Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:

THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

In what marks a return to filmmaking for John Waters, Village Roadshow Pictures has optioned his new novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. Waters will also write the script and direct. The novel follows Marsha Sprinkle, a suitcase thief, scammer, and master of disguise. As the book description adds, "Dogs and children hate her. Her own family wants her dead. She’s smart, she’s desperate, she’s disturbed, and she’s on the run with a big chip on her shoulder. They call her Liarmouth―until one insane man makes her tell the truth."

Production is underway on filmmaker Richard Linklater’s next film, Hitman, in New Orleans, with Retta, Molly Bernard, and Austin Amelio added to the ensemble opposite Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Based on an article in Texas Monthly, the screenplay hails from Linklater and Top Gun: Maverick co-star Powell and tells the true story of "the most sought-after hitman in New Orleans, but if you pay him to rub out a cheating spouse or a sadistic boss, you’d better watch out: he works for the cops." When the hitman breaks protocol to help a desperate woman (Arjona) trying to get away from an abusive boyfriend, he finds himself living the life of one of his false personas, falling for the woman, and flirting with becoming a criminal himself.

For the first time, all three big exhibitors—AMC, Regal, and Cinemark—are on board with releasing a major Netflix title, the Rian Johnson-directed sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The movie will hit 600 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, plus additional markets overseas on Wednesday, November 23, the day before Thanksgiving. Knives Out 2 will play for one week, from Nov. 23-29, and then there will be a blackout period for the film in the remaining weeks before it hits Netflix on Dec. 23.

TELEVISION/STREAMING SERVICES

Jennifer Hillier’s novel, Little Secrets, is being adapted for the small screen on the Peacock streaming platform. Little Secrets is a female-driven mystery thriller that pays homage to the erotic thriller genre of the late 80s-early 90s and follows a desperate mother’s mission for revenge against her husband’s mistress after her child goes missing. Told in alternating perspectives between the mother and the mistress, the story dissects themes of lust, obsession, grief, and loss.

CBS is moving ahead with a "fresh take" on Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes mystery franchise with Watson, from Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and CBS Studios. The medical drama with detective elements is written by Craig Sweeny, who spent five years on CBS’s Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson procedural, Elementary. Watson is set a year after the death of Dr. John Watson's friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes, at the hands of Moriarty. Dr. Watson resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders, addressing the greatest mystery of all: illness, and the ways it disrupts lives. As the logline adds, "Watson’s old life isn’t done with him, though—Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century."

In another Holmes-related project, Imagine Kids+Family has landed rights to Ali Standish’s upcoming multi-book series, The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall. The project follows a young Arthur Conan Doyle as he leaves his family to attend Baskerville Hall, a school for the extraordinarily-gifted, where he will seek to solve many mysteries with the help of his new schoolmates and teachers. Here he’ll meet the characters that will become the inspiration for his many famous novels—including Professor Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and friends like James Moriarty.

The Russo brothers have developed an international spy show called Citadel, with the series described as "a first-of-its-kind, world-building endeavor." Backed by Amazon Studios, the seven-episode saga stars Danish actor Roland Møller (as the head of a spy agency called Manticore), alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madden, and Stanley Tucci. Citadel has been in the works for several years, and although the plot is being kept under close guard, Citadel intends serve as the flagship show that generates spinoffs featuring the agents carrying out missions on their home terrain.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO

The latest Mysteryrat's Maze podcast featured the first chapter of Trouble Down Mexico Way by Nancy Nau Sullivan, as read by actor Ariel Linn. The novel features a supernatural side, a perfect fit for Halloween month listening.

On the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine podcast, Elizabeth Elwood, the 2022 winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence in the short story category, read her EQMM story, "The Light on the Lagoon," which appears in the current issue of EQMM, September/October 2022.

Crime Writers of Color featured Robert Justice's interview with Gary Phillips, author of almost twenty novels, including Matthew Henson and The Ice Temple of Harlem and One-Shot Harry.

My Favorite Detective Stories host, John Hoda, welcomed Paula Munier, a literary agent and the USA Today bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries.

All About Agatha spoke with Collins UK publisher, David Brawn, who has been keeping Agatha Christie in print for over 25 years now. More recently, he’s helmed the Christie continuation projects, starting first with Charles Osborne’s novelizations, then Sophie Hannah’s Poirot books, and just last month, Marple: Twelve New Mysteries, a new collection of Miss Marple short stories by twelve different writers.

Crime Time FM chatted with Charlotte Philby, author of Edith and Kim, a historical spy novel based on the true story of the woman behind the Cambridge spies in Cold War espionage, and Luke Jennings, author of the Killing Eve trilogy, the basis for the hit TV series.

On Read or Dead this week, Katie and Kendra discussed "witchy books" that are perfect for a spooky season.