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/MOVIESJosh Lucas is set to star opposite Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the legal drama series,
Discretion, based on the short story of the same name by Chandler Baker. Paramount+ handed the series an eight-episode order with production slated to begin later this year. Lucas will play Greg, a lawyer and the husband of Kidman’s powerful and formidable corporate law partner at the same prestigious firm entangled in a dark web of NDAs. Fanning plays Lenny, a summer associate who realizes she is bound by the exact non-disclosure agreement she is investigating, upending her mentor-protégé dynamic with Kidman’s character.
Josh Duhamel (
Ransom Canyon), James Franco (
127 Hours), Paula Patton (
Precious), and Summer H. Howell (Amazon’s upcoming
Carrie TV series)
have wrapped up production on Runaway, a new indie action-thriller from director James C. Clayton and IndustryWorks Studios.
Runaway follows veteran detective Lou Coleman (Duhamel), who takes a solitary drive into the wilderness after the death of his estranged daughter. But when Lou chooses to protect a teenage runaway (Howell) carrying evidence that could expose the town’s crimes, he soon finds himself the target of a corrupt small-town sheriff (Franco) and his militia.
Runaway also stars Adam Beach (
Flags of Our Fathers) and Alex Essoe (
Doctor Sleep).
AnnaSophia Robb (
I Play Rocky)
is set to join Will Smith in the Amazon MGM Studios and Miramax thriller,
Supermax, which David Gordon Green is directing. Robb is set to play Smith’s young partner in the film as the two detectives enter the depths of a supermax prison to solve a mysterious murder. Amazon MGM Studios closed a deal for worldwide distribution rights for the film, which will be available in more than 240 countries and territories on Prime Video.
TELEVISION/STREAMINGFollowing the announcement that Chloe Fineman was leaving
Saturday Night Live, she has officially set up her next role,
co-starring in Netflix‘s Myron Bolitar as Parker Quinn, a reporter for a major sports publication who has built a stellar reputation through hard work and an undeniable passion for the game. Based on the books by Harlan Coben,
Myron Bolitar follows the title character (Colin Woodell), a former NBA hopeful who reinvents himself as a sports agent — using charm, smarts and a ruthless partner to navigate the high-stakes and dirty world of sports, where saving his clients often means risking himself.
Also in the cast are KJ Apa as Win Lockwood, Bolitar's right-hand man; Diane Guerrero as Esperanza Diaz, Myron’s right-hand woman; Jabari Banks as Dwayne Richmond, a charismatic tennis prodigy; Jamie McShane as Detective Ray Dimonte, a seasoned NYPD homicide detective; and Ben McKenzie as Gavin Pierce, one of the biggest agents in sports. David E. Kelley (
Big Little Lies) and Kyle Long (
Suits) will co-showrun, write, and executive produce the series.
Lewis Pullman (
Remarkably Bright Creatures,
Lessons in Chemistry)
is returning to television and to Apple TV with a starring role opposite Julia Garner in
Guilty Creatures, a thriller drama from director Craig Gillespie, showrunner Stuart Zicherman, and Tomorrow Studios. Adapted for the screen by Sarah DeLappe from Mikita Brottman's true-crime book,
Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida, the series is set against a backdrop of violence in the Florida panhandle. It delves into the psychology of a torrid romance and subsequent act of murder between two young, adulterous but God-fearing lovers — believed to be played by Garner and Pullman — unraveling their complex lives and the emotional toll of living as killers for 18 years.
AMC+ has landed exclusive rights to Kill Jackie, an adaptation of Aidan Truhen’s "gonzo thriller,"
The Price You Pay. The series stars Catherine Zeta-Jones is Jackie Price, who has lived a wealthy, luxurious existence for the last 20 years – traveling the world, selling fine art using sophisticated tax loopholes and, above all, trying to stay anonymous after escaping a dangerous past as an international cocaine dealer. But just as life starts to feel a little boring, it takes a sudden lethal turn when she discovers The Seven Demons, a squad of the world’s most terrifying hitmen, have been hired to kill her. The series is a gender swap from the novel, whose lead is called Jack Price.
After a lengthy development process, Amazon MGM Studios
has greenlit Robocop, a series based on the MGM movie franchise, from showrunner Peter Ocko and Blumhouse Atomic Monster. The series started to take shape in 2024 when veteran Ocko (
Lodge 49) was tapped as writer, executive producer, and showrunner, with horror master James Wan on board to executive produce. In
Robocop, a giant tech conglomerate convinces the city to place a powerful robot on its police force – a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved, fallen officer.
Reid Scott, who has played Senior Detective Vincent Riley for the past three seasons,
is leaving Law & Order. Taking his place on the crime drama is James Badge Dale (
13 Hours,
1923), who is set to play a new Senior Detective. For Scott, who is believed to have one more year on his contract, the departure is said to be his decision, related to the strain caused by the cross-country commute and being away from his family for nine months of the year while filming
Law & Order in New York. Det. Riley will get a proper ending as Scott is back on the set, filming a few episodes to wrap the character’s arc before Dale is introduced. Dale is joining returning cast members David Ajala, Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy, Maura Tierney, and Odelya Halevi. Season 26 premieres Oct. 8 at 10 PM, behind the season opener of
Law & Order: SVU.
PODCASTS/RADIO/AUDIODebbi Mack's latest guest on the
Crime Cafe podcast was poli-sci professor and crime writer Caleb McGee Husmann.
On
Murder Junction, screenwriter turned crime author Tim Sullivan chatted about his DS George Cross series and the time he told legendary Hollywood director Ron Howard how to fix his film script.
On the
Poisoned Pen Bookstore podcast, Kit Gray (
The Black Cat Detectives) and Stacie Ramey (
Spellbound by Murder) were in conversation with host John Charles.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF welcomed former DEA Supervisory Special Agent Jeffrey James Higgins, who writes thrillers (including the Nathan Burke international series), short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays.
The very first episode of the
Femmes Detectives podcast with host, Sue Hinkin, spoke with Kathleen Donnelly, a retired K-9 handler and author of the K-9 Justice series.
Elaine's Literary Salon welcomed Lynda Allen to discuss her Liv Wilde Mysteries, including the newest title,
Flashes of Fire and Fury.
