Casting Cooper and Masters, Romans in China, etc

Newsletter #2

If I had a dollar…

Let’s just say I would be frolicking in dollars. It’s the question I get asked really ALL the time. Who do I reckon should/could play Vin Cooper? And, you know, it’s a tuff one. Cooper is dry, cool, good looking but not too good looking, occasionally witty but mostly droll, rugged, an occasional jerk, annoying, a lady’s man, a man’s man, average, above average, clever, dumb, great in the sack… Who can do all that with just a look, a word or two, or a joke that’s both appropriate and wrong at the same time? Here are the top contenders, as far as I can gather, and there’s no one “out of the box”, as they say. Chris Pratt is the man of the minute for me, at least out of this crop, although the green guy does have the coolest ears. Next, probably Bradley Cooper, but mostly because his surname is a perfect fit. The question is, what do YOU think? Who’s YOUR choice to play Vin Cooper in the movie or TV series? You can DM me if you like, but let’s put it out there for a group discussion. Please don’t be shy. Leave your comment.

Clockwise from top left: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, and… wait a minute, who put you there?

And what about Masters?

Clockwise from top left: Jennifer Lawrence, Kerri Russell, Emily Ratajkowski, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman

I can’t say why, but I think Masters is easier to cast than Cooper. I would be happy with any of the above. I would be even happier to be at the casting! But you may have different and better ideas about who should fill Anna’s shoes. The actors I’ve chosen here are my favorite at the moment. And Emily IS an actress, by the way. I haven’t just put her here because it gave me an excuse to look at pictures of her. Really.

Next question: which book should be the first to film?

Should the first book, THE DEATH TRUST, be the first Vin Cooper film; properly introduce Cooper and Anna Masters? Or maybe the producers could get more current and dive into the insanity of, American politics with KINGDOM COME? And if we were talking TV, would that change your mind? I can tell you what the Hollywood guy thinks, and what I think. But, again, let me hear what YOU think? Leave a comment and we can all talk about it. I really am keen to know your thoughts.

A change of pace…

Did Roman legions ever fight a Chinese army?

With the first installment of BLOOD & EMPIRE, the sequel to FIELD OF MARS, circulating among you, I’ve had numerous inquiries about whether this story is based on fact, or is pure fantasy. The truth is that I don’t think history has quite made up its mind about whether Roman legionaries ever fought an organized encounter with ancient China. But let’s have a quick look at what we do know, shall we?

Augustan Rome was dimly aware of the Chinese, or the Kingdom of Seres (the kingdom of Silk) as it was known.

Silk, the revealing fabric favored by Patrician Roman women

Silk was a popular fabric among wealthy patrician Roman women of the day keen to show off their virtues (or lack of them), silk being quite…revealing. Roman historian and naturalist Pliny the Elder (first century AD) wrote about red-haired, blue-eyed people living in Seres. Speculation about who these people might have been and where they came from has been picked over since. One theory championed by a well regarded American Sinologist by the name of Homer H. Dubs believed that there was even a Roman city in ancient China populated by the descendants of the 10,000 Roman legionaries captured at the disastrous battle at Carrhae, where Marcus Licinius Crassus and his 45,000 Roman legionaries were defeated by 10,000 Parthian archers. Apparently, it was common practice for the Parthians to send soldier slaves to their eastern border to face the dreaded “huns”.

The Roman “testudo” or tortoise formation

Several other scholars, mainly Chinese, dismissed Dub’s claims. Translated passages in various ancient Han texts of the period describe Chinese armies in central Asia fighting against soldiers who arrange themselves into a tortoise-shell formation for self-protection. The only army in those times known to have a formation similar to the one described was the Roman “testudo” formation. The same texts talk of an armed camp surrounded by sharpened wooden stakes — palisades — another common practice unique to Roman legionaries.

The city identified by Dubs was known as Li-ch’ien (or Li Jien), which looks and sounds a lot like Legion and, in fact, is the ancient Han Chinese word for Rome. Coincidence? Hmmm… Today, Li-ch’ien is known as Zhelaizhai, near Lanzhou, north and west of the Great Wall. People in the area of Zhelaizhai have blonde hair and blue eyes, along with Chinese features, and the local legend is that the town of Li-ch’ien was granted to Roman legionaries by royal decree.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I found all this pretty irresistible and the basis for a great story and I really hope you agree (cos these things take a while to research and write)!

So there you have it. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, feel free to share it. Who knows, someone you share it with might even buy one of my books, which will help spur me on to write more books, that’s assuming you want another of my books :)

Meanwhil, as we’re all still living in a global pandemic, please stay safe and healthy.

Cheers, y’all

David