Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Kenneth Branagh is set to direct the reboot of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan spy thrillers starring Chris Pine (Captain Kirk from Star Trek). The untitled film is said to follow in the same vein as The Hunt For Red October and A Clear and Present Danger.

Various actresses are vying to star opposite Johnny Depp in the adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man. The leading contenders to play Nora Charles are Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone, Kristen Wiig, Emily Blunt, Rachel Weisz, Eva Green, Amy Adams, and Isla Fisher.

TV

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is developing a police drama for FX titled Inside. The show is set in San Francisco and centers on a homicide detective who discovers his father is an imprisoned serial killer claiming to be innocent of killing the detective's mother.

Alex O'Loughlin (Steve McGarrett) will only miss one episode of Hawaii 5-0 due to "supervised treatment for prescription pain medication." The McGarrett-free episode will feature guest stars Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J in a crossover with fellow CBS show NCIS: Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Michelle Borth has been promoted to a series regular, reprising her role as McGarrett's love interest.

Jean Reno is to star as an elite homicide cop in the drama Le Grand. Each episode will revolve around an iconic location in the French capital of Paris, including Nôtre Dame, the Place de la Concorde and the Opéra.

AMC and the producers of The Killing announced how they plan to wrap up the murder mystery left hanging at the end of the first season; AMC exec Joel Stillerman brushed off complaints that the spoiler has removed the element of surprise from the show, predicting that viewers will still "enjoy the ride."

Fox has renewed Bones for an 8th season. The writers plan to give the characters of Hodgins (TJ Thyne) and Cam (Tamara Taylor) more extensive arcs in season eight. In more Bones news (as Omnimytery New notes), the current season of Bones will return tonight on its new night after a long hiatus.

Laz Alonso has signed on to play NYPD cop Will Sacovitch in NBC's Notorious, about a female detective (Joanna Locasto) who investigates the myterious death of the wealthy heiress who raised her.

BBC America picked up the new series Inside Men, a four-part thriller bout three security employees who plot a multi-million pound theft.

Comments

[Lance]

Re The Killing ... overnight ratings suggest the series lost 20% or so of its viewers from last season. A lesson to any showrunner who promises viewers one thing but delivers something very different.

[BV Lawson]

I think the fact that he had to go on the defensive in such a public way pretty much says it all. Of course, this was a holiday weekend for many, and the NCAA was going on (men's and women's), so that may have also affected ratings. Time will tell.