Free Stuff Friday & Some Plum News!
I hope everyone had a great final holiday weekend to cap off the summer of hell heat! It’s 90+ here, so I’m not feeling all that autumnal quite yet. But soon, soon….it has to change, right?
So, before we get to the free stuff part, I wanted to share with all you Stephanie Plum fans the latest news on the Plum major motion picture being filmed Right This Very Second. The cast of who would play Stephanie, Ranger, Joe, Lula, et al, has been debated in blogs, chat rooms, newspapers, and every other opinion venue on the planet for more than a decade now. Finally, FINALLY, us Plum Fans get the actual casting news. (These aren’t my picks - this is who IS in the movie. It’s a done deal. No more speculation required.) I’m left feeling happy on some counts, scratching my head on others, and curious to see how it all plays out.
Here is the lineup:
Stephanie : Katherine Heigl
Joe: Jason O’Mara
Ranger: Daniel Sunjata
Lula: Sherri Shepherd
My reaction? In order: Hmmm, Mmmm, Yesssss, and YAY!
Also cast: John Leguizamo as Jimmy Alpha and Patrick Fischler as Vinnie. But the biggest question left unknown….who plays Grandma???
The Plum series and the author herself are special to me. I was very fortunate to have been in a writer’s group with Janet Evanovich, Back In The Day, and no one cheered louder than her fellow Loveswept author (moi) when she landed her first Big Book Deal. I’ve cheered her on ever since. Years later, I was tickled when BenBella asked me to contribute a write up to the non-fiction collaborative effort, PERFECTLY PLUM (I got invited to write a piece about Ranger. Yes, it didn’t suck to be me that day.) You can check out more about that book by scrolling down those covers in the right hand column over there until you get to that bright yellow one. Click on it and read all about it. It’s still in print, and if you’re a Plum-o-phile, it’s a fantastically fun read. So many great contributions.
So…what do you think of the casting? Broken hearted? Elated? Confused? Share!
But first, send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Yay! Fall is almost here!” in the subject line. That will enter you in this week’s Free Stuff Friday contest. Winner gets a free signed book from my website bookshelf. Winning blog babe announced in Friday’s blog. Don’t miss out!
But right now? DISH!
Donna, perhaps we should debate the choices over egg salad sandwiches, cheetos and brownies!!
anyhoo…my choice for Grandma Mazur would be either Betty White or Cloris Leachman, my choice for Ranger would be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I think Sandra Bullock would be a good choice for Stephanie…but cant think of anybody for Joe, nor do I have a pick for Lula. I love your choice of John Leguizamo as Jimmy Alpha.
Hi Lisa - No, you misunderstand. I didn’t pick them - those ARE the actors currently being filmed for the movie!! I was just asking what everyone thought of the choices. LOL
Heigl- noooo! The woman can’t act. For Joe, I picture Joe Manganiello (face seems right to me, but might be too muscular). Ranger seems spot on. Still up in the air about Lula. I have heard rumors of Debbie Reynolds for grandma Mazur. I can kind of see it, but she isn’t as old as I expected grandma to be.
I dunno, Debbie Reynolds is no spring chicken! She has the right dry delivery. I wish Estelle Getty was still with us. I always pictured her as Grandma Mazur. Always. And I like Sheri Shepherd as Lula. She was my number one pick back in her sitcom-pre-The View days. I think she can pull it off. If it had been made sooner, I’d have gone with Marsha Warfield though - remember her? Roz, from Night Court? Man, I’m old.
I just did a Google run and….you’re right! Debbie Reynolds has officially been cast as Grandma. Could be interesting but it will always be Estelle when I read the books.
I’m beyond disgusted with the casting choice of Stephanie Plum. Stephanie is not exactly complex, but she is carefree, neurotic, funny, vulnerable and wonderfully stubborn. Katherine Heigl is an annoyance. She is DEATH to any movie. Can you really see Katherine with the mental head slaps and eye rolling? Will she believeable choosing Tasty Cakes over carrots? I just can’t. She’s too much of a priss. I would like to see Marion Ross as Stephanie’s mom. Debbie Reynolds as grandma? I’m not sure about that one.
Night Court…wow. I do remember Night Court. Damn. We’re both old.
Don’t know about Heigl…maybe she’ll surprise everyone. Jason O’Mara, on the other hand…yum.
I do like Sheri Shepherd as Lula - I sort of picture her that way.
Estelle Getty has always been in my head as Grandma - I totally see her. Too bad she’s…indisposed. Debbie Reynolds…maybe. Marion Ross - hadn’t thought of her but you know, she might be good.
But Daniel Sunjata…oh yeah.
At first I wasn’t crazy about Katherine Heigl as Stephanie but I think that she’ll do an ok job. Not that I don’t love Sandra, but I think that she’s honestly past the age of passing for a woman in her 20s. 10 years ago, Sandra Bullock would have been the obvious choice but now? I love her but I would hate to see them slap a ton of make up on her to make her appear younger. I’m reserving my casting verdict until the movie comes out. The guys are definitely yummy to look at!