Not counting this animated attempt in 1977: (http://imdb.com/title/tt0076389)
there hasn’t been a movie made about Kafka’s Metamorphosis. And why not? This is a classic book and offers up some great roles. I know it’d be tough to capture all the symbolism and there is a lack of action and scene changes, but in the right hands we could have ourselves a disturbing work of art.
First off, who’s going to direct this thing? I’m thinking either Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam (I don’t think this is is a Rob Reiner type film) It is nightmarish and surreal and both of these directors have proven they can do both.
Grete
(Gregor's younger sister, who looks after him post-hideous transformation)
I’m thinking Parker Posey here. She can pull off annoyed and spiteful quite well as seen here in Best in Show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=vyvKtaojbBM

Gregor’s Father
A character Wikipedia describes as “A slouching, defeated man whose business failure has seemingly sapped his vitality.” I’m going unknown on this one with Greg Kramer. He had a small part in 300 as Ephor #1 and an even smaller role in The Day After Tomorrow as RAF#2. So if you blinked during any of those films, you may not have seen him before. And provided the make-up team can make him look about ten yours older, Kramer looks the part. This is how I imagine Gregor’s father to look, a mix of smug and dejected and a little ugly (Sorry Greg).

Gregor’s Mother
She’s emaciated, weak and full of suffering. This leads me to lean toward Rachel Singer here. She is perhaps best known for playing Chloe in Fight Club who is dying of cancer and says, “I'm so close to the end and all I want is to get laid for the last time.” She also plays “Frail Woman” on an episode of Carnivàle. She’s got frail down.

Charwoman
Tough woman who isn’t affected by Gregor’s appearance. She’s got to be cold and strong and fearless in the face of human/insect hybrids. Sounds like a job for Ukranian actress Lyudmila Gurchenko. She’d have to learn some English for the role, but acting prowess and bulldog-mean face would go a long way.

Gregor Samsa
The “monstrous vermin” that he turns into would probably be CGI, so we can just look for a voice actor here. I think then you have to avoid very distinct voices that would break people out of the nightmare. So no Woody Allen or Gilbert Gottfried. Instead the role needs a pained, slighty whiny voice with a lot of emotional resonance. So I nominate:
Brad Dourif. He showed off his voice-over talents as Chucky in Child’s Play. He was downright spooky as Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings. But Dourif can pull off a range of roles and I think he’d relish the chance to be Samsa.

Ryan Dilbert

SHELFLIFEMAGAZINE ARCHIVES: issue #001