Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

James Gray has signed on to direct The Gray Man, an adaptation of the thriller novel by Mark Greaney scripted by Adam Cozad (of the Jack Ryan franchise). The film follows a former CIA operative-turned assassin as he fights his way across Europe and past special forces in order to save the life of his handler and the handler's family. Gray doesn't want it to turn out like the Bourne films and envisions it as having more "emotional stakes."

Hannibal Lechter as Alfred Hitchcock? Actor Anthony Hopkins is rumored to be in talks to play the legendary director in an adaptation of the non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by author Stephen Rebello. Black Swan screenwriter John McLaughlin wrote the script, and Sacha Gervasi is in talks to direct.

TV

Larisa Oleynik (The Secret World of Alex Mack and 10 Things I Hate About You) will play a recurring role on Hawaii Five-0 as Jessica Kaye, an ex-CIA analyst and Harvard graduate. Kaye assists McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) pursue his arch nemesis, Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos), who was also responsible for the murder of Jessica's fiancé, a CIA field agent.

Law & Order: Los Angeles has not only lost three of its main stars in a cast shakeup, now comes word it won't be returning to the NBC schedule any time soon. The last episode aired on December 1st, and the series was expected to return February 8th, but it's been pulled  from the schedule indefinitely. 

Michael Clarke Duncan has been cast in Fox's untitled spin-off from its popular series Bones. Walter "The Locator" Sherman (based on a character created by Richard Greener), was first introduced in the 2006 thriller The Knowland Retribution, and Duncan will protray Sherman's friend and investigative partner in the series. The character of "The Locator" has yet to be cast.  (Hat tip to Omnimystery News.)

NBC has ordered a pilot from Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica) for a police policedural titled District 17 that's been dubbed "Harry Potter for grown-ups." District 17 will follow a group of policemen working in a magical town called Excelsior. No cast or crew information is currently available.

CBS has picked up Rookies, the cop drama from actor Robert De Niro and Richard Price, a police procedural about six newbie officers sent into high-risk areas.

And from another actor, we have the pilot Exit Strategy, just picked up by Fox. It's co-created by Ethan Hawke, who will play Eric Shaw in the action-drama about a CIA extraction team

PODCASTS/RADIO

The New Criminologist reports that on January 27 at 9 p.m., the Artist First Worldwide Radio Network will launch "Crime Beat: Issues, Controversies and Personalities from the Darkside," a weekly hour-long radio program. Guests will include ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, entertainers, informants, prisoners, drug dealers, victim advocates, politicians, crusading reformers and more. You can access the program by going to www.artistfirst.com Thursdays at 9. The show is hosted by award-winning crime writer Ron Chepesiuk and broadcast journalist and freelance writer Willie Hryb. The initial program features Jack Garcia, former FBI agent and best selling co-author of Making Jack Falcone, the story of how Garcia took down a Mob family.

THEATER

This Wednesday, January 26th at 7 p.m. at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in New York, Anika Noni Rose (star of the Dreamgirls and Tony winner for Caroline, or Change) and Stephen Lang (Avatar) will perform stories from the new anthology Haiti Noir edited by Edwidge Danticat.