Samuel L. Jackson (due to start shooting The Avengers) has signed to on to star in the indie crime movie The Samaritan as a man who leaves prison after two decades only to find himself caught up in a life of crime again. Director David Weaver said the project is inspired by British crime thrillers such as Sexy Beast, The Crying Game and Mona Lisa. Previously signed actors include Luke Kirby (Law and Order) and Ruth Negga (Misfits).
Tyler Perry was already cast as Alex Cross in the upcoming thriller I, Alex Cross, based on the James Patterson character and novels. Now, Matthew Fox (formerly of Lost) has signed on to play the villain, Michael Sullivan, also known as "the Butcher of Sligo," a man who kills for both money and thrills. Mark Moss wrote the script that he and director Rob Cohen have changed "to include twists that weren't in the novel."
Oliver Stone's adaptation of the Don Winslow novel Savages is close to a distribution deal. Stone is looking at actors Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson to portray the two Laguna-based pot growers arm-twisted into working for a Mexican cartel when they kidnap O, the free spirited best friend of the growers. Selma Hayek is in talks to play the cartel matriarch, "an iron-fisted beauty who becomes intrigued and practically maternal over the kidnapped gal."
Now that Liam Neeson and Luc Besson have worked out scheduling problems for Taken 2, Neeson is apparently close to signing a deal to reprise his signature role as Bryan Mills, the retired government operative who took on the Paris underworld to free his kidnapped daughter. Production may start by the end of this year or the beginning of 2012.
TV
Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) will play the lead in CBS' untitled Ed Redlich/John Bellucci pilot, to be directed by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's Niels Arden Oplev. The pilot centers on Carrie Wells (Poppy Montgomery), a former detective and now nursing-home volunteer, with the special ability to remember everything. Walsh plays Detective Al Burns, the chief of a crack team of NYPD detectives, who used to partner with Carrie both professionally and romantically, but when her unique ability destroyed their relationship, he got engaged to another woman. When Carrie's neighbor is murdered, he finds himself once again enlisting her help as a consultant.
Grant Show has landed a recurring guest star role on USA's Burn Notice, playing a CIA operative named Max opposite Jeffrey Donovan's Michael Westen. He'll appear in the fifth season premiere, titled "Company Man," as well as in two more episodes. USA hasn't announced a premiere date for the new season of Burn Notice, although the prequel film is scheduled for April 17th.
Former Numb3rs star Alimi Ballard and ex-NFL'er Matthew Willig have been cast as two recurring NCIS agents who join the regular team in the hunt for a psychopath called the Port-to-Port Killer. Willig plays Special Agent Simon Cade, a hulking but friendly federal agent with a photographic memory who has an Ivy League education to go along with his intimidating presence. Ballard plays Special Agent Gayne Levin, a weathered, well-traveled federal agent who's just happy to be back in Washington.
Jimmy Smits has bounced back quickly from his recently short-lived Outlaw drama on NBC, signing to star in Special Investigations L.A. The pilot/series looks at Los Angeles through multiple perspectives, including law enforcement, the justice system, city hall and the criminal underworld, with Smits playing Alfonso Morales, the ambitious Los Angeles mayor who created the Special Investigations Unit.
The video-rental company Netflix is making Hollywood nervous in many ways, not the least of which is the announcement it's acquired the political thriller drama series House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey. The deal marks Netflix's first foray into original programming to be distributed exclusively via the company's Internet subscription service. Originally written as a novel by former U.K. Conservative Party Chief of Staff Michael Dobbs, House of Cards explores the ruthless underside of British politics at the end of the Thatcher era.
Art imitates life for Law & Order: Los Angeles (which the network is shortening to LOLA), with an episode loosely based on the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. LOLA's take on the story centers on the murder of a Hollywood stylist in what appears to be a random robbery gone bad, although the team soon learns that it was a murder for hire, with dark family secrets from the past as the motive for the killing.
PODCASTS/RADIO
If you hurry, you can still catch the first episode on BBC Radio 7 online of PD James' A Taste for Death with poetic Commander Adam Dalgliesh's new unit investigating an unlikely double murder in a London church. The radio drama stars Richard Derrington. There are currently six episodes available, although the end date for Part One happens later today.
Jim Widner's Radio Detective Story Hour continues its look at spy-detective series, with Part Three showcasing Bulldog Drummond from 1941. In the beginning it starred George Coulouris, then later Ned Wever as this decidedly British spy-detective moved to America for radio adventures.
Frank Calabrese Jr. talks to NPR on the show "Fresh Air" about his role in the sting that brought down his father, one of the central figures in the Chicago mafia, and 14 other mafia members. He's written a new memoir, Operation Family Secrets.
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