As a huge fan of The Lunar Chronicles, I’m thrilled to be celebrating Marissa Meyer’s latest fairy tale retelling. Meyer’s first stand-alone novel, Heartless comes out on November 8 and tells the story of Lady Catherine Pinkerton, the woman who became Wonderland’s villainous Queen of Hearts. But long before she was the terror of Wonderland, Cath was just a girl with a dream of opening her own bakery. As a favourite of the King of Hearts, that future seems impossible. But Cath is determined to find her own destiny and fall in love on her own terms, even if fate has other plans.
There’s only 22 days left until Heartless hits the shelves, and to celebrate its impending release, I’ve put together a Heartless fancast of people I think could bring Meyer’s twist on Lewis Carroll’s classic tale to life!
Tara Lynn for Harper’s Bazaar
Cath
Meyer’s leading lady needs to be someone who can pull off looking both kind and deadly. At 34, Tara Lynn’s a little too old to be playing the role of a teenager, but with her gorgeous dark hair and stunning curves, she’s a near-perfect match to the Cath I imagined as I was reading. Plus, as Lynn is a model, there’s tons of hi-res photoshoots and videos of her online, so fanartists should have plenty of material for creating Heartless edits – including this photo of her wearing a crown decorated with red roses! If that’s not a sign that she’s made for the role, I don’t know what is.
DaJé Barbour by Danny Lang
Jest
Fancasting Jest, the handsome and mysterious court jester who swoops into Cath’s life and tries to steal her heart, was a little trickier – unfortunately, there just aren’t that many beautiful boys with eyes as yellow as lemons out there. Luckily, in my time as a fan of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series I’ve come across plenty of manips of yellow-eyed boys. One person who pulls of the look brilliantly is model DaJé Barbour. His eyes are naturally hazel, but look startlingly golden in certain lights.
Chloe Moretz by Christopher Beyer
Mary Ann
Sweet but shrewd and occasionally cynical, Mary Ann is Cath’s closest confidant, loyal maidservant and future business-partner. Chloe Moretz immediately sprang to mind – with her blue eyes and sweet smile, she makes the perfect Mary Ann, and as she’s got several YA films already under her belt we know she’s definitely got the acting chops to play her!
Jim Broadbent by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
The King of Hearts
As soon as the King was described – as a short, round-bodied and rosy-cheeked man prone to giggling at inopportune times – my mind immediately turned to Jim Broadbent’s role as Professor Slughorn in the Harry Potter films. Meyer’s hapless King of Hearts is a sweet but oblivious man, who proves completely inept at ruling his kingdom. With his comedic experience, I can imagine Broadbent would pull off the role fantastically. And speaking of comedy…
Jamie Campbell-Bower by Rankin for TX Maxx
Hatta
With his eccentric appearance and mysterious magical hats, Hatta is a scene-stealing character worthy of a scene-stealing performance. There’s not a lot of people who could pull off Hatta’s style – coattails, cravats, top hats and long white hair – but Jamie Campbell-Bower has the screen presence and the look to bring Hatta to life.
Who would you cast in a movie version of Heartless? Let us know in the comments below!
