Smasher Goes to the Movies

Keith here.

Don't tell anyone since it hasn't been officially announced yet, but we've sold an option on my Smasher: A Silicon Valley Thriller to a pair of award-winning scriptwriters. I know the chances of seeing it on the screen are about the same as a Wall Street banker turning down her bonus, but like Willy Loman, a man "is got to dream." So humor me, will you, and play along?

Who should play the protoganist Ian Michaels? He's 37 or so, about six feet tall, dark hair. He's a Silicon Valley workaholic and a pretty good runner? Here are some candidates my kids and wife came up with.

Chris O'Donnell? Kind of a pretty boy. I don't think so.

My kids are big fans of the show "Chuck" starring Zachary Levi. But he seems like such a doofus.

Leo DiCaprio? Well, he is a genuine movie star and we'd get funded if he opted in, wouldn't we?

And what incredibly talented actor can take on Rowena Goldberg, 30, top homicide prosecutor and marathoner who's married to the aforementioned Ian? She's about 30, 5' 4", and brunette.

Here's my first pick to play Rowena, but I'm told she's no longer available. Sigh. If only.

Natalie Portman? I could definitely go with her. Like Rowena, she's even Jewish.



This is Jill Flint from another of my kids' favorite shows, "Royal Pains."

Rebecca Hall who played Vicky in Woody Allen's "Vicky Christina Barcelona" has an American mom and can do a credible American accent.

Finally, there's the scene-stealer part -- Ricky Frankson, Silicon Valley billionaire and fan of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Here's the description from the book:

"All in all, Frankson looked about as good as a man of sixty-one could look. A field of wavy black hair showed nary a gray strand that might betray his age. A deep notch divided his eyebrows, but the forehead above them was unlined and his cheeks were smooth. The girth of his biceps, half-hidden by the sleeves of the T-shirt, substantiated the rumor that his early morning routine included weightlifting in a home gym. Scuttlebutt also had it that he invested tens of millions in biotech companies researching life extension. Maybe he was a beta tester. Or maybe he had a portrait up in his attic that aged in his stead."

If George got the part, I'm pretty sure my wife would accompany me to the premiere.

Who plays driven better than Al Pacino?

Can't wait to hear your candidates. And if any bankable actors want to throw their hats in the ring, just let me know by leaving a comment. I'll pass your name along.