That all changed when Leonardo DiCaprio stepped in in September. DiCaprio will play the title role of Travis McGee, a salvage consultant who helps his clients on recover lost property. He lives on the Busted Flush, a houseboat docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In "The Deep Blue Good-by," Travis takes on the case for Cathy Kerr, a woman who crossed paths with Junior Allen, a friendly guy who is secretly an abusive monster, scheming to steal Cathy’s inheritance.

So, we’ve got our director, we’ve got our star, now it’s time to watch out for supporting role casting. And spoilers, watch out for those too, after the jump.

Junior Allen is our villain, but if the film sticks closely to the source material then he’s not seen until the final quarter of the book. It’s Travis’ lady friends who should be top priority. We’ve got Chookie McCall, Travis’ closest friend and the woman who hooked him up with Cathy. There’s also Lois Atkinson, another of Allen’s victims and one that Travis grows particularly close to.

For Chookie, they’ve got to go for someone with an innate warmth and friendliness. Perhaps Marion Cotillard, calling back to her performance "Nine," could work. Cathy’s a dancer and far more vulnerable. She’s described as "a brown-eyed blonde." Regardless, I’m picturing Cameron Diaz in the role. This could be a fantastic opportunity for her to recover from her last dramatic drab, "The Box."

Lois is supposed to be beautiful and the tallest of the bunch and, naturally, the first A-lister who comes to mind is Nicole Kidman. So now we return to Junior Allen. The guy needs a sensitive side –- the evil power he uses to manipulate his prey -– but he should also be able to shed the front and show his wickedness. Steve Buscemi could be a winner for this part, as he's capable of producing equal measures of charm and sliminess.

These are just my picks; what do you think? Who would you cast? Are you looking forward to "Travis McGee"?