Well, evidently there was an article in yesterday’s New York Times, regarding (among other things) the possibility of Katherine Heigl playing Claire in a film version of OUTLANDER. It’s not like there haven’t been all kinds of rumors about everything you could imagine, over the last ten years or so–but this seems to have stirred up a lot of folk, many of whom asked me to post something on the matter.
Had a quick glance at several assorted articles on the subject (to which folk have been sending me links). All of said articles contain the usual amount of careless inaccuracy that you usually see. You really shouldn’t get excited about any details mentioned in that sort of piece–like “Scottish heroine,” for instance.
That said, I haven’t ever seen Ms. Heigl act, but would certainly extend her the courtesy of waiting to see.
Katherine Heigl eh? Seems a little too mousey to be as strong as Claire should be, but definitely an interesting consideration. Good luck on all this. I think a movie version of the story could be really beautiful.
OOOHHH. This could be interesting. She might work though I never would have outright chosen her for the role. I am kind of nervous about this so I can not imagine how you feel having your work "adapted" to the big screen.
Daer Diana,
This is exciting and conflicting news!
Hmm. Katherine Heigl does dramatic acting well. She doesn't immediately come to mind when I think of Claire. Perhaps a bit too Hollywood.
There must be a British actress who could portray Claire somewhere!
Having watched and enjoyed "Foyle's War" for years, perhaps Honeysuckle Weeks (her real name)would do well as Claire. Here is a link to her Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeysuckle_Weeks
Looking forward to hearing how all this plays out.
Lynda
Ack, Claire needs to be played by a British actress, IMO, though no one comes to mind at present. Perhaps a Kate Beckinsale or someone like her?
Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
I could see her more likely playing Brianna, but even that…I don't think she has the "weight" to play any of the characters…she's always seems to do fluffy kinds of things.
I like her (not including Killers which was very lame) and if she gets the film made because of her name… sure why not… and a great Jamie will more than compensate.
I could maybe see her as Geillis but I don't see her as Clair at all. Personally, I think Kate Winslet would be much better as Claire.
http://backseatcuddler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/kate_winslet.jpg
Amen on Kate Winslet. Too bad our favorite author has no say in the matter.
I've been a fan of KH since Grey's Anatomy, and I think her scenes with Denny (Season 2 or 3 I forget)- were very touching and well-done. She's finshing up as Stephanie Plum "One for the Money" (and as a brunette with curly hair – check IMDB for photos).. so maybe a Claire might be in there someplace. I think she might be able to pull it off if she can do an English accent half-way well.
Even if she's interested I would imagine they would do screen-tests before committing to final casting.
Allan Scott-Douglas as Jamie for a movie? I think they can do better than that. I just figured he was cast in the musical because that was all they could get an it was low-budget. Sorry to dis on Allan, but he is not even close to the Jamie you describe in the book – other than he is tall.
Never heard of her, but then there are a lot of people I haven't heard of! They thought Gerald Butler was a name for Phantom and I still don't know what else he's done!! (and don't much care!)
If Diana thinks Allan is Jamie then he must be Jamie! it's her head he came out of after all!
I'm surprised I haven't seen an uproar with the mention of Heigl. I've yet to see a movie with her in it wherewith she has chemistry with the leading man. I can't imagine her pulling off a British accent. And honestly, I think she should stick to the rated R comedies she has become known for.
Sigh… I'm not cool with that, but oh well. She's just too "romantic comedy" (that's all she ever acts in). And I would be really surprised if she could do an english accent. Plus she'd have to get rid of the blond hair. But her being in it really boosts the chances of making the film a reality. Looking forward to hearing more news about this.
Would much rather see an 8-10 episode HBO adaptation than a theatrical release. Any adaptation would have to differ wildly from the book, but just can't imagine a 120 minute film as at all satisfying.
No offense to KH, but she was awful in another book to movie adaptation (Love Comes Softly). Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was the fact movies are never as good as their books, but I think some of it was her. We shall see!
Katherine Heigl, fluff no substance. I've seen a few of her movies and she plays the same character in each one (sort of like Julia Roberts).
Recently saw the movie Agora with Rachel Weiz. While she may be older than Ms Heigl, she can pull off Claire much better. And you wouldn't need a dialect coach on set.
I cannot for the life of me, imagine that a large American movie company would even consider Allan Scott-Douglas as a male lead.
Having checked out his "acting" skits on youtube, I've yet to see any charisma or star quality there at all. Let's be honest here, the stuff on youtube is quite lame, probably more harmful than good for an "aspiring actor".
He may well be a really neat guy in real life and I kind of think that may be influencing Diana's opinion of him…but he's hardly going to make the ladies pulses race. And yeah, I do know it's not all about looks and body shape, but the actual acting skills are not that great either. Sorry if this sounds harsh but i'm being realistic here.
An interesting take on KH and her Outlander potential:
http://www.laineygossip.com/Katherine_Heigl_tries_to_improve_public_image_while_promoting_Life_As_We_Know_It_01oct10.aspx?CatID=0&CelID=0
that didn't post right. Here it is again:
http://tiny.cc/khezd
Allan Scott Douglas would make an AMAZING Jaime! He definitely has my vote! To whom should I submit my petition?? If KH could pull off an English accent and life as a brunette it could work but agree, Rachel Weiz would be an amazing choice.
I agree that a book this long and with this much substance is not going to fit will into a movie. I agree that it should be an HBO type of series.