Make it a Movie: Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
In our Make it a Movie section, we play the role of movie producers and map out the movie production. “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” by Gillian McAllister is for those who enjoy time-bending thrillers, family drama, and a touch of criminal intrigue.
***SPOILER WARNINGS***
Plot: A mother witnesses her son commit a shocking crime, then finds herself traveling backwards in time, trying to unravel the mystery and prevent the crime from happening.
Production Notes: There is already a movie with the same name released in 2021, wouldn’t recommend confusing the two. No news on this book becoming a movie, but it did end up on our arch nemesis, Reece Witherspoon’s book club list, and they have a pretty good track record of becoming movies, so you never know!
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Time Travel
Logline: Memento meets Back to the Future
Proposed Casting for “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” by Gillian McAllister:
Jen – Cleary the lead of this movie and the person really driving the story. We’ll keep this one easy and go with Emily Blunt who has experience with both this genre (Girl on the Train), and time travel (Edge of Tomorrow). She’ll have no issues sliding into the role of concerned mother grappling with time travel and family secrets.
Kelly – These books always need the mysterious spouse that has some big secret they’ve been hiding from their trusting significant other. Kelly fits the bill in this book. We liked Jeffrey Dean Morgan for this role. His rugged charm and ability to play complex characters make him ideal for the role. Plus, as noted in the podcast, he’s tall, dark, and handsome and has a great… anyway onto the next character.
Todd – Will keep the star studded cast going choosing Tom Holland to play Todd. Yes, at this point he may be a little bit too old, but Tom Holland could bring a lot to this character and would probably make Todd more than seemingly a science nerd who suddenly stabs someone.
Joe – Quick who is the first person you think of as British enforcer/tough guy? If you said anyone other than Vinnie Jones’, I’m sorry, but you’re incorrect. Sign him up, easy casting.
The film would need to carefully balance the thriller elements with the emotional core of the story. Special attention should be paid to the visual representation of time travel, perhaps using subtle changes in clothing, technology, and set design to orient viewers in each time period.
How did we do? Let us know what you think and what roles we’re missing. You can also check out our podcast episode or book club questions while patiently waiting for the movie adaptation announcement.
