I’m not sure why, but the upcoming movie adaptation of Janet Evanovich’s One for the Money popped into my head tonight. I had heard that Katherine Heigl was going to be portraying Stephanie, but has anyone actually seen her in the role? That seemed to be a lot of people’s objections – she just didn’t seem like she would make a good Stephanie. So I went looking to see what I could find.
I kind of found more than I thought I would. Not only did I find Heigl as Stephanie, but I found all the main characters or the ones I’m interested in. So here’s what I’m thinking…
Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum – Now that she has the darker hair, I am beginning to see it. Heigl has been playing these roles of the clueless action figure (Killers anyone?) and that is pretty much what Stephanie is in the first novel. Now that Evanovich has written sixteen novels in the series, we’re used to a more experienced Stephanie, but she wasn’t always like that. Regardless, I’m liking the darker hair on Heigl and I can see Stephanie a lot more than I did before. Honestly, the more I look at this image, the more it seems to line up with what I’ve always had in my head.
Jason O’Mara as Joe Morelli – So far, I’m not digging him. I’m sorry, but Morelli is a LOT hotter in my head and quite honestly, O’Mara’s IMDB picture is a lot hotter than the images I found over on Movie Insider. We’re talking about a ladies man…a man whore pretty much and I don’t see this gruff cop as that at all. Yes, I do see O’Mara as being a detective/cop and probably a good one at that, but not the type that swiped Stephanie’s virginity behind the pastry counter when they were in high school.
Daniel Sunjata as Ranger – I will admit, Sunjata is definitely some eye-candy, but he’s not quite as big as I thought Ranger would be. I’m thinking he needs to have more muscles, but I could be the only one. He definitely has that Latin favor going for him, but I guess I was thinking Ranger was more the Latin guerrilla fighter more than a Latin playboy detective. But what will really sell me on Sunjata will be his voice. Does he have the accent that I’ve always pictured Ranger to have? I love a foreign accent, so if he can nail that, I’ll be happy.
Sherri Shepherd as Lulu – Oh. My. God. I cannot believe they found Lulu. Not only did they find her, but she’s a lot prettier than I thought she would be. I’ve always pictured Lulu has this obviously heavy, shouldn’t be wearing those clothes, crack hooker type of character, but Shepherd isn’t that and the more I look at her portrayal of Lulu, the more I’m happier with this version. I’m not familiar with Shepherd at all, but she definitely gives off the vibe that she’s going to be this larger than life loudmouth opinionated woman. I’m actually really excited to see Lulu in action now.
Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur – Grandma is a lot younger than I was picturing. I always thought Estelle Getty was more Grandma Mazur, but I’m not unfamiliar with Reynolds either and I think she’ll be able to pull her off. She’ll definitely give Grandma more of a Southern charm, rather than batshit crazy, persona and it has a lot of potential. The real test will be when Grandma pulls her .45 out of her purse (or whatever flavor of gun it is), then we’ll see if Grandma has risen.
Patrick Fischler as Vinnie and Ana Reeder as Connie – Well, Vinnie isn’t as fat as I thought he would be, but I can definitely see Vinnie in Fischler’s face. I had Vinnie pictured as more of a Danny DeVito and yeah that wouldn’t have worked. For one, the age is all off if Vinnie is suppose to be Stephanie’s cousin and not her mom’s cousin. For another, Vinnie is just as much of a sexual deviant as Morelli, just a more disgusting one. Right? So there would have to be something there to work with.
As for Connie, I love it. I’m not familiar with Reeder (the name does ring a few bells), but I don’t think I could have pictured a better Connie without totally screwing it up. I’m definitely getting a sassy, don’t mess with me girlfriend, vibe and something tells me the office scenes are going to be fun.
There are more who will be showing up in One for the Money. Stephanie has some trouble with Benito Ramirez, remember? He’ll be played by Gavin-Keith Umeh (All My Children), but again, not totally the man I was expecting to find either. In my head, Ramirez and Ranger had similar body types – the muscled football player – and neither of these guys have that. So we’ll see.
Another returning favorite will be Eddie Gazarra and seriously, isn’t he suppose to be older than what Nate Mooney looks like? I mean, seriously? Mooney just turned 20…I thought Gazarra was another detective or am I remembering this wrong? Didn’t he graduate with Stephanie?
And can anyone remember who Jimmy Alpha is in the novel? He’s being played by John Leguizamo and I’m thinking he’s suppose to be a bigger character than some random guy. After all, it’s Lequizamo. I can’t see him playing some small part.
So those are some of the characters we’ll be seeing when the movie for One for the Money comes out July 8, 2011 (thank you IMDBPro). I do have to say, after seeing some of the portrayals, I’m starting to get really excited for the movie. I’m seeing a lot of potential and I have hope that it’s not going to completely suck, but I’m not totally sold yet either. After all, Morelli isn’t that hot stud I’ve pictured, plus the synopsis is a little different. I mean, Morelli is a former cop? I wonder if this means there won’t be any sequels.
So what does everyone else think? Could you think of anyone better to play these Plum characters after seeing who is going to be playing them?
Synopsis: Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl), an unemployed lingerie buyer, convinces her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie (Patrick Fischler), to give her a shot as a bounty hunter. Her first assignment is to track down a former cop, Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara), on the run for murder — the same man who broke her heart years before. With the help of some friends and the best bounty hunter in the business, Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), she slowly learns what it takes to be a true bounty hunter.
*images courtesy of Movie Insider
I’m curious about the film but I’m not sure if I’m going to like it or not. I guess Katherine Heigl is ok for Stephanie but she isn’t at all how I pictured Stephanie and Jason O’Mara is just wrong for Morelli. No way is he hot enough to pull of the character in my head that’s for sure! I’m holding judgement on Daniel Sunjata as Ranger, like you I guess we’ll just have to see what his accent is like LOL.
I do like Sherri Shepherd for Lulu though and Ana Reeder looks like she’ll be a good Connie. I guess they can never quite match up every character to how you’re expecting them to be but come on it’s quite important that Morelli is hot LOL. I’m not to sure what they’ve done with the synopsis either – why is Morelli an ex-cop???? And he is Stephanie’s first assignment?? What the hell is that all about???
I’d been wanting to see this made into a film for a long time but I have a feeling I’m going to be disappointed :o( I know I’ll end up watching it though LOL
I’m in total agreement with sarah on KH as stephanie. I think Sunjata is sexy enough to have a good chance as ranger. I see Lula as bigger and not as pretty , but I can buy Shepherd as Lula, she looks sassy enough.
How they can cast an Irish actor as Morelli tho….I just hope he has an awful lot of sexy charm, because i’m not seeing the sexy italian hotness required of Morelli…. And I love Debbie Reynolds, and maybe she can pull it off, but I don’t see her as Grandma Mazur..
Sherri Shepherd is one of the panel on The View, probably one of my least favorite shows on tv. Heck, I’m a LIBERAL, and I can see how slanted it is.
Apart from that, she’ll probably be just fine; it’s not like there’s a lot of depth in Lulu. I always pictured the mom in Sister Sister, but she’s probably a bit old for it.
I’m getting really tired of pretty casting. Also, there is nothing outwardly ethnic about any of these people. It’s sort of boring.
Speaking of pretty casting, I watched Blue Bloods (the Tom Selleck cop show on Friday night) with some misgivings and was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the cast is gorgeous, but they can ACT. Also, perfectly cast for the roles. And the scripts have some meat in them. Hope it lasts.
I haven’t started reading this series yet but I am about to. Not sure if I should wait for the first movie to come out first.
I agree about Katherine Heigel. I couldn’t picture it but once I saw her with the dark hair it really works. I love Sherri Shepherd as LuLu. As for Ranger I really picture someone along the lines of Dwayne Johnson. Much bigger.
I agree with your take on Stephanie and Joe. I don’t think that guy is at all right. I’m sorry he is not doing anything for me in that role.
For grandma – actually Estelle Getty was a lot younger than portrayed on Golden Girls. I think Betty White might have been a pretty good grandma. If she acted Paula Dean would have been great ;).
I like Heigl for Stephanie Plum. Sherri Shappard is okay for Lulu, but I always pictured Lulu as pretty tall, definitely taller than Stephanie Plum. I think they could have found someone better for Morelli, who is supposed to be ultrahot – with the eyelashes and stubble – and this guy definitely isn’t. Ranger is supposed to be ultra hot also – and I picture him with bigger muscles too, remember they work out (his building has it’s own gym). I don’t picture Debbie Reynolds as Grandma either, although she’s supposed to be petite. I would have pictured someone more like Cloris Leachman.
However! they are all more in line than other books into movies. Morelli’s is the most off – not even close for me.
The actor who plays Morelli screams “Irish” to me.
The dream cast for me, ignoring the barriers of time and space, would be:
Stephanie Plum: Sandra Bullock
Morelli: That one’s open for me. Let’s face it: Poor Joe is Rebound Guy.
Ranger: The actor who played Hawk on Spenser and Sisko on Deep Space Nine. I know, I know, he’s not Cuban, but I don’t care.
Lulu: The actress who played the mom on Sister Sister.
Grandma: Estelle Getty. MAYBE the mom from Everybody Loves Raymond.
Mom: The mom from Moonstruck. Typecasting, yes, but if it works . . .
@Sarah – Morelli was Stephanie’s first assignment. That’s what the entire novel of One for the Money was about – how Stephanie had to track down Morelli because Ranger wasn’t available to do it. I’m remembering this correctly, right?
@Sue – do not wait for the movie to come out first. The movies never get the books right and 9 out of 10 times, the book is always far better.
@Kim – Mmm….Dwayne Johnson. He would be a good Ranger. Yum!
@Pam S – OMG…Betty White as Grandma Mazur would be fabulous. Now she could totally pull off Grandma.
Yes, One for the Money has Stephanie tracking down Morelli. I think Heigl will pull off Stephanie marvelously. I love Witherspoon, but couldn’t see her in the role (I think she was s’posed to be Steph). O’Mara doesn’t do it for me, either. I’ll withhold commenting on Sunjata, except that I always secretly wanted to jump Ranger myself, and I’m not quite there with Sunjata… :P
I would see someone like Sandra Bullock for Stephanie – Heigl is too pretty whereas Sandra is more the girl next door.
But I am looking forward to the movie since I’ma huge fan of the books.
I love this series and have to say I’m seriously disappointed in the casting. Katherine Heigel is okay, I guess. I bet she can probably pull it off, but I always imagined Stephanie to be more of a Sandra Bullock type, although I know she’s probably too old to play the part.
As for O’Mara as Joe…what a horrific choice. I’ve seen him on tv shows and he’ll be a great cop, but he’s by no means hot. I never could quite figure out who I’d cast in this role, but it would definitely not be him. On the other hand Sunjata is hot, but not even close to built enough. I always pictured Ranger as more of a The Rock or Vin Diesel type (in look, I know neither is Latin).
I think Sherri Shepherd is going to be great as Lulu after seeing her on 30 Rock as Tracy’s wife. She is great. However, I also liked Queen Latifyah (sp?) for this role. Although she’d have to put a bunch of weight back on to play it.
Grandma Mazur is going to be Debbie Renyolds? I’m not even sure I’ve seen her in anything even though I know the name. I had my heart set on Betty White…well before her latest resurgence in popularity.
Oh well, despite my disappointments I know that my sister, step-mom and I will all be there opening weekend. I’m really hoping they prove me wrong because we have been waiting to see this movie for a LONG time!
Thanks for all the great info Jackie! :)
Well I have to agree with everyone about O’mara – I don’t get it. Heigl as Plum though I think is perfect. Especially after seeing Killers. I’d have loved (and always pictured) Betty White as grandma but Debbie Reynolds is damn good. my biggest beef though is Lula. Sherry Shepherd has the personality no doubt but hands down I wanted Mo’Nique. I’m honestly surprised no one else brought her up. And yeah, Sunjata is fine enough but maybe coulda put a bit more time in at the gym in preparation. Also, I don’t remember him having an accent. Pretty sure he was raised in the states and educated at Rutger’s. The actress playing Connie looks perfect but a bit too young Vinnie looks spot on – a weasel. At any rate I hope the direction and script are as good as the cast is (overall). Cheers!
I agree with Shannon, I think Heigl will be great as Stephanie. As far as Jackie’s comments about “muscled football player” body-types, I can’t really tell what kind of shape Daniel Sunjata’s in, but I’ve seen Gavin-Keith Umeh in some of the ads for the new FX series ‘Lights Out’ and he looks HUGE!!! (and super scary) Great choice there, wouldn’t mind having him as a stalker :)
Why does everyone keep saying Lulu?
Her name is Lula.
And O’Mara isnt at all what I imagined Morelli to be. He’s not even Italian!
Omg Adriana I was sitting here and thinking the same thing. Every freaking comment said Lulu. I don’t get it. I have the book right here and it is LulAAAA.
As far as casting goes, I don’t think there is an actor out there that could truly get how hot Morelli is in my mind. I think thats the problem. Everyone views characters differently. Also, earlier I think it was “michelle Olson” said “let’s face it. Joe is just a rebound guy” uhh… what books have you been reading. Clearly, Stephanie has had a thing for him since they were kids, and as the books go on they truly love each other. I mean yeah ranger is there, but he’s just sexy and I know she loves him too but she even admits it’s a different kind of love.
One thing I try to remember about this movie, is Evanovich only sold the rights to One for the Money. Not all her books. So, this may be the only one in the whole series made into movie, and if it is, we miss Ranger and Stephanie’s love connection, and we miss the fact the Joe falls head over heels for her. So, that’s a disappointment. I just keep telling myself, there’s no way they can make all these books a movie( it took 11 freaking years to make 8 Harry Potter movies, let alone the 20+ Plum books) so I almost think you have to go into watching this with a completely open mind, because they are going to take creative liberties with it…–unfortunately.
wow that was long… sorry for anyone who reads this
Jimmy Alpha is Benito Ramirez’s Manager and the only person Stephanie has ever shot and killed……Benito Ramirez was the boxer who hurt’s Lula….. :0) Looking forward to this movie, just wish the release date hadn’t been pushed back to Jan, 2012…..
When I say I LOVE the Stephanie Plum series….I LOVE THE STEPHANIE PLUM SERIES!!! I have read the entire series AT LEAST twice (12,13, &14 are my favorites). While I can’t wait for the movie to come out, I am disappointed with the casting. I was hoping for Drew Barrymore to be Stephanie…Bobby Cannavale is PERFECT for Joe…even down to that Italian accent…Steve Buschemi is Vinnie (the very rat/weasel type Vinnie is described as)…and Betty White as Grandma Mazur (what a hoot! Betty White could definately handle a .45). Connie, Stephanie’s parents and Lulu were hard for me to cast (although Sheri Sheppard should make a good Lulu). Also, Ranger has to me MUCH…MUCH HOTTER!!! Muscles on top of muscle type. Would be good to cast a new-comer for this role.
Still…cant wait til January, 2012. Will pre-purchase the tickets and all of my “Evanovich Fans” will be there in FULL FORCE :-)