Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

A film version of  Bryan Gruley's acclaimed crime novel The Hanging Tree may be closer to reality, after film rights to the novel were optioned by John Gray (creator of the television series Ghost Whisperer). It's the second book in Gruley's Starvation Lake series featuring newspaper reporter Augustus "Gus" Carpenter. (Hat tip to Omnimystery.)

Actor Scott McNairy has joined Ben Affleck's upcoming political thriller Argo, adapted from a Wired magazine article outlining how the CIA posed as Hollywood executives filming a sci-fi alien picture to rescue captured U.S. diplomats in Tehran.

Actor James McAvoy has landed the lead role in the film adapted from the novel Filth by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting). McAvoy will play Bruce Robertson, a bipolar, bigoted, sex-addict and junkie Scottish cop who would rather spend his days pranking his fellow police officers than doing his job. Jamie Bell is also in the cast as Robertson's partner, and Alan Cumming will portray Chief Inspector Bob Toal, Roberton's boss.

The film The Killer Elite opens September 23rd, and the studio has released a full-length trailer. The plot follows a retired member of Britain's Elite Special Air Service (Jason Statham) who is forced into action when his mentor (Robert De Niro) is taken captive. His mission is to kill three assassins dispatched by their ruthless leader (Clive Owen).

TV

ITV announced that Shaun Evans will play a younger Inspector Morse in Endeavor, a made-for-television movie based on the character created by Colin Dexter. The project starts shooting this autumn and will air early in 2012. Set in 1965, the story follows the hunt for a missing schoolgirl that draws Endeavour Morse back to Oxford. The film will mark the 25th anniversary of the very first episode of the original Inspector Morse series.

Essential Media & Entertainment in Sydney, Australia, is developing a mini-series for the Australian Broadcasting Company based on the Jack Irish mystery series by author Peter Temple. (Hat tip to Peter Rozovsky.)

TNT announced they're renewing the popular crime drama series Rizzoli & Isles, based on Tess Gerritsen novels, for a third season to air during summer 2012.

TVLine has casting and story line updates on several crime dramas returning for the fall, including NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Criminal Minds, CSI and CSI:New York.

Catherine Bell will star in the adaptation of April Smith's novel, Good Morning Killer, which follows FBI Special Agent Ana Gray as she hunts for a kidnapper. The TV movie is part of the TNT Tuesday Night Mystery series for the fall and may be serving as a potential series pilot, as are some of the other installments in the Tuesday night weekly feature.

Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf from Star Trek: Next Generation) will play a psychiatrist Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) is ordered to see at the beginning of the new season of Castle. It will apparently be something of a recurring role for Dorn.

Lucy Liu is joining Southland as a member of the LAPD in the acclaimed cop drama on TNT and will appear throughout season 4.

FX has picked up the pilot Powers for a full season. It's adapted from the graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis and follows two homicide detectives (Jason Patric and Lucy Punch) who investigate crimes by super-powered individuals. Network president John Landgraf feels confidant about the show's potential, though he noted that "Once you have The Shield on the air, it's really tough to top that."

PODCASTS/RADIO

NPR's Steve Inskeep talked with author Ronald Kessler about his new book, The Secrets of the FBI, and the organization's tactical operations.

NPR also is featuring its annual Crime in the City segments during August, with Archer Mayor's novels set in Brattleboro, Vermont; Seattle cop turned Seattle crime writer Lowen Clausen and his series set in that city; Michael Harvey and his Chicago private investigator; and George Pelecanos, his racially-divided D.C. settings and his upcoming novel, The Cut, due out next month.