People.com is reporting that Angelina Jolie is in talks to star in big screen adaptations of Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta novels as Dr. Kay Scarpetta.  Scarpetta is a medical examiner who always manages to get herself wrapped up in the crime.

I am not happy about this.  Not only do I despise Jolie, I love those books.  They were my transitional novels from the children’s department to the adult fiction section, since there was hardly a teen section 10 years ago.  The point is, they are dated.  Some are from the late 8os.  Without completely revamping and updating the series, they will be irrelevant.  However, if they are updated, their integrity is in jeopardy.  I wish this adaptation would not happen.

I also think Jolie is too much for the role.  She’s too glam, too Hollywood, too much hair.

I always imagined someone like the late Natasha Richardson in the role.  Not that she wasn’t glamorous, but she was more down to earth.  I could imagine Meg Ryan in the role.  Or at least 1990s Meg Ryan.  

Since it’s the first film version of the books, why not choose a younger actress, maybe Rachel McAdams, that way the series can continue longer.  Jolie will be too old soon, if not already.

Question:  Any adaptations that you were unhappy about or, conversely, surprisingly happy about?

My dream adaptation is Michael Vartan starring as Dr. Alex Delaware in Jonathan Kellerman’s series about a psychologist who always manages to get wrapped up in the crime.