Fox 2000 has hired Michael Sucsy to direct the adaptation of Megan Abbott's novel Dare Me. Described as "Heathers meets Fight Club, with teenage cheerleaders," the studio hopes to sign Natalie Portman to star in the film, which Abbott is scripting.
Actor Ray Winstone (of The Departed and Beowulf) has joined fellow stars Sean Penn, Javier Bardem and Idris Elba in Pierre Morel's film, The Gunman. Winstone will take on the role of mentor to a hitman (played by Penn), who is betrayed and then hunted by the organization he worked for.
After the successful Kickstarter project to bring Veronica Mars back from TV cancellation purgatory with a film adaptation, the show creator Rob Thomas announced that many original cast members will be returning, including Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III, Tina Majorino, Amanda Noret, Sam Huntington and Daran Norris. The series focused on a young woman (Kristen Bell) who moonlighted as a private investigator under the direction of her detective father. The new film is set 10 years after the original timeline.
Vampire Diaries star Joseph Morgan has joined Walton Goggins, Ron Perlman and Nicole Badaan in the film adaptation of Craig Clevenger's cult novel, Dermaphoria. Described as "Memento meets Breaking Bad," the story follows a brilliant chemist (Morgan) who wakes up with amnesia in jail after a drug-lab explosion and has to piece together his memories to find his missing girlfriend, while dodging the cops and bad guys who want the formula buried in his head.
Open Road Films has acquired U.S. rights to the big-screen adaptation of the 2005 thriller Homefront by Chuck Logan. The project is being directed by Gary Fleder from a screenplay by Sylvester Stallone and will star Jason Statham, James Franco, and Winona Ryder. (Hat tip to Omnimystery News.)
TELEVISION
Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan will direct the 100th episode, in which Michael (played by Donovan) returns to Miami to protect his cover, but things don't go as planned after Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) is kidnapped and Michael is forced to reveal his presence to his old crew. Several of the Burn Notice cast spoke about the road to the 100th episode in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
The Hallmark Channel announced that its new primetime series based on Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove novels will debut Saturday, July 20 at 8 PM. Andie MacDowell stars as Judge Olivia Lockhart, whose Cedar Cove Municipal Court "is where the town's surprises and hidden secrets are unveiled."
PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! released a teaser trailer for its Summer 2013 season, which will include three new episodes of Inspector Lewis; Endeavour's first season of four episodes; the return of Foyle's War; and The Lady Vanishes, a new version of the classic Hitchcock film. (Hat tip to Omnimystery News.)
DirecTV announced the renewal of its original crime drama series Rogue for a second season. The story follows Grace Travis (played by Thandie Newton), an undercover detective who doubles as an agent for a powerful crime boss Jimmy Laszlo (Marton Csokas) who she believes will lead her to her son's killer.
ITV has also ordered a third season of the DCI Banks series, starring Stephen Tompkinson as the character created by crime novelist Peter Robinson.
PODCASTS/RADIO/VIDEO
Walter Mosley was a guest on the PBS Newshour show talking about revising his iconic Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins character.
Carl Hiaasen joined the Today Show and NPR's Fresh Air to talk about his latest novel, Bad Monkey.
Paul. D. Brazill, Frank Duffy, K. A. Laity, Laurence Oneal and Richard Sharp talked about books, films, politics, video ganes and more on the inaugural ORF weekly podcast.
Adam Gopnik of the New Yorker and Oline Cogdill, mystery fiction reviewer and Mystery Scene blogger, joined the radio show On Point with host Tom Ashbrook to discuss Florida crime fiction.
Thanks much for the mention. The ORF broadcast was a lot of fun.
Posted by: Paul D. Brazill | June 21, 2013 at 07:52 AM