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. Of course, these news items and others could be affected by the SAG-AFTRA and Writers' Guild strikes, so this information could easily change.

THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson have been cast as leads in the feature thriller, Lips Like Sugar, which will be directed by Grammy winner Brantley Gutierrez and written by Anthony Tambakis (Warrior). Set during the 1984 Olympic Games in L.A. and loosely based on a true story, the coming-of-age thriller is set against the backdrop of the punk and skate worlds of West Los Angeles. As the new friendship of two teenage girls from different walks of life unfolds and city officials focus on the Olympics, the lives of two former detectives (Harrelson and Wilson) become intertwined when one of the girls goes missing.

Samara Weaving is set to star in the 20th Century heist thriller, Eenie Meanie, which Shawn Simmons is directing. Simmons also penned the script with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick producing the project, which will likely premiere on Hulu. The film follows a former teenage getaway driver who is dragged back into her unsavory past when a former employer offers her a chance to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend.

Republic Pictures has snapped up rights to The Image of You, a thriller starring Sasha Pieterse (Pretty Little Liars) in dual roles playing twins Anna and Zoe, who share a bond so close that nothing — and no one — can tear them apart. While Anna is romantic and trusting, her sister Zoe is daring and dangerous. When Anna meets charismatic Nick (Young), an ambitious stock trader, she thinks he’s perfect. But Zoe, who has seen Anna betrayed by men before, doesn’t trust him. She’s determined to discover the truth about Nick, no matter who stands in the way. Mira Sorvino and Nestor Carbonell play the twins’ wealthy parents, Alexia and David, who are harboring secrets of their own, with Michele Nordin playing Nick’s sister, Rebecca.

TELEVISION/STREAMING

Filming has begun in Scotland on Murder is Easy, a major new adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel by Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited for BBC One and iPlayer, in a co-commission with BritBox International. The two-part thriller is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur (Zinda Bhaag, World on Fire). David Jonsson plays lead character Fitzwilliam, who meets Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) on a train in 1954 England. Miss Pinkerton tells him a killer is on the loose in the sleepy village of Wychwood under Ashe. Though the locals believe the deaths are accidents, Miss Pinkerton knows better and is soon found dead on her way to Scotland Yard. Fitzwilliam is convinced he has to find the killer before the killer strike again.

As filming gets underway on the ninth season of the hit Masterpiece and ITV show, Grantchester, lead actor Tom Brittney has confirmed that Season 9 will be his last. Tom, who has played the much-loved character Reverend Will Davenport since 2019, is stepping back from his role to focus on new projects. But it was announced that Rishi Nair (Hollyoaks, Count Abdulla) will take over as charismatic vicar, Alphy Kotteram. Nair will be the third vicar character in the series following Brittney and the original, James Norton, who was featured from 2014-2019. Robson Green, who has played the various vicars' police counterpart, Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, will return once again. The series is based on The Grantchester Mysteries, collections of short stories written by James Runcie.

Netflix has dropped the trailer for the second half of the second season of The Lincoln Lawyer, which shows that Mickey Haller has survived that brutal beating from the previous episode cliffhanger. But will he win the case involving the gorgeous restaurant owner played by Lana Parrilla? In a departure from the first season, Netflix released five episodes from the second season this month, with plans to stream the remaining five on Aug. 3. Season 2 is based on Michael Connelly’s fourth book in the Lincoln Lawyer series called The Fifth Witness. Created for TV by Ted Humphrey and David E. Kelley, The Lincoln Lawyer tells the story of Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia Rulfo), who runs his legal practice from the back of his Lincoln Town Car.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO/AUDIO

On the latest Crime Time FM, CWA Diamond Dagger Winner, Walter Mosley, chatted with Paul Burke about Every Man a King; Mosley's writing, characters, and personal inspiration; American politics; good thoughts for writers; and hope & belief.

This latest episode of the Crime Cafe podcast featured Debbi Mack's interview with crime writer Addison McKnight, the pen name for co-authors Nicole Moleti and Krista Wells, whose debut novel is called An Imperfect Plan.

A new Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast is up featuring the first chapter of Messenger Bags and Murder by Dorothy Howell as read by actor Ren Burley.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Book Club continued their summer short story series with an offering from Charles Dickens, "The Trial for Murder," which invokes the quiet terror that follows seeing what we know we should not be able to see.

On Read or Dead, Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their most anticipated books for the second half of 2023.

On Writers Detective Bureau, Detective Adam Richardson talked about the new THREADS app; whether detectives can find out if someone is listed as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy; victim notifications when an inmate is released from prison; confidential name changes; and violating protective orders.

On the latest Criminal Mischief, Dr. D.P. Lyle investigated "15th Century Blood Transfusions" and the history of transfusions and DNA.