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
Former Eastenders headliner Martin Kemp is starring in the serial killer movie, Doctor Plague, playing jaded detective John Verney who is on the trail of an ancient cult of Plague Doctors cutting a bloody swathe through the London underworld. Dismissed by his superiors as gang-on-gang killings, the murders draw Verney into an obsessive maze of a secret society conspiracy with links to the Jack The Ripper murders of 1888, putting him and his family in grave danger. Joining Kemp in the cast are Peter Woodward (Babylon 5), David Yip (A View To A Kill), Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott (Renegades), Wendy Glenn (You’re Next) and Daisy Beaumont (The World Is Not Enough).
Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson has joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming Peaky Blinders movie, although details about her role are being kept under wraps. Ferguson is the first high-profile name set opposite the previously announced Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer). The Peaky Blinders feature will see Oscar winner Murphy in a return to the iconic role of Tommy Shelby, leader of the eponymous Birmingham gangster family. Tom Harper is directing from a script by Peaky creator Steven Knight. Plot details are currently unknown, but Knight told Deadline in April that a movie story would be set during World War II. Production is expected to begin this year.
Focus Features has set Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming spy drama, Black Bag, for a March 14, 2025 theatrical release. The high-stakes mystery is set in the United Kingdom and stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender alongside Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, and Pierce Brosnan. David Koepp wrote the screenplay, although plot details have not been released.
TELEVISION/SMALL SCREEN
Sony Pictures Television is expanding its relationship with Long Bright River author, Liz Moore, acquiring her novels The God of the Woods and The Unseen World for series development. Set in the summer of 1975, The God of the Woods is an immersive, propulsive novel about a missing child whose disappearance sends equal shockwaves through three very different worlds—an opulent Adirondack summer estate, the rustic teen summer camp that operates in its shadow, and the blue-collar community that serves them both. The Unseen World tells the story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past. Co-created and executive produced by Moore, Long Bright River stars Amanda Seyfried as Mickey, a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. When a series of murders begins in the neighborhood, Mickey realizes that her personal history might be related to the case. That series is currently in production, with an as-yet-to-be-announced release date upcoming on Peacock.
At last week's San Diego Comic-Con, it was revealed that Michael C. Hall will star in Dexter: Resurrection, a new series set in the present day and a followup to the 2021 Dexter: New Blood. It will launch in summer 2025. This is in addition to the new prequel series that stars Patrick Gibson as the younger version of the former’s character in Dexter: Original Sin. Hall also serves as narrator of the 90s-set prequel series, which will premiere in December.
A first look was revealed for the upcoming new series, The Day of the Jackal, starring Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch, and Úrsula Corberó. The teaser premiered Friday night during NBC and Peacock’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. The Day of the Jackal will premiere on Peacock (U.S.) and Sky (UK) on November 7. The series is based on the Frederick Forsyth novel and 1973 film adaptation from Universal and follows an unrivaled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal (Redmayne), who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee.
PODCASTS/RADIO
On the Alliance of Independent Authors podcast, Howard Lovy interviewed Dawn Brookes, a British writer of cozy mysteries and a former nurse who worked in healthcare for nearly 40 years. After retiring from nursing, Dawn began writing full-time, drawing on her extensive experience to create rich characters and engaging stories.
Australia's Nightlife podcast chatted with Tim Ayliffe, a journalist for more than 20 years and author of a series featuring John Bailey, a battle-worn journalist who is an amalgam of many great journalists and former correspondents Tim has worked with. He joined podcast host Philip Clark for a look at true crime, corruption, hideous people, and creating a dialogue in print.
On Crime Time FM, Craig Sisterson spoke with Emma Viskic, Dinuka McKenzie, Charity Norman, and Helen Fitzgerald, who all contributed to the anthology, Dark Deeds Down Under 2.
This week’s episode of the Crime Cafe podcast featured Debbi Mack's interview with crime writer Michael J. Young, MD, who spent 30 years as a surgeon while living in Chicago. He's the author of a memoir/assessment of the current medical system titled The Illness of Medicine: Experiences of Clinical Practice and has also authored a trilogy of medical thrillers.
On the Spybrary Spy Book podcast, guest host Andy Onyx chatted with John Higgs, author of Love and Let Die – James Bond, The Beatles and The British Psyche.
On the Cops and Writers podcast, guest Mike Roche, with over four decades of experience as a street cop, detective, and special agent for the ATF and Secret Service, shared his vast experience and offered up valuable insights into law enforcement.
Read or Dead's Katie McLain Horner and guest host Liberty Hardy talked about reading recommendations for fans of Knives Out.
The latest Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine podcast featured "Blue Christmas," a chilling medical mystery by author and emergency-room physician, Melissa Yi, from her series of mysteries featuring Dr. Hope Sze.
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