MOVIES
Sony Pictures acquired all rights in the U.S., Canada and some international territories toCrooked House, an adaptation of Agatha Christie's mystery novel. The project will be directed by Neil LaBute, who also co-wrote the script with Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, Downton Abbey) and Tim Rose Price.
Thriller writer Gillian Flynn has sold film rights to her book,Gone Girl, to 20th Century Fox and Reese Witherspoon's production company, and one can assume Witherspoon must be considering as an acting vehicle for herself. Flynn will also write the script for the project.
It appears that Hollywood is copying itself again. Not one, but two films are in the works about an attack on the White House. The latest is White House Down, which sees the president (Jamie Foxx) captured by a paramilitary group.James Woods is in talks to play the head of the President's guards, and Channing Tatum has also signed to play a Secret Service agent charged with a one-man rescue attempt.
TV
Comic-Con has been offering up scoops, spoilers and trailers for various shows in the fall, including Bones, which executive producer Stephen Nathan says is "going to be a little darker this year"; Psych, celebrating its 100th episode; and Nikitaand Dexter, among others.
Crime novelist Michael Connelly, creator of Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch, a detective with the LAPD (introduced in the 1992 mystery The Black Echo), is teaming up with Eric Overmyer to bring his Bosch mysteries to television. The proposed series will be produced by Fuse Entertainment, the same company behind The Killing and Burn Notice.
A&E ordered a pilot for the five-episode Danish crime drama Den som dræber (Those Who Kill). The Danish project was in turn based on the works of crime novelist Elsebeth Egholm and centers on a fictitious unit within Copenhagen Police that specializes in investigating serial murders.
BBC2 in the UK is set to air Murder, a TV movie from Birger Larsen, the creator of the Danish series Forbrydelsen (the original on which the US series The Killing was adapted).
After quite a bit of negotiation time, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette and Sean Murray have all signed new two-year contracts to return to NCIS, which starts production on its 10th season next week.
CBS announced its fall premiere dates including the 10th season opener of NCIS September 25 at 8/7c, followed by the series debut of Vegas, starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis.
Ed Asner will return to Hawaii Five-0 this fall. Last season, he played world-class smuggler August March, the same role the actor originated 36 years ago in the original series. Asner's storyline will be extended this season.
PODCASTS & VIDEOS
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine podcast this month features Malice Domestic Lifetime Achievement Award winner Simon Brett reading his humorous September/October 2011 EQMM story "Work Experience."
Linda Faristein appeared on NBC's Today Show to discuss her latest mystery featuring prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.
GAMES
Fans of Showtime's serial killer series Dexter will be happy to hear that Dexter The Game 2, the sequel to 2010’s Dexter The Game, will be available for iOS, Android and PC versions in the fall. It will be timed to coincide with the seventh season show opener in September.
