Posted by: T Y | January 24, 2008

Casting ‘The Witch of Blackbird Pond’ Movie

I’m growing impatient for The Witch of Blackbird Pond to be made into a movie. After waiting close to a decade for a movie to happen, I’m resigned. Maybe it will never happen. Maybe Puritans are just not appealing to Hollywood. Maybe movies about witch trials and colonial domestic life doesn’t equal box-office success. Whatever the reason, I’m sick of waiting. I’m casting my own damn movie!

The following are my very rough casting ideas. I can only think of actors for a few characters and I’ve yet to consider actors/actresses for Mercy Wood, Hannah Tupper, John Holbrook, William Ashbey, Aunt Rachel, etc…

So Witch of Blackbird Pond readers, this is your chance to comment and let me know what you think. If you’ve been harboring the ideal Kit Tyler or the ideal Nat Eaton inside, please give me your two cents. When I’ve gathered enough reader input, I’ll composite a collection of actor/actress images for voting.

Kit Tyler

Actress: Felicity Jones
Character description: There isn’t much physical description of Kit Tyler. Speare hints that she is thin with dark brown hair. Kit’s beauty is ambiguous: some characters think she is attractive, but other characters say she’s isn’t exactly pretty. So I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s pretty but not beautiful, but I imagine her as beautiful anyways.

image8.jpg

Commentary: After watching Northanger Abbey (2007), I found Felicity Jones ridiculously beautiful—breathtaking even. However, she’s got the fresh-faced, trustworthy quality of a young heroine. I felt very comfortable looking at the world through her eyes.

Nat Eaton

Actor: Gaspard Ulliel
Character description: “She had noticed him often, his thin wiry figure swinging easily hand over hand up the rigging, his sandy, sun-bleached head bent over a coil of rope” (1).

Commentary: Gaspard Ulliel got passed up for the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight movie. Does that mean he’s up for grabs in the WOBP movie? Okay, so he doesn’t have sandy blonde hair, but that can be easily remedied. Gaspard has the prerequisite “thin wiry figure” and I can see him swinging on the rigging. In the book, there is never any mention of Nat Eaton’s age, only references to his youth: “that cocky young seaman!” If Kit Tyler is 16, I assume Nat Eaton is 19 at the most. Remember, they don’t live that long back then.

Uncle Matthew

Actor: Liam Neeson
Character description: “From his place at the head, a man unfolded his tall angular body and came toward her. She could not read the faintest sign of welcome on his thin stern lips or the dark eyes that glowered fiercely at her from under the heavy grizzled eyebrows” (32).

Commentary: Liam Neeson is the only actor I can think of who fits that physical description. Like Uncle Matthew, he can be fierce, commanding, and noble at the same time.

Judith Wood

Actress: Alexis Bledel
Character description: “Judith’s face fulfilled every exquisite detail the picture she hand treasured of her imagined aunt. The clear white skin, the blue eyes under a dark fringe of lashes, the black hair that curled against her shoulders, and the haughty lift of her perfect small chin—this girl could have been the toast of a regiment!” (32).

Commentary: Isn’t Alexis Bledel known for her piercing blue eyes? And yes, she does look like the toast of a regiment.

Responses

I know this was a favorite book of mine growing up but I cannot remember at all what it was about! For what it’s worth good casting choices. I like the guy that passed up on the Edward Cullen role - too bad. He seems like he would have fit perfectly.

I love Gaspard Ulliel! It was for him alone that I went and saw Hannibal Rising in theatres. And I agree with Iliana-I totally seem him as angsty Edward.

It’s interesting how differently you and I feel about books being made into movies. The more I like a book, the more I will avoid any movie version of it like the plague! I’d rather have my own image in my head from reading than Hollywood’s version. :)

Iliana:
Can I interest you in a re-read?
Yes, Gaspard Ulliel would have made a perfect Edward Cullen (he’s the top pick on YouTube), but it shall never be… I’m pretty happy with Robert Pattinson though.

Eva:
For every book I read, I have this need to visualize it. Even if I knew that they were going to butcher the book as a movie, I’ll still go see it.
I just want to see live characters and the scene played out.

I’m stumped. But I like your interesting cast, especially Gaspard. I really can’t think of anyone for any character, except a younger Leo DiCaprio for Nat, which sadly enough, is not possible.

On second thought, even if they made a cartoon movie for WOBP like Anastasia, that would be awesome. I’d like to see another Dimitri-type hottie. :)

m.majeed—
Yeah, casting WOBP is hard. I had to really rack my brain to come up with the actors/actresses. If it wasn’t for watching Northanger Abbey last weekend, I wouldn’t even know who to cast for Kit.

Now that you mention it, the Anastasia and Dimitri relationship reminds me of the Kit & Nat relationship: the unspoken attraction, the subtle chemistry, the bickering. Dimitri’s sarcastic personality reminds me of Nat as well. Maybe that’s why I liked Anastasia so much, it reminds me of WOBP.

Oh, I LOVE this post! I loved this book when I was younger and had forgotten all about it. Great choices!

Thanks Toryssa!

That Gaspard guy is hot, hot, hot! I’m going to have to do a little Gaspard research now…

How about Ellen Page for the role of Kit? I know she’s kind of Emo, but that girl can act!

Thank you for this. Now I’ll have to reread.

Char–
Thank you! Gaspard is HOT! I’m not too sure about Ellen Page; she’s a great actress, but I’m having a hard time picturing her in period movies—has she ever done any historical pics?

No, I don’t think she has. Maybe she is a bit too alternative. Perhaps Rupert Grint could play Kit!

Have a good weekend.

Love this book. Have read it to all our kids. Just finishing it with the Third Grader. So wanted to find a movie to cap it off with, but sadly that hasn’t happened yet. I like your choices for characters. I think we should start a petition drive with a couple Hollywood types. Maybe sending notes to the choices would get them thinking…or at least reading the book! Carry on.

Connie—
Count me in for the petition idea. WOBP has such great movie potential, it would be a waste not to make it into a movie. I see epic, I see drama, I see Oscar.

I was hoping to find a movie for this book because it is my favorate book. So I hope you can get a movie in the making. I am going to be a teacher so I was hoping I could find a movie to show my students after we read the book in class.

Im 12 yr old. not long ago i finished *the witch of blackbird pond* It was awesome so i started looking if their was a movie, but as you know there is no movie. *tear* I think it’s unfair that the movie hasn’t come out yet. People should know about this book but most people don’t like reading so I demand: there should be a movie!

sara:
I read WOBP when I was about your age. I’m still wishing for a movie—as you can tell by the sheer amount of WOBP related post I’ve writing. Thanks for dropping by!

like the casting, especially Judith! The book really would make a good movie…Even if there isn’t an according role Hugh Jackman should somehow be cast! LOL!

i love this book so far
i wish this movie will come out
If it does hopefully it is before June 22
So the 5th graders in my school can watch it
So good luck
Hopefully this movie comes out
From,
Antonella and Jasmine

I teach 5th grade and we finished the book today! My students clapped at the end. I love that!
They keep asking me if there is a movie. I’d never found one, but of course I went online to look again just hoping…
We would all be thrilled if you really did make this movie! I’ll ask my students tomorrow who they think the characters should be played by and let you know what they think.
Thank you!

My class is reading this book, and we have to read at least 1 chapter each day, but I read at least 2 1/2 chapters everytime. I absolutely love the book and I would love to watch the movie. I thought it would be really cool to play in the movie, maybe as Mercy or Kit, (those are my favorite characters). So if you would need someone, I’m interested in playing a part. I’m about to turn 14, I have blonde hair, Im 5′4-5′6, dont know exactly, I love acting, Im very entergetic, fun, and I get along with people very well. If you are interested, email me, I could give a number to contact me, and send some pictures for you to see me.

We created a website just for this “fantasy cast” activity (storycasting.com), and we’d LOVE to get more “lit” people on there! We think that casting is a way to inject “movie fun” in to literature, and enable a classroom discussion you wouldn’t otherwise, especially with young people. WE only have 60K titles so far, but go take a look and suggest some more LIT titles, and we’ll plug them in for you to “cast”.

storycasting.com
“for the movie in your mind”

What about Mercy Wood (Holbrook), John Holbrook, Hannah Tupper and William Ashby? I absolutely LOVE The Witch of Blackbird Pond! It is beautifully sculpted into a romance and had tastes of supece and action.

this book is so good i can’t wait to see the rest of the cast and the movie!

i like the selections. Another suggestion for Nat would be William Moseley from Chronicles of Narnia. He is british though… ??

you chose the wrong person to play edward cullen

you MUST get help to find someone else to play as edward cullen because the guy you chose is discustingly ugly and disturbing to look at!

beatrice:
The guy I chose is for Nat Eaton from Witch of Blackbird Pond, see title of post. I didn’t pick anyone to play Edward Cullen, the professionals did that. Are we still talking about Gaspard Ulliel here? Personally, I still stand by the fact that he’s hot. Don’t hate.

ohh i love william moseley! he would be perfect for nat. he is blonde headed and skinny and plain gorgeous!
i think that kit should be played by an unknown girl. for a breakout role. and an air of mystery of who she is to the audience!
that would be cool.

I LOVE this book it is such a good one. does anyone no the authors address or email? i want her to write a second book. I wish that the book would of ended up like this: nat and kit marry, and adopt prudence because her parents are arrested. but it didnt end up that way, if they made a movie for it and it came out in theatre then im sure that are whole class would go and see it

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