Angelina Jolie & Kay Scarpetta
It seems like about once a year, I write a post where Angelina Jolie is in talks to play Kay Scarpetta, the fictional character from the very popular novels written by Patricia Cornwell. Well, nothing ever actually happens. It is all talk. Until now. Apparently filming is actually going to begin by the end of the year. Nothing can be done. Angelina Jolie will be Kay Scarpetta. Does she fit the description of the character? Nope. Not at all. If you have never read the books you won't care. If you have read the books you are going to be disappointed about everything anyway so the fact that Angelina Jolie is playing the title character is going to be just a long list of complaints. With very, very few exceptions, books are never as good as the movies. The only exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are the Harry Potter books but that is more due to JK Rowling signing a very pro-author movie deal and Atonement was pretty much dead on. Other than that I have usually been disappointed and rarely watch any movie that comes from a book I read.
For her part, Patricia Cornwell (above) says she is happy with Angelina Jolie as Kay and thinks she will do a good job.
72 comments:
I have read the books and I am not disappointed.
Enty,
I can't believe you think that the harry Potter movies follow the books! The very heart, soul, and message that the books deliver so powerfully are virtually eviserated in the movies.
HAVE YOU EVER READ THE BOOKS THAT BONES THE TV SERIES IS BASED ON....NOW THATS MURDER...
I absolutely LOVE the books and I think Angelina is a great choice. I would have also gone with Jodie Foster circa her Silence of the Lambs days.
I thought she was taking a break to raise those kids.
So, I just actually read the post as I had commented just based on the title, and I think Ent is drinking because the HP movies are COMPLETE AND UTTER SHIT compared to the books. And! Angelina fits Scarpetta, just right. What about her doesn't work?
shazzba- I love BONES, I love all the digital junk- real or not.
I will have to check into the books.
I'm a huge fan of Patricia Cornwell books. I dislike Angelina instensely, however, and cannot take her seriously as a forensic anthropologist.
It reminds me of when Denise Richards played nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones.
"With very, very few exceptions, books are never as good as the movies."
Don't you mean the opposite? I can't remember the last time a movie was as good as the book.
Angelina is not Kay.
Mystic River stayed true to the book. But I think that had more to do with Clint Eastwood not letting the Studio tell him what to do.
@Christine
She's also a lawyer. ;)
I've been of the mind for while that books and adaptations for screen/TV are completely different animals. I try not to get caught up in the fact that the books are better/different than the adaptations. They are separate beasts. I can enjoy both for different reasons.
I haven't read the Scarpetta books for years, they began to freak me out too much.
@shazzzba - I HATE what they did with Bones. Kathy Reichs' series with Temperence Brennan is nothing like the TV show, and those books approach the quality of the Kay Scarpetta series.
I hope they don't mess it up. I think AJ is probably good enough to act it, we'll just have to get used to Kay being a brunette.
I can't think of more than five or six movies that were as good as the books. A couple of the John Greshams turned out pretty well. GWTW wasn't bad, even though it left out a husband or two for Scarlett.
Cornwell is a major nutbag. She is probably crushing on Jolie. Jolie can't open a movie anymore. Her life is a tabloid freakshow. I look for this movie to crater.
Shaz- that was my immediate thought. I love the Temperance Brennan books, and her character's name is the ONLY thing Bones has in common with Kathy Reich's books. I love Scarpetta, too, and I just don't see AngieJo in that part, either.
Just want to say that I agree that movies are never as good as the books. I cringe every time a favourite book is made into a movie now, and usually refuse to go see it.
Stephen King's books are usually made into decent movies, beyond that I'm usually heartbroken. Where the Wild Things Are was even disappointing.
Boo! Not a good fit, AT ALL!
no way- I could see Angelina playing Kay's niece- now that is a perfect fit. The niece was drop dead gorgeous, a bad ass, and a lesbian.
But I always pictured Kay as a petite blonde. Wasn't she blonde? Someone said Jodie Foster, I could totally see that. And Kay would be in her 50's now, so I always picture Kay to be a little older than Angelina..so who is going to play Marino & Benton Wesley?????
My relationship with books and movies has been love/hate.
Loved The Firm, hated the movie. We felt like we were in the wrong theater.
Loved Jurassic Park, hated that the movie didn't include my favorite scene in the book (T-Rex swimming down the river afer the kids and professor in a raft as they try to get back to base - AHHH).
And now, Percy Jackson. Just finished all five books over the holidays and loved the series. A bit of a take on Harry Potter, but all Greek myth. Was all psyched to see the movie, but with each preview that came out I could see that they changed enough and even took things from later books and now I don't want a part of it. I will put my name on the waiting list at the library for that one.
LOVED HP. They better not eff up book 7.
Angelina could wear a blonde wig, no? And she's certainly thin enough.
Marino could be played by John Goodman(jkjkjk)or, um, someone Italian looking and over weight. Benton has to be someone dashing and handsome...maybe Ralph Fiennes
aw, come on, the harry potter movies are quite adorable! Not the same as the books, of course, but they are magical in their own right. Or maybe I just think so cause they were such a big part of me growing up.
@Jamie ITA
"With very, very few exceptions, books are never as good as the movies."
I think he said it backwards...I almost never think the movie is better then the book.
@RocketQueen - LOVE Stephen King books, but I'm almost always dissapointed in the movies. BUT, I blame that on the fact that most of them are made for TV...
"Stand By Me" is one of my favorite movies of all time and I DID like the movie better then the book..Or short story in this case!
Yes, Ralph Fiennes as Benton. He's also got that moody/disturbed aspect to him AND he is Lord Voldemort, so there ya go. He's got my vote.
I do have to also throw in that Alan Ball is doing great things with the "True Blood" series. I do like his take on it better then the books. All good stuff though!
Doesn't disappoint me near as much as Katherine HEIGL playing Stephanie Plum. She doesn't match the character at all. The Janet Evanovich books are pure fluff so my undies aren't in a bundle over it - just won't pay to see Heigl.
I don't mind seeing Angelina Jolie play Kay Scarpetta. I thought she did a good job in The Bone Collector.
HP books are better than the movies (more detail, more plot development etc), but the movies can stand on their own--I think this makes for a good translation.
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" was WAY better as a movie--the book was shyte. Same with "Practical Magic"....couldn't stand the book, but the movie was enjoyable (and I didn't even mind Nicole Kidman, though this was back when she could actually move her face).
my two cents : two movies that were just as good as the books: the godfather and the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe.
Oh, and "Girl, Interrupted" was a crappy book that made a decent movie...
Cornwell needs the money.
I've read every Scarpetta novel except one, and I also don't think AJ is the best choice for the job.
However, I started reading these novels--what?--20 years ago, and back then Glenn Close seemed the logical choice to me, so what do I know?
Cornwell went 20 years w/o giving a screenplay green light and now all of a sudden movies are OK...so she needs the money, period, and can;t care who plays the lead.
Wonder who they have pegged for Marino (if he's even in the script)? My choice would be Michael Madsen. My Mom's choice all these years was the older dude from NYPD Blue (can't recall his name right now).
The Kite Runner was a pretty good depiction of the book
Anything that gets Angelina Jolie in front of the camera is OK with me.
Boo Hissssssss
I can only think of one movie that was better than the books....Jurassic Park....
@Icecat - agree, but I thought Misery and Shawshank Redemption turned out pretty good. And the Shining, of course. But the
'It' and 'The Stand" were absolutely terrible, and I'm terrified at the thought of anyone doing the Dark Tower series.
@Ms Cool: THANK YOU for bringing THAT one up. I hate Katherine Heigl with a passion and am furious that she is going to be playing my beloved Stephanie Plum. I definitely won't be seeing the movie and ruin the images I have running through my head as I read.
As for Angelina as Kay Scarpetta, I kinda like it. I'm not a huge Cornwell fan but I've read a few of the books and I think Angelina has the defiant, smart, fearless attitude that is characteristic of Scarpetta.
Shazzba, Katja, et al. - I just started reading Kathy Reichs "Deja Dead" (it was a Christmas present from my fellow bookworm coworker) and I LOVE IT! It's so good...graphic as hell, but good!
I could see Angelina in the role, although I think Demi Moore would have been a better choice.
Bah. Patricia Cornwell is a starf*cker and has had multiple meetings with multiple famous actresses, especially Demi Moore, pretending to be interested in helping them land the role of Scarpetta. So AJ finally got the role, huh? I'm sure she'll mangle this one, just as she has every other role she's touched. She's a mediocre actress who's not going to be able to coast on her "sexiness" for much longer. Though why anyone finds that skeletal wreck sexy is beyond me.
BTW, Scarpetta is supposed to be petite, blonde, and buxom/curvy. How on earth does AJ fit THAT bill??
i think the Harry Potter movies were remarkably well done. having read all the books, i don't find that they veered off at all. don't forget, these are geared towards kids..who don't want to sit in a theatre for 4hours. there has to be some editing.
@RocketQueen!!
I must have memory problems because all I was thinking of was the darn mini series crap and Salems Lot.. Just Aweful...
BUT with that said the books were WAY better then any of those movies. God I had a hard time reading Misery.. It made my legs hurt.. And The Shining left so much out.. Ah well...King always puts in so much detail that it would be very hard to replicate.
I never did read The Shawshank Redemption (probably in my top 10 movies)... I guess I stopped reading King after Jr. High....
It was probably one of the most exiting things in life at the time they made Pet Cemetery.. HaHa!! I think I saw it opening night :)
one flew over the cuckoo's nest
was GOOD
AJ SUCKS as the choice for Scarpetta. Awful, awful, awful. Kay is older, smarter, classier. I pictured a Basic Instict era Sharon Stone (she's probably too whacked out to do it now). Actually, Helen Mirren (with an American accent) could probably pull it off as well. Just the right amount of brains and sex appeal.
An article on latimes.com explains that they're not adapting one of Cornwell's novels, they're doing an original screenplay and origins story.
Link below:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/23/entertainment/la-et-scarpetta23-2010feb23
Enty-
You forgot 'The Age of Innocence' which was a dead on, beautiful adaptation of the novel (which I have read).
Top 3 Books translated into movies:
1. The Age of Innocence
2. Atonement
3. The Shawshank Redemption (I have also read)
Wait--what?? Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum?? NOOOOOO!!! The ONLY actress who could play Stephanie Plum is Sandra Bullock, stop, end of story. With Queen Latifah as her friend whose name I forget now.
And Jolie as Kay S?? Again NOOOOOO!!! So wrong. Jodie Foster would be perfect, with her tense face and body, that would fit the ultra-bland uptight Scarpetta perfectly.
Crap, where have I been? Katherine Heigl as my friend Stephanie Plum? That ain't right. More importantly though, who is playing Ranger?
I disliked both The Firm and Pelican Brief movies and I loved those books. The Client was good but it may have been because of Susan Sarandon.
No way Angelina fits. Love the Jodie Foster idea tho.
Fiennes is good for Benton.
Marino.....Gandolfini?
I was thinking Gandolfini for Marino too! That sort of loutish look. Perfect.
I have to second the Helen Mirren suggestion. That would be sheer casting perfection.
Cornwell being thrilled is not that much of a shock; she is likely hopeful that AJ will cheat on Brad with her, since homewrecking is one of PC's pastimes.
CarolMR said, "I could see Angelina in the role, although I think Demi Moore would have been a better choice."
Eeeeek, Carol, but for the fact that Moore can't act her way out of a paper bag and is box office poison, she'd be terrific. :(
With very, very few exceptions, books are never as good as the movies. The only exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are the Harry Potter books but that is more due to JK Rowling signing a very pro-author movie deal and Atonement was pretty much dead on.
Sorry, Enty, that makes no sense. Did you have a liquid lunch?? Cheers!
oh yeah! Gandolfini is italian, overweight, etc. I'm trying to think of other overweight guys in Hollywood but the only one that comes to mind is Jack Black. Or Hurley from Lost.
I guess Fiennes would be good....actually I love his brother, who's on Flash Foward *sigh*
Long time reader. Absolutely love reading everyone's comments (well, 99% of them). KH as Stephanie Plum is a travesty of biblical proportion!
Silence of the Lambs was as good as the book. As was Kiss the Girls.
Angie is so NOT Kay S.
Sounds like a sell-out for the money. Jolie is going to demand massive changes as will the the writers and directors. Probably about the only thing that will remain from the books is the name and it being a murder mystery.
However, if they cut the Lucy character it might be worth it. I like the books but that character is just annoying and broken. I think Cornwell uses it to explore her own demons and a form of wish fullfilment but the characters chronic issues and inability to grow and develop gets tiresome quickly.
I am betting they merge the Kay and Lucy character into one so that Jolie can pretend she has a robust character to play.
One other problem with Jolie...it pretty much kills any potential franchise as she is unlikely to do a sequel unless they back up back up two money trucks...then three...then four so its one movie and done.
i'd watch it! i admit tho...i'd never heard she'd ever been in talks for the role. good for her. should be interesting, if nothing else.
cornwell's books have sucked for years. maybe 2 of them were any good and they weren't all that great.
i don't see angelina playing scarpetta for one good reason---SHE CAN'T FUCKING ACT!
Way to include the part of the interview with Cornwell where she said that it's meant to be a prequel to the book series, which explains why they cast someone Angelina's age.
When I read the Scarpetta books, I always pictured Kay as looking like the author.
Most of the time I don't like the movie as well as the book. I do however love both the books and the tv show for True Blood. I think of them as separate entities since Alan Ball changed so much from the books storyline, but he seems to be keeping my favorite characters from the books in the show. I also like Dexter better than the books.
I hate that Angelina is going to play Kay Scarpetta. I love those books (I also love the Kathy Reichs books) I'm much happier with the Bones casting that this.
Angelina is nothing like and doesn't fit this role at all.
Poo! I may not watch the movie just because of that.
I just thought of another movie-as-good-or-better-than-books: Rosemary's Baby. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a Polanski film, but it's one of my favorites, and I read the book a couple of years ago and was amazed at how well it followed the book...
I've read all the Scarpetta books, and totally agree - AJ is not Kay. I do think it's tough to cast any book, particularly a well-loved and/or well-known series. Janet Evanovich is going to have the same backlash issue -- if she could have gotten One For the Money off the ground a decade ago, Sandy B. would've been perfection. The problem is Miss Congeniality came along and I think the characters are too similar. I'm willing to give Heigl a chance because I'm so curious to see what they do with it as a movie. Also, Sandy is probably a little too old for the role now. I have occasionally thought that Zooey Deschanel would make a good Stephanie - she's already got the right look with the dark hair and blue eyes. And to keep it current, how about the actress from Precious for Lulu? Not that I don't love me some Queen, but again. Age. What will make the whole project implode anyway is the casting of Joe and Ranger. NOONE will make all the fans happy.....glad I'm not the casting director on that one!
i love the cornwell books, read 'em all. and no, AJ does NOT fit the part. too thin, too dumb, can't act, etc. can't see her getting her hands dirty, period.
now, if they wanted to go back to book one, or, better yet, make a series, i think danica mckellar, even though not a short blond, would be a good, smart, consideration.
i'd also like to see both kellerman's books come to the screen. can't help it, i love milo!
Can't picture who is going to play Ranger. Has to be smoking hot. Oh well, HEIGL is going to ruin the movie anyway with her smugness.
@Bionic Bunny, I love Milo too! I'd love to see him on screen. Alex, however, could be adequately played by an empty paper bag.
Ranger should be played by an unknown. A super sleek and athletic hothothot Latino mmmm
don't care
I don't even really like the Scarpetta books that much, and I still think this is a bad idea.
I agree that Harry Potter is an exception. I have loved the films. Are they AS good as the book? No. But they are the closest to being a good book-to-movie that I have seen. Especially considering how many have been made. I think the actors have fit the characters perfectly. J.K. Rowling is my hero. Love that she has stayed so involved w/ the films.
Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum? What??? I do NOT see that at all.
I've never read any Cornwell. I bought that one on Jack the Ripper but haven't ever read it.
Angelina would have been great as Kay's niece Lucy IMO.
Don't agree with Harry Potter at all. The books are great and the films are well-made but totally different from the books. They could be worse, but I agree with the comments before, the message is completely different (missing?) in the movies.
Stupid Stupid.. I've read every book, and I'm on the Scarpetta Factor now.. Kay is Patricia and should look similar to that, especially as descriptive as she's written her. I can't stand AJ, and she can't be serious, always has that stupid smirk on her face.. I certainly won't be entertaining any thoughts to watch this movie.. Anyone know WHICH book the movie will be based on?? *SIGH* What a disappointment.. :(
Exactly, Kay is a projection of Cornwell (that's why she's so bloody generous about Scarpetta's appearance, even now that's she's in her fifties), so then I guess Ellen DeGeneres would be a perfect fit ;)
I've been reading these books for twenty years, and I agree. AJ is no-no, though she would make a perfect Lucy, as other people have already said. When the books first came out, I would've said Jodie Foster. Now, I would go with Cate Blanchett, who's also not a perfect fit but has the acting chops - or, of course, Heather Locklear for the Lifetime movie...
Cate Blanchett is a GREAT choice for the role of Kay. It's much more believable than Angelina.
Jane Lynch - she could pull of Scarpetta in a heartbeat.
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