Damian Dane
AKA: ‘The Wolf-King

Casting: Idris Elba

Damian Dane is the son of Danica Dane. He was appointed the Wolf-King of Pack Nation after his mother’s death. He’s a key character in the early books, and will come into play in a big way in the 3rd book.

There are certain traits that Damian needs to possess, that much was obvious from the moment I started to write him.

He’s a leader, with the weight of the world on his shoulders – a weight we don’t truly get to understand till the 2nd book – Blood to Earth – gives you the details. As such, the character who plays him needs to convey gravitas.

You’re undermining my case here Idris!

Okay, so it’s clear by now that I settled on Idris Elba for the role. 

I FUCKING LOVE his work in ‘Luther‘. That was when he first popped up on my radar, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. 

*Note* I have NOT yet seen ‘The Wire’ so have not yet seen his other seminal performance as Stringer Bell. It is definitely on my to-do list!

Physically, Damian is also over a century old (which is kind of middle aged by Werewolf Standards) and needs to be a physically imposing presence. According to the Interwebs, Idris was born in Sept 1972 (making him a year younger than me!) and that’s just about perfect agewise for what I want Damian to look like.

As for the physically imposing bit…well if you saw him as Heimdall in Thor:Ragnarok then you’ll see something REALLY close to how I see Damian Dane in my head.

The other thing that plays into Idris’s corner is that I know – from the MCU movies – that he can be a badass with a sword. In ‘Hunters’ it is revealed that he carries his mother’s sword ‘Fangsbane’, and while he doesn’t get to use it in the first couple of books we will eventually see him wield it later on.

The final thing I’d say about Damian, is that there is a sense of humor to him when he is in the right company or setting. Thus I needed an actor that could carry gravitas, badass and could have a sense of fun too.

So, that’s what it’s in my head, but what about my Beta Readers?  What did they suggest for the casting of Damian Dane?

Idris Elba
was Wifey’s choice.
Djimon Hounsou
was Chell’s choice.
Blair Underwood
was Nikki’s choice.

Obligatory Nathan Fillion comment: Another swing and a miss for Nathan. 🙁 He’s just too damn suave and charming to be Damian. Hang in there though, pal. I’ll find you that part, don’t worry!