Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Warner Bros has acquired the Joel Dicker novel The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair as a vehicle for Ron Howard to direct. The story follows a young superstar novelist who becomes involved in a sensationalized murder mystery when a missing 15-year-old girl turns up dead in the backyard of the novelist's mentor.

Actor Jackie Earle Haley will take on directing duties for the indie crime drama Criminal Activities. The project stars John Travolta, Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens and Rebecca Da Costa and follows four young guys who invest in an insider-trading deal that goes south, although that isn't the worst of their troubles: one of them borrowed his share of the money from a mobster.

British actor Tom Hardy will play twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie in the new film Legend about East End gangsters, from LA Confidential screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Meanwhile, Emily Browning is in talks to join Hardy, playing a woman who marries one of the gangster brothers in hopes of changing his criminal ways.

Scott Speedman has signed on to star opposite Patricia Clarkson in October Gale, the drama written and directed by Ruba Nadda. Speedman will play a mysterious man who washes up on the shore of a recently widowed doctor's remote island cottage, unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound--and then the shooter comes to finish the job during a storm that cut the island off from the mainland.

Company Pictures acquired a TV option for AK Benedict’s The Beauty of Murder, a debut novel that alternates between present day Cambridge and the 17th century as it follows a time-travelling serial killer.

In another book-option deal, UK-based producers Piers Tempest and Jo Bamford bought film rights to Chris Kuzneski’s The Hunters, the first book in a series of the same name. The storyline follows ex-soldier Jack Cobb and his treasure hunting team as they attempt to find a Romanian train filled with riches that disappeared in Russia during the First World War.

Actor Mark Strong (Sherlock) has signed a deal to play a black ops agent opposite Sacha Baron Cohen's unhinged ruffian brother in Grimbsy.

Chace Crawford, Eliza Dushku, Brandon T. Jackson and PJ Byrne will start production May 5 on Eloise, the psychological thriller directed by Robert Legato from a script by Chris Borrelli (Vatican Tapes). The story follows four friends who break into an abandoned asylum in hopes of finding a death certificate, only to instead find the institution harbors a horrifying history and the truth about their own tragic pasts.

An official trailer was released for Cold in July, based on Joe R. Lansdale's book. The movie stars Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard and Don Johnson and has a release date in theaters and via video on demand May 23. Hall stars as a small-town guy hailed as a hero after he kills a burglar, but then the crook’s vengeful ex-con dad (Sam Shepard) shows up and threatens the hero’s family.

New stills from director Justin Kurzel's film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth were published by the Daily Mail, which also featured an interview with the director. The project stars Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave) and Marion Cotillard and has a U.K. release in early 2015.

A new extended TV spot was released for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, starring Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Josh Brolin.

TELEVISION

Amazon Prime secured exclusive rights for select HBO programming, including The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and The Wire, beginning May 21. In addition, the shows will be available on Amazon's fledgling Fire TV media player by the end of the year.

BBC One is airing the new six-part drama Happy Valley, written by Sally Wainwright and starring Sarah Lancashire as police sergeant Catherine Cawood.

The Beeb also secured the rights to two recent novels by Irish author Claire McGowan, The Lost and The Dead Ground, featureing forensic psychologist Paula Maguire.

Omnimystery News reported that A&E announced the third season of Longmire, based on a character created by Craig Johnson and played by Robert Taylor, will premiere on June 2nd.  

Netflix has set August 1 for the premiere of the six-episode final season of The Killing, starring Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman, and also released a teaser trailer.

USA Network is also looking ahead to summer, announcing the return dates for its series Suits, Graceland, Royal Pains, and Covert Affairs.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

The latest Penguin Podcast features a round up of crime fiction interviews, excerpts, and readings (hat tip to Ayo Onatade via Shotsmag).

Ian Rankin appeared on the TM Live Book Show, hosted by Michele Magwood.