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Casting Call: Looking for Alaska

Over the course of three seasons of FX horror anthology series American Horror Story, Evan Peters plays everything from an undead high-schooler to a New England homemaker. While now 27 years old (practically a grandfather in the world of teen films), his baby face and endearing all-American looks make him our top choice to play Miles "Pudge" Halter.

 

First, a babysitter nursing an affection for Steve Carrell in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Then, the best friend of a young woman who falls for a zombie in Warm Bodies. Analeigh Tipton now has four upcoming films in production—a respectable start for a model who made her start on America's Next Top Model. She was eliminated as the runner up on the show's 11th cycle, leaving space for her to pursue acting. The 25-year-old Minnesota native has the supporting actress chops to play Lara Buterskaya, Alaska's friend whom Pudge briefly dates. Lara is a first-generation Romanian immigrant, the sole English-speaking member of her family. Though her relationship with Pudge is doomed—by the end of their first date, he's concussed and pukes on her pants—she remains a key figure over the course of the novel. Tipton is definitely an up-and-comer to watch and she deserves a place in our dream cast.

 

Green portrays his titular heroine as beautiful, mysterious and loyal—though she only appears in about half the novel, Alaska Young is more of a type than a fleshed-out character, a girl that allows the remaining cast of characters to explore their relationships and personal lives in her absence. AnnaSophia Robb has a history of playing the mature-beyond-her-years protagonist in everything from 2005's Because of Winn-Dixie where she made her start, to Bridge to Terabithia and, most recently, The Way Way Back. Plus, she and Evan Peters, our pick to play the infatuated Pudge, would make beautiful blonde babies.

 

Will Merrick is a bit of a wild card in the film world. A well-liked young Shakespearean, Merrick has appeared in numerous theater productions as well as gracing the small screen in the third generation of Skins. While he hasn't yet done anything of note as far as movies go, we'd still like him to play Pudge's roommate and best friend, Chip "The Colonel" Martin. "The Colonel" is so named because he's charged with bringing Alaska's devious plots and pranks to life. Merrick has just the comedic flair for the role and Looking for Alaska would be the perfect start for him to break in.

 

Pranked numerous times over the course of the novel, the strict dean of Culver Creek, Mr. Starnes, is also a just and occasionally sympathetic leader. British actor Jim Broadbent (Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Bridget Jones' Diary) has earned an Academy Award and a BAFTA nod over the course of his career, as well as appearing in the Harry Potter franchise as Potions master Horace Slughorn. He's austere and professorial, but not above inciting a laugh or two. While Looking for Alaska might not have the Oscar potential of his previous work, it's rife with cult appeal—Green's work has already garnered a devoted following of "Nerdfighters," the same demographic that made The Fault in Our Stars a hit.

 

Takumi Hikohito is a close friend of The Colonel who plays the straight guy to Pudge's leading man and The Colonel's comic relief. While he takes a secondary role throughout much of the novel, it is ultimately revealed that he was the last person out of the friends to see Alaska. Glee's Harry Shum, Jr. has proved himself over five seasons of the show—plus, his character on Glee, Mike Chang, is a stellar hip-hop dancer and Takumi is something of a hip-hop enthusiast in Looking for Alaska