It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:
THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES
Keanu Reeves is negotiating a deal to reprise his role as the hitman, John Wick, in Ballerina, a new spin-off to his hit action franchise for Lionsgate, joining an ensemble cast led by Ana de Armas. As was also announced last week, Ian McShane will reprise his role as The Continental Hotel manager, Winston, which he’s played since the original John Wick film. Ballerina will center on a young female assassin (De Armas) who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family — as Wick has against those who have done him wrong. Production on the spinoff is now underway, with Len Wiseman directing from a script by Shay Hatten.
Oscar and Emmy winner, Viola Davis (The Woman King), will produce and star in the upcoming feature G20 from Amazon Studios and MRC Film. The action-thriller helmed by director, Patricia Riggen (The 33), sees terrorists overtake the G20 Summit, with American President Taylor Sutton (Davis) then bringing all her statecraft and military experience to defend her family, her fellow leaders and the world. Noah and Logan Miller (White Boy Rick) wrote the script, with revisions by Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss (The Red Lion).
Netflix released a full trailer for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, only two weeks away from its theatrical release. Set in Greece this time around, Glass Onion will see Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) head out to the private island of billionaire tech genius Miles Bron (Edward Norton) where murder is afoot. Previous footage has introduced fans to the colorful cast of suspects and potential victims as they solved their puzzle boxes, claimed their invitations, and made their way to a mixer in paradise full of more head-scratchers to solve. Upon arriving, however, they realize it is no mere game when a death occurs on the island, putting detective Blanc on the case.
TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICES
HBO and A24 have named the leads for The Sympathizer, a drama series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, produced by and co-starring Robert Downey Jr. The five series regulars, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, and Alan Trong, all of Vietnamese descent, were cast following an extensive search in a worldwide online open casting call. The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy (Hoa Xuande) during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States. Downey Jr. is set to play multiple supporting roles as the main antagonists, all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment. It was previously announced that Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Kieu Chinh (Dynasty), and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen (Paris By Night) are also set for key recurring roles.
Disney is actively looking to develop an Indiana Jones TV show for Disney+. Because the studio is still looking for a writer to take on the project, no plot details are available. The move to potentially develop an Indiana Jones show comes as Harrison Ford has stated he is done playing the character after the fifth film, which is due out in 2023. Disney is currently exploring a number of options to keep the franchise going, which could mean a series, new films, other media, or a combination. Should a series move forward, it would mark the second show about Indiana Jones to make it to air, following The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles that aired on ABC in the 1990s. Ford made a cameo appearance in one episode, but the show focused primarily on the early years of the character, with Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier playing him at different times in his life.
CBS is developing the drama series, Manner of Death, from writer and executive producer Emily Silver. Manner of Death tells the story of by-the-book Medical Examiner Amanda Bowman who, while fleeing her mysterious past, clashes with maverick Sheriff Luke Parker igniting a complex professional and personal relationship as they solve murders together. Amanda will also tackle how to do her job with the deck stacked against her. Silver also worked as a writer on various seasons of Fox’s Bones, led by Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz.
Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager) is the latest addition to the cast of the drama series, Sinking Spring, at Apple TV+. Mulgrew will star alongside previously announced lead, Brian Tyree Henry, as well as Michael Mando, and Marin Ireland. The series is based on the book, Dope Thief, by Dennis Tafoya. Per the official logline, the series "follows long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern seaboard." Mulgrew will play Theresa Bowers, described as Ray’s (Brian Tyree Henry) de facto mother who steps in to raise him as if he were her own child.
The networks have begun to announce their mid-season premiere dates. NBC, which picked up Magnum PI from CBS after that network decided to cut it loose, slotted the return of the series on February 19 at 9pm ET, followed by the new missing-persons drama, Found. The network also scheduled the three Law & Order series back-to-back on January 5. Meanwhile, ABC has lined up The Rookie and The Rookie Feds at new times on Tuesday beginning January 3, followed by the series premiere of Will Trent, based on the novels of Karin Slaughter. And Fox's lineup includes series premieres in early January of Alert, a procedural drama about the Philadelphia Police Department’s Missing Person’s Unit, and Accused, based on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning crime anthology, in which each episode opens in a courtroom on the accused without knowing their crime or how they ended up on trial.
PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO
Crime Time FM's Paul Burke spoke with Stuart Macbride about protagonists and antagonists and his latest chilling thriller, No Less the Devil.
Red Hot Chili Writers chatted with American crime writer, Kellye Garrett, discussing why women should rule the world, and investigated weird and wonderful laws in small town America.
Jason Wong, who starred alongside Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, and Charlie Hunnam in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman, is exploring Hong Kong’s most notorious gangster in a new narrative podcast series. The actor is hosting Bad Money, a six-part series that charts the life of Big Spender, otherwise known as Cheung Tze-keung.
My Favorite Detective Stories welcomed Katie Tallo, an award-winning screenwriter and director, whose thriller debut, Dark August inspired the 2022 sequel, Poison Lilies.
It Was a Dark And Stormy Book Club featured Gregg Olson discussing American Mother, the chilling true-crime story of Stella Nickell — a mother and wife who did the unthinkable and the unforgiveable.
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