Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Sigourney Weaver is joining fellow castmates Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche and Robin Wright in the film project Rampart, directed by Oren Moverman. The crime drama tells the tale of a fictional police veteran caught up with corruption in the LAPD and his attempts to find some redemption. It's based on the real-life scandal that shook the department in the 90s. The script is by Moverman and legendary crime writer James Ellroy.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the film and TV rights for 10 of Jeffrey Archer's novels were purchased by Canadian Businessman Jeffrey Steiner. Steiner claims the adaptations could rival the success of the Jason Bourne films based on novels by Robert Ludlum. (Hat tip Shots Magazine.)

TV

PBS Masterpiece starts its fall season October 3rd with a new season of Wallander, adapted from the novels by Henning Mankell. Critics have been divided on the series, with some feeling it's too relentlessly gloomy and others "close to perfect."  Then on October 23, Masterpiece will air BBC's modern-day retelling of Sherlock Holmes for three consecutive weeks.

Law & Order: UK will be coming to U.S. television via BBC America beginning October 3 at 10:30 p.m. before moving to Fridays at 9. The series franchise set in London stars Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Bradley Walsh (The Old Curiosity Shop), Ben Daniels (The State Within) and Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who).

Some of the summer series have already notched renewals for an upcoming season, including the Glades starring Australian newcomer Matt Passmore; Memphis Beat on TNT, with a 10-episode order for a second season; and Warehouse 13 will be back with a third season although an official announcement from Syfy will probably not be made until October.

In casting news, Lou Diamond Philips (Stargate Universe) has been signed to star in the as-yet untitled Josh Berman drama pilot for Lifetime, playing a police lieutenant and the boss to characters played by Sherry Stringfield and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Meanwhile, over on Law & Order: LA, Peter Coyote has been cast in a recurring role as the district attorney who oversees the deputy DAs played by Alfred Molina, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall and Megan Boone.

CBS has given a script order to an untitled New Jersey crime drama pilot by Gary Lennon (Justified). It involves the first female police chief of Newark who must battle crime and law-enforcement corruption as well as a difficult home life.

In advance of the fall season premieres, loads of interviews abound. You can read one with Sela Ward, who will be taking over for Melina Kanakaredes on CSI: NY; another with Nathan Fillion talking about shaking things up for Season 3 of Castle, how being an actor is like living out his own personal fantasy and that he will always be grateful for the chance that Joss Whedon gave him to be a leading man; and Boris Kodjoe, star of the new spy drama from J.J. Abrams, Undercovers, explains what a dream come true it is for him to play this role.

PODCASTS/RADIO

Episode 62 of the CrimeWAV podcast is up, with Gary Phillips reading from his new novella The Underbelly, out now from PM Press. Gary has published over seven novels including, bangers, Freedom's Flight, Perdition USA and most recently, The Jook, also from PM Press.