MOVIES
Universal Pictures has optioned rights to Matt Ruff’s psychological thriller Bad Monkeys. The 2007 novel centers on Jane Charlotte, who has been arrested for murder, but says she’s a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil and is working with the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons — aka "Bad Monkeys." Her confession lands her in the jail’s psychiatric wing and earns her countless hours of poking, probing, and questioning by a professional. Is Jane crazy or lying? Or is she playing a whole different game altogether?
Nancy Cartwright’s Spotted Cow Entertainment has acquired worldwide motion picture and television rights to Rachel Grant’s thriller novel Body of Evidence. The story centers on an archaeologist and a U.S. attorney who find themselves on a globe-spanning chase full of political intrigue and legal drama.
The second trailer for The Girl on the Train, the movie based on Paula Hawkins' best-selling 2015 thriller, barreled into the station last week, giving viewers a closer look at Emily Blunt’s depressed alcoholic Rachel Watson.
TELEVISION
Following the success of John Le Carré's spy novel adaptation The Night Manager, Paramount TV is tackling another of the author's works for the BBC, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, (Le Carré’s 1963 breakthrough novel). The book tells the story of Alec Leamas, a veteran British spy tasked with bringing down one of the most senior figures in the East German Intelligence Service, and is regarded a classic of its genre that was made into a film in 1965 with Richard Burton in the lead role.
Last week, it was announced that the premiere of the new USA crime drama series Shooter was belng delayed for a week due to the recent shooting events in Dallas, but after the Baton Rouge attacks, the network decided to push the premiere all the way back to the fall. Shooter follows Bob Lee Swagger (Phillippe), a former Marine sniper who is tasked with saving the president from an assassination, and ends up becoming wrongly accused of a crime. It's based on the 2007 movie starring Mark Wahlberg, which was in turn based on the Stephen Hunter novel Point of Impact.
Netflix has renewed its acclaimed original series Bloodline for a third season to consist of 10 episodes that will air sometime in 2017. The thriller drama follows a family of adult siblings who find that their past secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep of a brother returns home.
Stefanie Martini has been chosen to play the young Jane Tennison in ITV’s new drama Tennison, a prequel to the series Prime Suspect that starred Helen Mirren as the iconic police officer.
The cast was announced for BBC One’s The Moonstone, an adaptation of the classic early crime novel by Wilkie Collins. Leading the cast are John Thomson, playing the legendary Sergeant Cuff, and Sarah Hadland as the pious and unwittingly hilarious Miss Clack.
Paget Brewster is returning to CBS' Criminal Minds for multiple recurring episodes in Season 12. The actress, who originated the role of Emily Prentiss in Season 1 and was promoted to series regular in Season 2, then left the show full time after Season 7. Brewster’s Prentiss is back with the BAU this time when they need her most, with the escape of 13 serial killers.
Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) has a new partner in True Blood alumna Janina Gavankar who is set for a recurring role in Fox’s drama series Sleepy Hollow. She'll play Diana, a new character who will help fill the void left by the controversial departure of female lead Nicole Beharie (who played Detective Abbie Mills), killed off at the end of Season 3. Gavankar’s Diana is described as a single mom and former military officer who’s currently a Special Agent for Homeland Security.
Quantico alum Li Jun Li is joining the NBC drama Chicago PD for Season 4 as a guest star for three episodes, but may become a series regular. Li, who played Iris Chang on Quantico, has been cast as Burgess' new partner Julie Tay.
Telenovela star Aaron Diaz (Los Miserables) is joining the cast of the FBI drama Quantico as "thrill-seeking journalist" Leon Velez.
Netflix has greenlighted a new installment of the Emmy-nominated documentary series Making A Murderer. The new chapter will go back inside the story of convicted murderer Steven Avery and his co-defendant, Brendan Dassey, as their respective investigative and legal teams challenge their convictions and the State fights to have the convictions and life sentences upheld. The new installment will provide an in-depth look at the high-stakes post-conviction process, as well as, the emotional toll the process takes on all involved.
A trailer was released for season 4 of the BBC's Sherlock, and star Benedict Cumberbatch, co-star Amanda Abbington, and co-creator Mark Gatis teased the season will be the darkest thing the showrunners have ever written for the show – "a real emotional roller coaster," according to Cumberbatch.
In the first trailer for the second season of the Netflix drama Narcos, a war breaks out between Colombian law enforcement and the hired army of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The series stars Wagner Moura alongside Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal as real-life DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña.
PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO
The podcast 'zine I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, hosted by Scott Monty (who is also Editor-in-Chief) and Burt Wolder, just marked its 100th episode. The event gave them "a chance to reflect on exactly what turning 100 means, and to dive back into our murky and fuzzy origins. We try to answer some of your queries and we celebrate those who joined us previously before launching into our top memories of the show, as represented in audio clips. Our Gas-Lamp features two readings, including a new one created just for this episode."
Criminal Justice professor and mystery author Frankie Bailey spoke with WAMC about the history of crime and how it's covered in the media, especially in the light of the recent shootings by and against police officers in the U.S.
This week's Suspense Radio podcast featured two hours of interviews with author Christine Carbo, Joe Clifford, Lily Gardner, and Susan Shea.
It's a Mystery to Me welcomed Shaun Harris to chat with host Stacy Verdick Case about his new book from Seventh Street Books, The Hemingway Thief.
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