Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Tom Cruise has bought the rights to The Monster of Florence, the best-selling book by thriller writer Douglas Preston, to be adapted to the screen by Christopher McQuarry. The book tells the true story of the infamous italian serial killer who murdered young couples in remote spots in the countryside around Florence.

Dustin Hoffman and Anthony Hopkins are teaming up for the film The Song of Names about two Jewish boys, one of whom, a Polish refugee and violin prodigy, vanishes on the eve of his international debut. Forty years later, the other boy, now grown, begins to unravel the mystery.

The noir film festival at the Roxie in San Francisco continues through June 5th, featuring the "Whistler" movies starring Richard Dix.

Director/writer Jay Mathews has recently been scouting the Canterbury area of the UK for a detective noir thriller with the working title of Toby Brennan. The director hopes to have it finished in time to submit to the Sundance Film Festival.

TV

The networks are rolling out their fall schedules this month. The ABC's upfront included Detroit 1-8-7: a police procedural, starring Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel. For a sneak preview, check out the ABC.com site.

Fox's upfront doesn't include any new crime dramas for the fall, but the mid-season schedule will add Ride-Along from Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit), which follows the workday of a Chicago police officer.

CBS cleared out seven old shows to make room for new series including the remake of Hawaii Five-O, and Blue Bloods, starring Tom Selleck as a New York City police and head of a family with three generations in law enforcement. Also announced, the mid-season Criminal Minds spinoff starring Forest Whitaker.

The CW network is adding its first action series to its fall schedule, Nikita, starring Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III) as an assassin trained by the U.S. government.

The LA Times reviewed the new cop show send-up The Good Guys starring Bradley Whitford, and Colin Hanks, saying "everyone involved, especially Hanks and Whitford, appear to be having the time of their lives."