I was contacted earlier today by author and screenwriter of FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED, David Quinn (who happens to be the original comic writer as well!) So I found one really cool report that David wrote on his site
Well, I can finally begin to divulge the details of Faust Film Casting, and we begin with an important one: The role of femme fatale Claire, M’s goddess whore, will be played by Spanish theater and television actress Monica Van Campen. Monica is beautiful, and formidable--six feet tall, with a beautifully proportioned graceful dancer’s body.
We had to find Claire, a performer with the audacity and strength to play every man’s fantasy and nightmare, in Barcelona.
Director Brian Yuzna introduced me to Monica at a classic icon of old Hollywood, the Roosevelt Hotel. I told her that I had been living with Claire in my mind for years, so I wouldn’t pretend to hide my excitement as I finally reached out and touched her. (I know, I’m a bit dramatic, but you don’t meet your personal obsessions made flesh every day.)
Monica told me, in English, that she loved the role, because it was like the usual (sexy) roles she is offered, but so much more “full.”
That evening I watched her as she listened to Brian Yuzna, or me, or took in the scene at the Roosevelt. She seemed to be studying everything, hungry to get every nuance. I kept thinking that this was a very strange view for a first view of life in the States.
We talked again the next day ate the FX studio of Screaming Mad George, where I got to look at George’s first work on translating Tim Vigil’s Faustian images to three dimensions. I had a few suggestions. Meanwhile, Monica underwent a full body cast to prepare for the magick that will be done to her onscreen.
My favorite Monica story so far: she told me that while she is filming Faust, she will be leaving the set for four hours each night to appear in a stage production of Waiting for Godot. I’m amused at the thought of her washing off the absurd clown make-up to strap herself back into Claire’s Fuck-Me, Fuck-You play clothes.
Can I tell you who else is in the movie?
Not yet.
I was in script sessions with Brian Yuzna during casting, so I sat in, and I did see some strong and interesting readings. I even jumped in to read opposite one of the John/M candidates—not so different from when I was working as a writer for stage in New York. But it’s not right to talk about other roles while the actors are still negotiating, so I’m afraid you will have to wait.
In the meantime, let me know what you think of Book of M so far…
Quinn
And then this post also from David
Screaming Mad George and his Screaming Mad Crew are building some very, very cool stuff, Ian. They have all the comics, and they have a wealth of experience working FX that live where hard rock, sex, surrealism, and the occult collide.
I did ask them to remove a pointed chin and pointed ears from their fleshed-out version of Faust. This isn't the first time we've had to correct this. Designers seem to love pushing the devilesque. I'm sure Tim has played with this in some hallucinatory panels, but it won't work for 99 minutes. Pointed ears look elfin to me, and a chin appliance robs the actor of one of his strongest emotional points.
Faust will be a "rubber suit," but don't assume it's going to look like a piece of spawn, I mean shit. You won't ever see it that well. As directed by our script, camera speed and light and shadow FX keep you from ever seeing him too clearly--same with the demons he sees in the place of cops and SWAT team fodder.
What else--face-sucking fx for Yuri, and wild body "punishment" fx for Claire. If that sends you back to your LOtD issues, you want to check out Act Seven.
I haven't seen anything but rough sketches of the Homunculous. So far Homey seems the most difficult creature to bring to moving, 3-D life on our low budget.
Though Yuzna invited him to join in, Vigil chose to stay in the studio drawing Book of M#3, connected by phone. The film team digs the art in the comics, though, and refer to them constantly.
And then there was this post...
More Faust casting: Andrew (The Wishmaster) Divoff has entered into a Faustian contract to play our earthly master of temptation, M.
When Brian Yuzna let my partner Tim Vigil and I know that Andrew had accepted, I was pleased: I watched him grow into the role before my eyes in his audition, for I was reading and videotaping him because our casting director couldn’t be there to handle it.
Andrew began by reading for Jaspers, and worked his strongest suit, a deep rumbling voice and powerful physical presence. But when asked to read M, and prompted by Brian Yuzna to play with it, he added elegance, charisma, and humor to the threat. As I told Tim, very exciting to watch.
A cool thing: I only saw some casting while I was in story meetings, but in my limited exposure, Andrew was the one who did not do some kind of effected “villain” thing with it. That made me happy, because M must be sexy, beguiling, intelligent, interesting! And he has to have elements of elegance and gentleness within his virility, as truly powerful men have. Why? If he comes off as a melodramatic mustache-twirler from the start, then John (Faust) Jaspers is an idiot to work with him!
I have always wanted to cast a Jimmy Stewart/Tom Hanks/Denzel Washington type in my mephistophelean role for just that reason.
Another cool thing: before shipping off to Barcelona, Andrew gave me a call to request Faust comics to study. What do you think of that, Faustians?
Then David commented on the Jeffrey Combs casting...
Faust Casting Continues
Jeff Combs, best known for his earnest, witty, engaging, and just plain weird character triumphs as the ReAnimator, will play Captain Dan Margolies.
Now some of you know Margolies is not that large a role in the comic, though he does serve as a catalyst in some intense scenes with John and Jade. He is more important to the film's version of the story. Or at least that's what we told Jeff. No, I'm kidding. Read on.
Much like the way the novel LA Confidential's characters were merged to make that movie, a lot of the action taken by the journalist Balfour in the comic will be done by Margolies in the movie. That makes sense to audiences: a journalist is an appropriate voice for a story that you read, riding around with a cop is much more like what we are used to in the movies.
But in the movie story, after you've been seduced into riding around with Margolies playing cop, secure in the naive belief that the world is good vs. evil and you can simply lock up the evil, then you crash into the madness and violence of the world of M and Faust--and reality is up for grabs.
I hope to get the same horror effect Hitchcock got in one of his best. A woman commits a crime and gets away with it. Watching this, we think we are in a detective story. In fact, it feels like the end of the story, doesn't it? We're lulled further into our own jaded comfort, watching her meet a strange young man, and when she decides to confess her crime, we feel it is all going to be all right. And then, as she is washing the nightmare out of her hair, she gets stabbed a couple hundred times. Of course, I am talking about the great Psycho.
Is Margolies going to look like Elvis, as he does in the comic? Probably not--that was a conceit designed for the page. If our actor looked like Elvis, we might have gone with it again: Margolies is a cop who thinks the world is an action movie, and he's the hero, and he's as suave as the King, babe.
But Jeff ain't Elvis, and making him look like a fake Elvis would be dumber than I want to imagine.
Jeff brings a deep well of talent and creativity to the role; in casting meetings a few weeks ago, I suggested that if he took the role, Brian Yuzna should have him play with the same fantasy without the Elvis factor. If he is a Walter Mitty-ish Everyman who thinks he's an action hero, I think he'll drive us into the story just fine.
I am looking forward to seeing what Jeff does. How strange to have the ReAnimator playing the closest thing we have to a sane, normal guy in the whole Love of the Damned.
Then this final report...
Mark Frost (the British actor, not David Lynch's collaborator) is Jaspers and Isabel Brook is Jade.
We just had this confirmed yesterday. Brian Yuzna is excited about Frost's ability to do the physicality and mad rage, and he says Isabel has the right stuff, too. I think that's saying a lot. Jade takes a woman of courage--she gets to be strong, but she also has to be naked in more ways than are obvious. I didn't see tapes or auditions from London. I'm afraid I've got no more info on these actors. Maybe someone out there does?
The internet movie database credits Isabel Brook in "Razor Blade Smile," BUT the same site warns viewers not to waste time or money on this rental. Decide for yourself if you want.
Brian Yuzna is preparing legal paperwork with the Spanish government to allow the Faust creators to appear in cameos, probably as cops who turn demon and get slain by Faust, or fodder for the Rite of Red Giving. So, we may spend thanksgiving drenched in fake blood.
And finally... there's the pre-production poster as well.... let's keep our fingers crossed on this one....
