Media Murder for Monday

 

MOVIES

The musical-chairs directorship game has hit the film adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. After Steven Soderburg departed the project, Guy Ritchie stepped in (along with his partner Lionel Wigram), and it appears the movie is back on again. For now.

Lionsgate is planning a remake of the 2000 film American Psycho, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis. The project will update the setting to contemporary New York where unhinged yuppie Patrick Bateman (originally played by Christian Bale) will wreak his havoc.

Mandalay PIctures and horror director Alexandre Aja (of the recent Piranha film) is taking on an adaptation of Joe Hill's supernatural mystery novel Horns. The plot centers on a 26-year-old man who wakes up with a massive hangover to discover horns sprouting from his head, and becomes convinced it's tied to the unsolved murder of his girlfriend.

The upcoming biopic Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, based on the book by Stephen Rebello, has already cast Anthony Hopkins as the famous director, and now it appears Helen Mirren is in talks to take on the role of Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville.

Marisa Tomei and Joshua Jackson (Fringe) are joining Alexander Siddig in the thriller Inescapable, based on the story of a Syrian expatriate whose journalist daughter goes missing in Damascus.

In more casting news, Benjamin Bratt has signed on to play Dwayne Johnson's nemesis in Snitch, a drug thriller shooting in Louisiana.

TV

The Producers Guild of America, Writers Guild of America and American Film Institute released their award nominees this week. WGA noms include Showtime's new drama Homeland, with three nods for best drama series, best new series and best episodic drama. Other big honorees incude AMC's The Killing and HBO's Boardwalk Empire. PGA nominees include Boardwalk Empire and Showtime's Dexter. The AFI honored shows including Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Homeland and Justified.

Lifetime has ordered a two-hour original movie/backdoor pilot based on Linda Castillo's novel Sworn to Silence set in the Amish farming community of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. It will star Neve Campbell as a young girl who survived a series of brutal murders in the community 15 years ago and returns as the town's Chief of Police.

Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens, through her Flavor Untt Entertainment production company, sold CBS a female-lead police procedural centering on "a street savvy Philadelphia woman who realizes her calling as a homicide detective after a defining moment." Charles Murray (V, Castle, Criminal Minds) will serve as writer/producer.

In what may be destined for the Guinness Book of World Records, Ed Asner will have a recurring guest role on Hawaii Five-0—the same role he played in the original series 36 years ago in 1975.

USA Network is moving the debut of Common Law to summer 2012. The show stars Michael Ealy and Warren Kole as a pair of detectives forced to attend couples counseling.

ABC ordered an extra episode of Castle starring Nathan Fillion, bringing the total this season to 23 episodes.

Not so great news for AMC's freshman cop/family drama Against the Wall. Although it drew favorable reviews, the audience numbers just weren't there, and it's been canceled. AMC did purchase the off-network rights to CSI: Miami, which helps increase the chances the show will continue on CBS beyond the current 10th season.

Titus Wellive will be joining Daniel Roebuck as a former Lost cast member making a guest appearance on NBC's Grimm. He'll be playing a creature with the ability to morph into a "steinadler" (golden eagle), which one assumes is a far different role from the one he'll play in an upcoming episode of CSI.

A&E bought a half-hour police drama from Homicide executive producer Tom Fontana, set primarily in an interrogation room. Titled The Box, the show will feature a small cast of detectives as they question a key suspect or witness, with the details of the crime revealed through the interrogation.

PODCASTS/RADIO

Patricia Cornwell appeared on NPR's On Point program to discuss her latest novel, Red Mist.

Laura Lippman joined Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson, talking about her latest book, The Most Dangerous Thing.