Welcome to Monday and this week's look at the latest crime drama news:
AWARDS
The Screen Actors Guild nominees announced last week featured a few crime-related roles, including: Best Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series nods to Sterling K. Brown and Courtney B. Vance for The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and John Turturro for The Night Of; Felicity Huffman and Sarah Paulson also received nominations for American Crime in the Best Actress/Limited Series category; and in the category of Best Actor, TV Series, Rami Malek was nominated for Mr. Robot. For the complete lists of nominations, click here.
MOVIES
Mauro Borrelli has sold the action thriller script, Trigger, to Cronton Media, a division of China’s Huace Film & TV. Borrelli will also direct with production taking place between China and Thailand. Trigger centers on an aging hitman who goes rogue after his employer gives him a final contract — to kill his own daughter. Borrelli is best known for his collaborations with director Tim Burton, working as illustrator and artist on such films as Sleepy Hollow, Planet Of The Apes and Dark Shadows.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story bad guy Ben Mendelsohn is eyeing another villainous role, currently in negotiations to play the Sheriff of Nottingham in Lionsgate’s Robin Hood: Origins. The movie stars Taron Egerton as the titular character, a war-hardened crusader who joins a Moorish commander in an audacious revolt against the corrupt English monarchy. Also in the cast are Jamie Foxx as Little John, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, and Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan playing Will Scarlett, Robin Hood’s half-brother.
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.S. rights to the Israeli thriller Past Life, written and directed by Avi Nesher. The story is set in 1977 and based on the true story of two Israeli sisters who delve into the dark mystery of their father’s story of surviving World War II and discover that it may be more complicated than they originally believed. The revelations that come to light threaten to tear their family apart.
A trailer was released for the heist comedy Going In Style, which stars Oscar winners Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin as retirees on a mission for justice. Zack Braff helmed the film, which is a remake of the 1979 picture of the same name.
The first trailer was released for Unforgettable, a thriller from producer and rookie director Denise Di Novi that stars Katherine Heigl as an unstable stalker.
TELEVISION
Bates Motel series lead Freddie Highmore has lined up his next project, taking on the role of real life gangster George Nelson. Bates Motel executive producer Kerry Ehrin is behind the project, which takes place during the Great Depression in the 1930's and depicts the life of the notorious gangster George Nelson, who was nicknamed "Baby Face" for his youthful appearance and short stature. The drama is being described as a love story that will chronicle Nelson's rise from a small-time bank robber in Chicago to the FBI's Public Enemy No. 1.
ABC has given a straight-to-series order to Somewhere Between. The murder drama is based on a Korean project and follows Laura Price, who is certain her daughter Serena is going to be murdered. She doesn't know who the murderer is or why she's killed, but she knows exactly when, where, and how it will happen. Despite this, her attempts to keep her daughter safe fail, and Serena's fixed, unmovable, terrifying fate keeps her directly in the path of her killer.
NBC is developing an hour-long drama based on the thriller Single White Female, the 1992 movie that starred Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bridget Fonda. The story follows Allie Jones, a software designer living in New York City, who advertises for a roommate after she discovers her live-in fiancé has been cheating on her. She soon finds something very strange is going on with the tenant, who decides to move in—on Allie's life.
Fox TV picked up a script commitment for an adaptation of James Renner’s book The Man From Primrose Lane, with feature director-producer Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) helming the project. Renner also penned the script, which tells the story of a bestselling true-crime author who investigates the murder of an old man, leading to an understanding of the reality-altering power of his own obsessions — and how they may be connected to the deaths of the old hermit and David’s beloved wife.
British actress Clare-Hope Ashitey has signed on to star in the forthcoming crime drama Seven Seconds from Killing creator Veena Sud for Netflix. When tensions run high between African-American citizens and Caucasian police officers in Jersey City after a teenage African-American boy is critically injured by a cop, an assistant prosecutor (Ashitey) is caught up in the tragic case. Ashitey joins a cast that includes two-time Emmy winner Regina King, David Lyons, Michael Mosley, Russell Hornsby, Raul Castillo, and Beau Knapp.
Reba McEntire is returning to television as the star of a potential new Marc Cherry drama series at ABC. The untitled drama project, which was picked up with a script-plus-penalty commitment, is described as "a Southern Gothic soap opera," set in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on a small town. The action kicks off when an FBI investigator arrives and has to team up with the town's local sheriff.
The Good Wife spinoff The Good Fight announced another of the GW characters is joining the new show; Carrie Preston is currently slated to return as Elsbeth Tascioni in a multi-episode arc. Meanwhile, CBS Access released the first trailer for The Good Fight.
Canada's CTV network is anchoring their mid-season lineup with the thriller series Cardinal, which premieres on January 25th. Cardinal was adapted for television by Canadian Screen Award-winner Aubrey Nealon (Orphan Black) from the award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries by author Giles Blunt. The series stars Billy Campbell (The Killing) as Detective John Cardinal and Karine Vanasse (Revenge) as his rookie partner, Detective Lisa Delorme.
The Oxygen network is allegedly eyeing a crime-themed makeover, according to Deadline. Oxygen's Crime Time programming block, recently expanded from three to four nights a week, boosted the network's total-day ratings on those days by 44% in 4Q vs. the same period last year. Talks are underway with prolific crime drama producer Dick Wolf (of the Chicago PD franchise), as well as other producers, about being part of the new Oxygen.
Showtime released the full Season 6 trailer for Homeland, which tackles the topic of Islamaphobia head-on. Clare Danes returns, who is joined by a new president (new cast member Elizabeth Marvel), and also features Saul (Mandy Patinkin) taken against his will and brings back Quinn (Rupert Friend) after his near-death experience in Season 5.
PODCASTS/VIDEOS/RADIO
The latest Stab in the Dark podcast featured host Mark Billingham talking to actor Kris Marshall about his early career starring in comedy film and television before ending up as the star of the popular crime drama Death in Paradise.
Authors on the Air podcast host and thriller author Jenny Milchman interviewed authors Nichole Christoff, Michael Niemann, Hollie Overton, and Amy Shojai about why getting published is the best gift they could imagine.
Mental Floss compiled a listing of "10 Must-Listen True Crime Podcasts" for true-crime junkies.
THEATER
Actor Bill Ward, a star of ITV's Emmerdale, will be taking over the role of Peter James' famous literary Detective Superintendent Roy Grace after its initial run. The play will receive its world stage premiere at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, in January 2017, with Shane Richie playing Grace until Ward takes over the reins in April.
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