MOVIES
The good news for Morgan Freeman fans is that he is in a new movie just released in the UK, a thriller titled Momentum, in which Freeman plays a corrupt U.S. senator in South Africa involved with a diamond heist that goes terribly wrong. The bad news is the film has been a financial disaster thus far, making only $69 dollars profit in its release in ten UK cinemas. The film also stars ormer Bond girl Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) who is targeted by a hitman, played by the British actor James Purefoy.
Leonardo Di Caprio's new thriller Revenant is already receiving critical acclaim and Oscar buzz ahead of its theatrical release. But the film's gore apparently is a bit much for some preview-goers to take, with some walking out on the screening. The story follows a man (DiCaprio) who is attacked by a bear, witnesses the murder of his son, and is left for dead by the rest of his hunting party, then recovers to embark on a journey of revenge.
TELEVISION
In a competitive bid, Liza Marshall and Kris Thykier’s Archery Pictures won the television rights to option Rattle, the debut novel by former Daily Mirror showbiz reporter Fiona Cummins. Rattle is about a sinister bone collector with a macabre obsession for his museum of medical oddities who is hunted by Detective Etta Fitzroy before the psychopath can add to his collection with fresh bodies.
CBS is developing an untitled police drama from producer Aaron Kaplan that revolves around a unique, highly effective task force comprised entirely of African-American police officers, which was assembled in the early 1970s by the Boston Police Commissioner to prevent and solve crimes in previously neglected areas of the city.
Showtime has greenlighted Dark Net, an eight-part docuseries that explores the dark side of technology, to premiere Thursday, January 21. The series is an exploration of the netherworld where virtual and physical lives collide with themes such as bio-hacking, cyber-kidnapping, digital warfare, online cults, pornography addiction, the webcam sex trade and more.
HBO has put in development Bastards, a drama based on the Israeli series Nevelot. It's described as a thriller with dark comedic overtones that "follows two elderly Vietnam vets in contemporary Miami, whose resentment of today’s entitled youth causes a small act of self-defense to snowball into something much bigger."
FX announced it has ordered a third season of Fargo, the critically-acclaimed anthology series based on the Coen Brothers' 1996 film of the same name. Creator Noah Hawley will return to run the Emmy-, Peabody- and Golden Globe-winning show, which is in the midst of its second season, with the cast still to be determined.
TNT cancelled the spy series The Transporter, meaning it won't return for a third season. The program, which was based on the movie series of the same name, starred Chris Vance in the lead role of courier Frank Martin, originally played in the films by Jason Statham.
Quantico is adding three recurring characters to the cast. Jay Armstrong Johnson (Sex And The City 2), Lenny Platt (How To Get Away With Murder) and Li Jun Li (Minority Report) will appear in multi-episode arcs beginning with the midseason premiere on March 6.
A new trailer was released for the BBC's TV movie special of Luther, with Idris Elba is back as tormented genius DCI John Luther.
PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO
Suspense Magazine's Story Blender podcast, hosted by author Steven James and Susan May Warren, welcomed Steve Martini, author of critically-acclaimed legal thrillers, to talk about how research and location work together to provide the impetus for great stories, and how to dip your imagination into the darkness to write gripping villains.
The Thrilling Reads podcast festured author H.N. Wake, who lived in Africa, Asia and Europe for 20 years where she worked primarily with the US Government before turning her hand to writing political espionage thrillers.
This week's guest on Crime Fiction FM was award-winning author C. Joseph Greaves, who stopped by to discuss his new book, Tom & Lucky (and George & Cokey Flo).
THEATER
Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch had a return stint playing Hamlet on stage in London, and now, it appears, it is his TV rival's turn to take on the role. Andrew Scott, who played Moriarty in the BBC TV series, will take on the same Shakespeare role at London's Almeida Theatre.