MOVIES
Sean Bean has signed on to play the lead in the adaptation of Devil's Peak, the first book in a trilogy by author Deon Meyer. Bean will star as Detective Benny Griessel, a recovering alcoholic who is trying to win back the trust of his family as well as solve the case of a vigilante killer.
United Talent Agency has signed Elmore Leonard, the first time in the author's 60-year career that he has teamed up with a major Hollywood agency. It's not the first time Leonard's work has been adapted, of course; there have already been 20 films made from his over 40 novels and numerous short stories.
Speaking of Elmore Leonard, Jennifer Aniston and Dennis Quaid are set to star in a film adaptation of the authors's novel The Switch, about criminals who kidnap Aniston's character and hold her for ransom only to discover that her husband doesn't want her back.
Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and Byun-Hun Lee (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) have joined the cast of RED 2, the sequel to the hit action comedy about a group of retired contract killers drawn back into action. Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Mary-Louise Parker, actors who appeared in the first film, will all be back.
Jefferey Archer's spy thriller novel A Matter Of Honor is headed for the big screen.
Here's your first trailer for The Gangster Squad, starring Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin in the true story of mob boss Mickey Cohen and the cops who tried to take him down.
TV
It's fall TV upfront time again. First, the cancellations: Fox gave the axe to J.J. Abrams' Alcatraz and also the Bones spin-off, The Finder. ABC gave the boot to The River and Missing. NBC canceled the unusual (and therefore "risky") police drama, Awake and the legal drama, Harry's Law. The wait is over for nervous CSI fans, too: both CSI: Miami and CSI: New York were on the bubble, but it's ultimately the Miami version starring David Caruso that's been given the boot. Also gone are freshmen dramas NYC 22 and Unforgettable.
Now for the "new" renewals (many others had already been announced): Body of Proof, starring Dana Delany as a medical examiner, will get a third season on ABC; NBC renewed the long-running police procedural Law & Order: SVU for a 14th season.
Finally, the additions: CBS has full series orders for seven shows, including the contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock and Watson, and the 1960s drama Vegas, starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis in the true story of Ralph Lamb, a cowboy turned sheriff in Las Vegas. NBC has given full-season orders to Dick Wolf's new drama Chicago Fire (an "action-driven drama exploring the complex and heroic men and women of the Chicago Fire Department"), and also the Jekyll-and-Hyde thriller Do No Harm, as well as the "soap opera detective story" Infamous.
But wait, there's more: TNT is adding a "docu-drama" (a/k/a unscripted reality show) to its lineup titled Boston Blue. The project is from executive producer Donnie Wahlberg (Blue Bloods, Boomtown) and follows the Boston Police Department's exclusive and highly decorated Gang Unit. The CW has added the new series Cult to its lineup. The drama revolves around a young production assistant (Jessica Lucas) on a popular television series and a journalist blogger (Matt Davis) investigating whether fans of the show are re-creating its crime scenes in real life.
For a complete scorecard of renewals, cancellations and new series, check this scorescard.
American Beauty director Sam Mendes has bought the rights to author Alan Bradley's bestselling Flavia de Luce mysteries. (Thanks to Janet Rudolph, at Mystery Fanfare.) The stories are set in a post-WWII rural English village and follow the adventures of a precocious 11-year-old sleuth named Flavia.
FX has picked up TV rights to the trio of best-selling thriller novels written by Chelsea Cain featuring her female serial killer Gretchen Lowell.
ABC Family is developing a teen-oriented mystery series titled The Keys, set at an exclusive, mysterious island resort where a young woman investigates the secrets of the place. Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), a producer on the project, is the likely star. (Hat tip to Ominimystery News.)
BBC Scotland and ITV will adapt the Shetland Islands quartet by Ann Cleeves (the first novel, Raven Black, won a Dagger award for crime fiction), which features Detective Jimmy Perez, a native Shetlander who has returned home. Scottish actor Douglas Henshall has signed to play the lead. Cleeves already has had one series produced by ITV, Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.
The CBC announced its fall 2012 lineup, which includes the series Murdoch Mysteries, recently dropped by Citytv. The detective series was set in 19th-century Toronto and starred Yannick Bisson as detective William Murdoch and Hélène Joy as pathologist Julia Ogden, but the reboot will see the characters move into the 20th century. The CBC is also including its first original police procedural, Cracked, (from the writer of Flashpoint and The Bridge), starring David Sutcliffe as a Toronto police officer suffering from PTSD assigned to the psych unit.
PODCASTS/WEBCASTS
Yesterday on 60 Minutes, Henry A. Crumpton discussed his experiences that led to the book The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service.
The guests on this week's Suspense Radio were authors Steve Berry, Nick Santora and Paul Kemprecos.
Crime fiction author Peter James picked his top 5 London crime spots for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.