Welcome to Monday and another crime drama roundup (a little shorter than usual but will return to full form next week):
THE BIG SCREEN
Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to the psychological thriller Braid, scheduled for an early 2019 theatrical release. Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale), Imogen Waterhouse (Nocturnal Animals), Sarah Hay (Flesh and Blood) and Scott Cohen (The 10th Kingdom) star in the film, about a pair of drug dealers who seek refuge inside the mansion of their mentally unstable friend. The three begin to engage in an elaborate and increasingly dangerous game of permanent make-believe.
The Quentin Tarantino-helmed film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has added to its growing cast with Lena Dunham, Austin Butler, Maya Hawke, and Chilean actress Lorenza Izzo. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, the film visits 1969 Los Angeles, where one-time TV star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) make their way in an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The plot features multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age, including a mystery crime film centered around the Manson Family murders.
Annapurna has released a first-look image of Nicole Kidman’s crime thriller Destroyer, which received early attention thanks to Kidman’s extreme transformation for the role. Karyn Kusama is directing from a script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi that centers on a police detective (Kidman) who "reconnects with people from an undercover assignment in her distant past in order to make peace." Sebastian Stan, Tatiana Maslany, Toby Kebbell and Bradley Whitford co-star.
TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICES
The cult favorite noir mystery drama Veronica Mars starring Kristen Bell is making another comeback, this time as an eight-episode limited series at Hulu. The new installment will see Bell reprising her role as sleuth Veronica Mars, and there have been preliminary conversations about bringing back a number of the other cast members from the original series and follow-up movie.
In a competitive situation, ITV Studios America has acquired the rights to Nina Sadowsky’s novel The Burial Society to develop as a television series. The Burial Society is the first in a series of books about a mysterious, damaged, but highly-skilled woman, Catherine (with no last name), who rescues people from intolerable, abusive and dangerous situations. Her dark-net based "witness protection program," The Burial Society, is the last hope for people who desperately need to disappear.
The Wire alum Chris Ashworth has booked a recurring role on the fifth season of Amazon’s drama series Bosch. Based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels, Bosch stars Titus Welliver as homicide Detective Harry Bosch, Jamie Hector as Jerry Edgar, Amy Aquino as Lt. Grace Billets, Madison Lintz as Maddie Bosch and Lance Reddickas Deputy Chief Irvin Irving. Ashworth will play Vardy, but no other details are being revealed.
Emmy winner Dana Delany has been tapped for a leading role on CBS’ new drama series The Code. In The Code, whose pilot was penned by Limitless creator Craig Sweeny from a story by him and Craig Turk and directed by Marc Webb, the military’s brightest minds take on our country’s toughest challenges – inside the courtroom and out – where each attorney is trained as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, an investigator – and a Marine. Delany will play Colonel Eisa Turnbull, the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps’ Judge Advocate Division.
Esai Morales is set for a recurring role on the upcoming tenth season of CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles. Morales will play Deputy Director Gaines, described as "smart, authoritative, polished and trustworthy." He accompanies a special prosecutor from the Department of Defense who is investigating the NCIS office and its employees and is there to protect his people and advise them on how to navigate the prosecutor’s interviews.
Chasten Harmon and Vannessa Vasquez will take on recurring roles on ABC’s new legal drama The Fix, from Marcia Clark, Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Mandeville TV and ABC Studios. Co-written by O.J. Simpson prosecutor Clark, The Fix centers on Maya Travis (Robin Tunney), an L.A. district attorney who suffers a devastating defeat when prosecuting an A-list actor for double murder. With her high-profile career derailed, she flees for a quieter life in Washington. When the same celebrity is under suspicion for another murder eight years later, Maya is lured back to the DA’s office for another chance at justice. Harmon will play Star, daughter of Sevvy (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Vasquez will portray Dia, with details of her character under wraps.
Grimm alum Reggie Lee has booked a major recurring role opposite Scott Bakula on the upcoming fifth season of CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans. Lee will play Assistant Special Agent in Charge Steven Thompson. Thompson will often butt heads with Pride (Bakula) as each have a very different process to approaching and prioritizing their workload. In the same report, Deadline noted that Samantha Sloyan (Grey’s Anatomy) is set for a recurring role opposite Michael Irby on the upcoming second season of SEAL Team.
Former Nurse Jackie star Dominic Fumusa is set for a key recurring role in the upcoming The Purge series for USA Network. Based on the hit movie franchise from Blumhouse Productions, The Purge revolves around a 12-hour period when all crime, including murder, is legal. Fumusa will play Pete the Cop, a keen eyed, no bullshit, ex-military and ex-cop with a mysterious past and a dry sense of humor. He’s extremely connected and respected by the community, and has his finger on the pulse of the city.
AMC has slotted the premiere date for The Little Drummer Girl, a six-part miniseries based on John le Carré’s best-selling spy novel. The miniseries will air over three consecutive nights beginning November 19 with a two-hour episode, followed by additional two-hour episodes November 20 and 21. Set in the late 1970s, the thriller follows Charlie (Florence Pugh), a fiery actress and idealist whose resolve is tested after she meets the mysterious Becker (Alexander Skarsgård) while on holiday in Greece. It quickly becomes apparent that his intentions are not what they seem, and her encounter with him entangles her in a complex plot devised by the spy mastermind Kurtz (Michael Shannon). Charlie takes on the role of a double agent while remaining uncertain of her own loyalties.
Netflix released a trailer for Hold the Dark, based off the psychological thriller novel of the same name by William Giraldi, starring Alexander Skarsgard, Jeffrey Wright, Riley Keough, and James Badge Dale.
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