Media Murder for Monday
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
Andrew Byron Bachelor, a/k/a King Bach, is set to star in the action-thriller feature, Miles Ryder Part One, with Mortal Kombat’s Greg Russo writing the script for the feature, described as "John Wick meets Nobody." The project centers on Miles Ryder, an everyday man who is forced to confront his mysterious and violent past, which he has long kept secret. After a brutal attack threatens to expose him and his secrets, Ryder’s hidden combat talent and almost supernatural fighting abilities are put to the test as he attempts to save his family – and potentially the world – from a dark force with a nefarious motive.
Michael Douglas is set to star with his son, Cameron Douglas, in the family drama, Blood Knot, to be directed by Howard Deutch. The film is being adapted for film by Rowdy Herrington from Bob Rich's novel, Looking Through Water. Blood Knot centers around several generations of a family brought together and torn apart by mystery, murder, and true confessions as they seek redemption, love, and forgiveness.
British actor Mark Strong (Kingsman) has signed on to star opposite Joel Kinnaman in the crime thriller, The Silent Hour. Brad Anderson (The Machinist) will direct the original screenplay by Dan Hall. The story centers on Kinnaman's Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired. Sixteen months later, he is now an interpreter for the department and with his friend and partner (Strong) must battle a team of corrupt cops attempting to eliminate a deaf murder witness in the apartment building where she lives.
TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICES
Sky and Peacock are creating a TV adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal. Described as a "contemporary reimagining of the beloved and respected novel," this will be the book's first TV series, following Fred Zinnemann’s BAFTA-winning film 50 years ago. The Day of the Jackal, one of the most well known and respected British novels of the 20th century, follows a professional assassin who is contracted by a French paramilitary dissident to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. Brian Kirk will direct, and Ronan Bennett, who achieved acclaim via Top Boy, the Netflix series about drugs and gang violence in London, will served as writer and showrunner.
Sir Ian Rankin’s Rebus detective novels are to be reimagined for the Nordic streamer, Viaplay, the first new Rebus TV adaptation in nearly fifteen years. The six-part series is a prequel and follows the titular character, who would later become Inspector Rebus, still in his 30s, recently divorced, and demoted to Detective Sergeant. He has a new colleague, Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke, and is struggling to deal with the changes in his personal and professional life. At the same time, Rebus’s daughter, Sammy, and ex-wife, Rhona, are enjoying an affluent existence with Rhona’s new partner. Cast will be unveiled shortly and filming will start next year, with Viaplay planning for a returning series.
Laurie Petrou’s literary thriller, Stargazer, a dark coming-of-age thriller about fame, scandals, and drugs, is among a trio of titles that have been optioned by Canadian production company, Nikki Ray Media Agency. The company also took an option on Jennifer Robertson’s Bitcoin Widow, the real-life story of a woman and her husband who owned the cryptocurrency agency Quadriga, and how his faked death led to a scandal that touched off major investment and criminal investigations. The third optioned title is Dean Jobb’s The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream, a true-crime mystery about a Canadian serial killer named Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, who targeted the women who came to him for help with medical abortions in the 1890s.
A new trailer for Peacock’s psychological crime thriller, The Calling, has been released. The project was created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies), who also serves as showrunner, with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson (Rain Man) directing. The Calling is based on Israeli crime writer Dror A. Mishani's international bestselling novel, The Missing File, about an investigator whose deeply-held Jewish faith and belief in humanity are questioned when he is tasked with a harrowing missing person case of a woman's teenage son. Jeff Wilbusch (Unorthodox) stars as NYPD detective Avraham "Avi" Avraham, along with Janine Harris (Succession).
PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO
On Read or Dead this week, Katie McLain and Kendra Winchester discussed mysteries and thrillers for Indigenous Heritage Month.
A new Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast is up featuring the mystery short story, "Grist For the Mill," written by Kaye George and read by actor Joseph Ham.
The latest Crime Cafe podcast featured Debbi Mack's interview with crime writer, Lynn Hightower. She is the author of numerous thrillers including the Sonora Blair and Lena Padget detective series; teaches novel writing in the UCLA Extension Writing Program; and is a manuscript consultant and writing coach for novelists.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Book Club welcomed Liz Decker from Caprichos Books to talk about gift giving and digging deep for ideas.
Meet the Thriller Author featured a special episode with writing advice from famous authors.
My Favorite Detective Stories welcomed Sarah Burr to discuss #FollowMe for Murder, the first in the Trending Topic Mysteries that shines the spotlight on a social media influencer after she discovers a dead body in her clients’ store. Sarah is also the author of the award-winning paranormal cozy mystery, You Can’t Candle the Truth, first in the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries.
On Crime Time FM, Lucy Foley (The Paris Apartment) and Elly Griffiths (Bleeding Heart Yard) discussed the lure of the locked room mystery; why Covid had to appear in the new Ruth Galloway mysteries; contributing to an Agatha Christie short stories collection (Marple); and Boris Johnson's unruly mop top.
The Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine podcast featured "Inquest" by Michael A. Black from the March 2004 issue. The story centers on a Chicago cop who heads out to the country to investigate the death of Red, an old family friend, and finds there's something a little off about the town he's visiting.
Meanwhile, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine's podcast featured the story, "A Ghost for Marcy's Garden," written and read by W.W. Mauck — a U.S. Army veteran and Beloit College graduate who writes during the day around his night-shift job. The story hails from the Department of First Stories in EQMM's November/December 2022 issue.
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