almost gothic cold spell gripping the city of Los Angeles in late 1959. Instead of the blazing sunshine and choking smog the town is known for, you have have icy rain, swirling mist, and an all-consuming, San Francisco-y fog. The visual of palm trees, that ultimate signifier of warm weather, obscured by a constant downpour of frigid precipitation just seemed really cool and ominous.
In fact, I have to give all the props to my returning cover illustrator Philip Pascuzzo, who perfectly nailed the vibe with the artwork for Sunset Empire.
My Book, The Movie: Beat the Devils.
--Marshal Zeringue
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