lirazel: An outdoor scene from the film Picnic at Hanging Rock ([bh] scandalized)
lirazel ([personal profile] lirazel) wrote2011-05-21 06:00 pm

Being Human US: A Casting

Contrary to the way I tend to rant whenever I hear that one of my favorite shows/movies is being remade, I don't think all remakes are a bad idea. In fact, I think taking the premise of one story and going in a completely different direction with it can result in something pretty awesome. It's just that this so very rarely happens.

So when I heard that the Syfy Channel was remaking Being Human, I wasn't entirely furious...until it became clear that they'd just changed the names and dropped the Britishness but otherwise had reshot the entire pilot with far less endearing actors. Then I was not pleased. And being me, I started casting (yes, this has been waiting to be posted since before the US show aired. Sorry it took me so long).



So think of this as what could have been.

The premise is the same: a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost all live together and try to have a normal life, which proves difficult considering that their supernatural natures keep getting in the way. But that's where the similarities end.


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The big purple house on one of Savannah's old squares was left to Marcus Farrell by his maternal grandfather a couple of months ago, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Before he can decide anything beyond that color must go, he ends up lying at the bottom of the stairs, dead. Suddenly he's a ghost, tied to the house, trying to figure out what happened to him and what to do next.

His cousin Claire finds herself with a big purple house on her hands and, like her cousin, has no idea what to do with it, so at her grandmother Regina's prompting, she decides to rent it out. Into the upstairs rooms moves Jemima, who's gorgeous and British and works nights. She's also a vampire, but nobody knows that yet, and she's pretty bent on keeping her secret. All she wants is to lay low.

Nate Siroky drives into town a couple of days later, fresh from his small town in Idaho and looking for a new start. He rents the ground floor--and the handy-dandy basement, which he promptly sound-proofs, because, oh yeah, he's a werewolf and needs a place to transform each full moon. He's new to this werewolf business and is still freaking out about it.

Jemma isn't very excited to come home one morning and discover that there's a werewolf living below her; she just wants to keep a low profile, and living with a brand-new werewolf who has no idea how to control his powers doesn't seem like the best way to do that. And when the ghost keeps popping up? Yeah, she's less than happy. These three trying to navigate their new living arrangements? Should be something of an adventure, which sucks, because that's exactly what they don't want. Is a normal life too much to ask for?

Meanwhile, Claire's trying to figure out what happened to her cousin, and is beginning to suspect it may have something to do with his friend Kevin Ward, who seems to have gotten into some shady business dealings. Jeanine Lipton, who runs the B&B next door, is the gossip queen of Savannah, but she's also a sweetheart who's always bringing over fresh-baked pies for the nice young people next door and blessing their hearts. That would all be well and good if it weren't for the fact that those nice young people all have secrets to keep. Nate's dad Paul is searching for his son. He knows something's wrong, but he's not sure what, only that his son has disappeared without a trace and that he'll do anything to find him. And then there are the various assorted vampires who are looking for Jemma: they all have different reasons for wanting to find her, none of them are simple, and some of them are darker than others.

Yeah, being human...might prove something of a challenge.


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Savannah, GA as the city



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The Amethyst Inn as the house




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Katie McGrath as Jemima Murray Hamilton, the vampire who starts out cold and distant and has a whole lot of secrets she's not sharing



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Aldis Hodge as Marcus Farrell, the ghost who comes with the house and who's trying to figure out how exactly he ended up dead




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Enver Gjokaj as Nate Siroky, the werewolf who just wants a new start



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Katerina Graham as Claire Farrell, Marcus's cousin and best friend, who's trying to figure out how he died



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Margo Martindale as Jeanine Lipton, the nosy but nice next door neighbor



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Jason Dohring as Kevin Ward, Marcus's best friend and business partner, who may or may not have something to do with his death



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Enrico Colantoni as Paul Siroky, Nate's dad, who is trying to find his son after he disappeared



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Olivia Wilde as Marina, the vampire who's sworn to revenge on Jemma for mysterious reasons



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Phylicia Rashad as Regina Farrell, Marcus and Claire's grandmother



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Mark A. Shepherd as James Duval, Jemma's sire



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Skander Keynes as Thomas Murray, Jemma's little brother who wanted to find out what happened to his sister and ended up getting vamped in the process



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Matt Smith (in flashbacks) as Arthur Hamilton, Jemma's husband




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[identity profile] thevera.livejournal.com 2011-05-21 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)
THIS IS BRILLIANT. You should, in fact, be a casting director because I'm still flailing over the mere idea of having Kat and Enver in the same show (not to mention the rest). Oh, why can't this be true?

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-21 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, thank you love! I had much fun with it! I basically like to imagine scenarios in which my favorite actors are all in the same show, so.

I may actually ship Kat and Enver's characters on this show. Don't tell anybody.

[identity profile] eilowyn.livejournal.com 2011-05-21 11:32 pm (UTC)(link)
YOU MADE IT SOUTHERN GOTHIC!! Don't you know that's one of my biggest literary kinks?!? Enver as a baby werewolf is BRILLIANT and I adore Katie McGrath for her face (I've never seen an episode of Merlin, but I cast her as a love interest for Tara in my post-NFA "Spike becomes the Champion of San Francisco with Tara as his ghosty Jiminy Cricket and a hellmouth opens in the SF bay" series that I'll never write [but you may have inspired me to picspam!]) And Aldis Hodge is another brilliant casting choice. You know all the cool black actors from your raceswap! recastings, don't you? And the supporting cast is just as amazing because you can see what the various storylines would be about (would Phylicia Rashad turn out to be a witch or something? Because I'm already making her a witchy paternal grandma for Bonnie in my head) and anything with Matt Smith automatically gets an A+. I love how your favorites are all in appropriate roles (Hello, Skander and Jason!) and Olivia Wilde and Katie McGrath would have a hot Faith/Buffy vibe to them, wouldn't they? OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-21 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
*happy hand claps*

OF COURSE I MADE IT SOUTHERN GOTHIC I AM ME. :D I couldn't resist! I thought for a bit about putting it in St. Augustine because it's the oldest city in the country and has such a cool vibe, but then I was like NO IT MUST BE SOUTHERN GOTHIC. HOME OF FLANNERY O'CONNOR IT IS!

Enver has to be in everything, obvs, and even though I cannot watch Merlin (I watched like two episodes and it was so painful I couldn't do it) I adoooooore the cast and want them to be in all the things.

[Um, definitely picspam that show! Please tell me also that Dawn is Spike's sidekick and has an excellent love interest because I looooove this idea!]

I just love Aldis Hodge. Love. And yes, I reused a lot of people from my race!swap picspam because I love them so very much.

I could see Phylicia as a witch! That could totally be a thing!

Olivia Wilde and Katie McGrath would have a hot Faith/Buffy vibe to them, wouldn't they?

Yes they would!

YOU UNDERSTAND ME! *loves*

I am thrilled that it works for you! It was fun to do!
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[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
I definitely understood, and I totally agree. If you're going to do a remake, take the premise and go some place completely different. There is no point in remaking the same thing exactly as it was, you know?
next_to_normal: (Cordy grin)

[personal profile] next_to_normal 2011-05-22 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
I have not managed to watch the UK version of Being Human yet, but just on the quality of your actor choices, I APPROVE OF THIS CASTING.

Though, to be fair, I might not want to watch it for fear I would LITERALLY EXPLODE from all the awesome. :)

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
You should definitely check out the original if you can. PERFECTLY CONSTRUCTED. Toby Whithouse is all that a show runner should be. I love it.

WE WOULD NOT WANT THAT. Perhaps you should stay far, far away from it so that you will remain whole.

:D

Glad you liked it!
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[identity profile] magisterequitum.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
This is glorious.

Margo Martindale, Olivia, and Mark, UGH. And the main three. This is lovely and AMAZING.

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I knew you'd appreciate my Margo Martindale casting! I worship that woman!

THANK YOU!

[identity profile] ever-neutral.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
I LOVE EVERYTHING THIS POST CHOOSES TO BE.

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
I AM SO GLAD! *BEAMS*

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
THIS IS GORGEOUS ALL OVER, WHY CAN'T YOU BE IN CHARGE OF TELEVISION?

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
A QUESTION I ASK MYSELF DAILY. I WOULD BE SO GOOD AT IT.

Glad you liked it! :D

[identity profile] ozmissage.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
Oh man, this is AMAZING. You set it in Savannah! That's one of my favorite cities ever. And the plot is so cool. I would have watched this in a heartbeat.

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Savannah is such a cool place! And so very, very conducive to Southern gothic-ness!

I'm really pleased you like it!

[identity profile] romanaone-fan.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
*sighs* if only this were true. I tried to watch Being Human US and turned it off after two minutes.

Enver! Katie! Matt! Mark! That guy from Narnia whose name I can't remember!

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I haven't even watched the US version because...what's the point? I already have the infinitely more charming British version.

:D

[identity profile] gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, this is neat. I would watch this show.

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I need to quit torturing myself by creating shows that will never exist. *wistful sigh* I'm glad you like it!

[identity profile] ghostrunner7.livejournal.com 2011-05-22 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, god. Well, anything with Mark Sheppard is a winner. And Aldis Hodge.

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2011-05-23 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Truth. I love both of them way too hard for words.