1. LaBrava
What It's About: My personal favorite Elmore Leonard novel. Set in Miami's South Beach, it tells the story of a former secret service agent turned photographer Joe LaBrava who meets the aging movie star he's been in love with since he was twelve. Jean Shaw, the movie star, is being harassed by a couple of local thugs trying to pull off a big scam. LaBrava gets involved the only way he knows how, all the way. Again, a novel full of wildly original characters, what sets LaBrava apart is it's focus on innocence lost and the never ending saga of someone always chasing the past.
Why It Should Be Adapted: Johnny Depp has always been the perfect actor to play Joe LaBrava but this seriously needs to get done in the next few years because he's now at EXACTLY the right age. The character of Joe LaBrava is so layered, we're talking a gritty yet luscious production here. South Beach has always looked gorgeous on film and if you could get someone like Michael Mann or Brian De Palma involved, they'd be able to nail that run down noir aesthetic. A novel full of sexual tension, desperation, humor and brutality, it would make for a killer movie. I'd say someone like Jessica Lange would lay waste to the role of Jean Shaw while Michael Shannon could play the redneck thug, Richard Nobles. Finish it off with Michael Pena as his Cuban enforcer/GoGo dancer, Cundo Rey and you've got yourself a ticket to awesome.