Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Director Kevin Macdonald, working with a script by James Vanderbilt, has been put in charge of the first film project from the new production company Tower Hill Entertainment. It's a crime thriller titled Murder Mystery about an American couple vacationing in Europe for their honeymoon who witness a murder and find themselves in the midst of an international conspiracy

The Swedish film adaptation of Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was so successful, it's apparently spawned an American version. Director David Fincher is in talks over the potential project for Sony Pictures, with Schindler's List screenwriter Steven Zaillian given the job of adapting the novel for the new film.

TV

Lifetime has announced the dates for the premiers of the two TV movies based on Patricia Cornwell novels. At Risk, which stars Daniel Sunjata as Win Garano and Andie MacDowell as D.A. Monique Lamont, debuts Saturday, April 10, and The Front premieres April 17.

More casting news was announced for the remake of the Rockford Files: Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse) was hired to portray Detective Dennis Becker, Rockford's lone friend on the
force. (via Crimespree Cinema)

WEB/RADIO

Keith Rawson conducted an interview with Craig McDonald, who Rawson described as "one of the most intelligent men currently writing crime fiction." You can find the two-part interview with the author, discussing his series protagonist Hector Lassiter and more, via the links for Part One and Part Two.

The latest CrimeWav podcast features Twist Phelan, author of the award-nominated Pinnacle Peak
mystery series from Poisoned Pen Press, reading her short story "A Stab in the Heart," originally published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

Linda Fairstein is making the rounds to promote her new book, Hell Gate. She appeared on NBC's Today Show recently, and will be featured on WETA's Book Studio this week.

THEATER

John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, is headed for the stage in Washington, D.C. as a "pre-Broadway" try-out. Arena Stage has the production scheduled for May 6 through June 19, 2011, with the adaptation penned by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin
Drood). The book, about the murder trial of a father who took the law into his own
hands after his daughter is raped, was already made in to a 1996 film starring Matthew
McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Samuel L. Jackson.