Before I get to the latest crime drama roundup, a reminder that today is Memorial Day in the U.S., and as part of the National Moment of Remembrance, Americans are asked to observed a moment of tribute and respect at 3 p.m. local time.
Here are this week's news items about crime dramas, from screen to stage:
MOVIES
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to The Silent Man, a film about the life of Mark Felt, the secret high-ranking FBI informant during the Watergate scandal, famously known as "Deep Throat." Liam Neeson plays the title role, with Diane Lane, Marton Csokas, Josh Lucas, Tony Goldwyn, Michael C. Hall, and Tom Sizemore also in the cast.
Blake Lively will star in CBS Films' adaptation of The Husband's Secret, the New York Times best-seller from Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty. Lively will play Cecilia Fitzpatrick, a chronic perfectionist whose suburban bubble is burst when she finds a note from her husband addressed to her with instructions to open it in the event of his death - only to discover he's still alive and her life is built on a foundation of lies and murder.
Ice Cube is attached to star in an untitled crime thriller from Patriots Day scribe Josh Zetumer. The project centers on a clandestine high-tech version of the witness protection program which makes clients disappear by offering them seamless exits into new lives.
Lukas Haas is the latest actor to sign on for Steve McQueen’s forthcoming bank heist thriller Widows from New Regency and 20th Century Fox. He joins the list of A-list actors that includes Viola Davis, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson and Colin Farrell. The film, written by McQueen and Gillian Flynn, will hit theaters November 16, 2018.
Filming has begun on the psychological thriller Spinning Man, based on a novel by George Harrar. The plot follows Evan Birch (Guy Pearce), a professor and family man, whose past reveals a number of illicit relations with his students. When a young woman is found murdered, Evan becomes the prime suspect, and a tough detective (Pierce Brosnan) has to uncover the truth.
John Wick fans take note: John Wick: Chapter 2 director Chad Stahelski says the third chapter in the series starring Keanu Reeves may start filming by the end of the year.
TELEVISION
The 2011 film Hanna is being developed for the small screen by Amazon Studios. The original film co-starred Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett and followed a young girl raised by her father, an ex-CIA operative, who trains her as an assassin in northern Finland. Blanchett played the CIA agent who searches for the father and daughter to eliminate them.
After the renewal status of Chicago Justice remained in limbo long after the rest of the schedules were announced, the show's fans will be saddened to hear finally that NBC has decided to cancel the show after just one season. The drama starred Philip Winchester as attorney Peter Stone, the son of Law & Order's Ben Stone, and Carl Weathers as State's Attorney Mark Jefferies. It also starred Justified's Joelle Carter, UnREAL's Monica Barbaro and Chicago P.D.'s Jon Seda, although it's not known whether Seda will return to P.D. next season.
Criminal Minds brought Season 12 to an explosive end earlier this month, leaving fans wondering if everybody actually survived the events of the finale. Apparently, at least two characters' fates are still up in the air, after it was reported that negotiations between CBS and members Kirsten Vangsness and A.J. Cook have stalled with neither actress signing on for a Season 13 return just yet.
Chicago P.D. female lead Sophia Bush is leaving the NBC cop drama series after four seasons. A possible exit for the actress was hinted in the recent Season 4 finale of Chicago P.D, which saw her character, Detective Erin Lindsay, on the verge of accepting a job with the FBI in New York.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, recently renewed for a 12th season, is bringing back showrunner Michael Chernuchin, who is taking over showrunning duties for SVU's foreseeable future. Chernuchin just came off of showrunner duties for Chicago Justice, which was recently canceled (as noted above).
The third and final season of the David Tennant- and Olivia Colman-starring detective drama, Broadchurch, will premiere on BBC America on June 28. The third season kicks off three years from Season 2 and sees Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Colman) and Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (Tennant) investigate a serious sexual assault that shocks the titular tight-knitted seaside town to its core.
Epix has released the first trailer for Get Shorty, its 10-episode original series that is a reimagining of Elmore Leonard’s 1990 bestselling thriller comedy novel (previously adapted into the 1995 feature film starring John Travolta, Danny DeVito, Gene Hackman and Rene Russo). Get Shorty follows Miles Daly (Chris O’Dowd), a hitman from Nevada who tries to become a movie producer in Hollywood where he meets Rick Moreweather (Ray Romano), a washed up producer of low quality films who is desperately hanging on to the rungs of Hollywood relevancy and begrudgingly becomes Miles’ partner and guide through the maze of show business.
PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO
Author Scott Turow discussed Testimony, his novel about war crimes during the Bosnian War, with St. Louis Public Radio.
BBC Radio's Marie-Louise Muir spoke with bestselling crime author Brian McGilloway, as he gets ready to release his new book, Bad Blood.
When John Grisham embarks on his first tour in 25 years this summer, he’ll also be recording at each stop for a new podcast set to launch later this summer. The Book Tour With John Grisham podcast will feature Grisham’s conversations about books and writing with other authors on his tour, including David Grann, Ann Patchett, Jodi Picoult, Harlan Coben, Greg Isles, Lisa Scottoline, Ace Atkins, and more. One episode will drop each week once it launches.
Critically-acclaimed novelist Karen Dionne spoke with Suspense Radio about constructing her new suspense novel The Marsh King’s Daughter, a story woven with a chilling premise and her own personal experiences growing up in an isolated part of Michigan’s upper peninsula.
Two Crime Writers and a Microphone hosts Steve Cavanagh and Luca Veste launched a new segment in the show - Critics Corner or Reviews That Make You Go Huh? They also discussed the popularity of psychological thrillers and welcomed guest author Brian McGilloway, who talked about his new book Bad Blood.
THEATER
The Metropolitan Opera and the English National Opera commissioned Nico Muhly to compose Marnie, based on Winston Graham's 1961 novel that was adapted into an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The opera will premiere at the London Coliseum in November of this year and later move to the Met for for its 2019-20 season. The psychological thriller is set in England during the late 1950s and centers on a woman who embezzles from her employer, gets caught, and is blackmailed into marrying one of her bosses.
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