Ever since we learned that ABC was seriously planning on rebooting its 1970s series Charlie's Angels, we knew casting would be key.
We were thrilled with the first announcement, that Robert Wagner would take on the role of the unseen Charlie, previously played by the late John Forsythe.
The angels were cast soon thereafter: Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly, and Rachel Taylor. Quite frankly, we didn't recognize any of the names so had no reaction one way or the other.
Now, Inside TV is reporting that the final piece to the puzzle has been placed: Ramon Rodriguez (The Wire, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) will take on the role of Bosley, Charlie's on-screen liaison to the angels.
This new series will be set in Miami, and production is expected to begin later this spring.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bosley Cast in Charlie's Angels Reboot
Stephenie Meyer's The Host to be Adapted for Film
Variety is reporting that Susanna White will direct a film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's sci-fi suspense thriller The Host. Meyer may be best known for her wildly popular young adult "Twilight" novels, which have all been adapted into movies.
In the book, the world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.
When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.
You can read the first chapter(s) of The Host below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Ryan Gosling to Star in Film Adaptation (and Remake) of Logan's Run
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Ryan Gosling has signed to star in a film adaptation of the 1967 science fiction thriller Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. The book was previously made into a 1976 film also titled Logan's Run.
Nicolas Winding Refn (Miss Marple: Nemesis, Valhalla Rising) is set to direct a screenplay by Alex Garland, which is said to follow the novel much closer than the earlier film.
The book is set in the 22nd century, where the planet's population and its consumption of natural resources is maintained in equilibrium by managing the birth and death rates of its citizens. People who refuse to voluntarily submit to termination on their specified date, who become Runners, are chased down by Sandmen, whose job it is to execute them. But when a Sandman named Logan 3 reaches his termination age, he, too, becomes a Runner, determined to escape to a mythical place called Sanctuary, where one can live their life out freely.
The Eagle Opens in Theaters Friday, February 11th
This Friday, February 11th, The Eagle opens in theaters nationwide.
Adapted from the young adult historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, the film is set in 140 AD and stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell as Marcus and Esca, master and slave, two men who venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism.
20 years earlier, Rome's 5000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius Aquila, Marcus's father, marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Marcus, determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca, Marcus sets out into the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland -- to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the hallowed Eagle. Along the way Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father's disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave's identity and loyalty -- a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince.
Watch a trailer for the film below; visit the film's website for more information.
Winners of the 2011 Lovey Awards Announced
The Love is Murder Conference was held last weekend, at which the annual Lovey Awards for 2011 were presented. We've updated our website with the list of winners, which is also presented below (with many thanks to Mary V. Welk for providing the information to us).
◊ Best First Novel: Stein, Stoned by Hal Ackerman
◊ Best Traditional/Amateur Sleuth: Grace Under Pressure 
◊ Best PI/Police Procedural: Hostile Takeovers by Michael Black
◊ Best Thriller: Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti
◊ Best Historical: Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
◊ Best Romantic Suspense: Red, White, and Dead by Laura Caldwell
◊ Best Series: "Royal Spyness" by Rhys Bowen
◊ Best Short Story: "The Sugar Cure" (Delta Blues) by Carolyn Haines
Status Update on Film Adaptation of PlayStation 3 Game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
We haven't heard much lately about the film adaptation of the PlayStation 3 adventure game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, but yesterday, IGN published a short interview with David O. Russell, who will direct his own adapted screenplay.
"I have total respect for the game," Russell says. "My kid loves playing it, I love playing it. I just want to create a world that takes it to another level, that's another amazing world that's more cinematic."
Mark Wahlberg's name has been floated for the key role of Nathan Drake, with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci rumored for unspecified parts. The film has a target release date of 2013.
About the game: A 400-year-old clue in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake sets a modern-day fortune hunter on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The search turns deadly when Nathan Drake becomes stranded on the island and hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.
Watch the game trailer below.
AMC Sets Premiere Date for Murder Mystery Series The Killing
AMC has announced that the 2-hour premiere of its murder mystery series, The Killing, wll air on Sunday, April 3rd, at 9 PM (ET/PT). Subsequent episodes will air in its regular timeslot at 10 PM (ET/PT).
Based on the successful Danish television series Forbrydelsen, The Killing weaves together three distinct stories around a single murder in Seattle, including the detectives assigned to the case and their suspects, the victim's grieving family, and the local politicians connected to the case. As The Killing unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they have moved on, their past still lingers.
Shot on location in Vancouver, the series stars Mireille Enos as Sarah Linden, the lead homicide detective investigating the death of Rosie Larsen; Billy Campbell as Darren Richmond, Seattle's City Council President running for Mayor; Joel Kinnaman as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie's killer; Michelle Forbes as Rosie's mother, Mitch; and Brent Sexton as Rosie's father, Stan.
Take a first look at the series below.
Cast Details for Film Adaptation of Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Variety is reporting Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner and Marcia Gay Harden have been cast in a film adaptation of the noir-ish suspense novel Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell. Adrian Lyne will direct a screenplay he co-wrote with O'Dell. Filming is expected to begin in June.
In the book, Harley Altmyer (Andrew Garfield) should be in college drinking Rolling Rock and chasing girls. He should be freed from his closed-minded, stricken coal town, with its lack of jobs and no sense of humor. Instead, he's constantly reminded of just how messed up his life is.
With his mother in jail for killing his abusive father, Harley is an orphan with the responsibilities of an adult and the fiery, aggressive libido of a teenager. Just nineteen years old, he's marooned in the Pennsylvania backwoods caring for his three younger sisters, whose feelings about him range from stifling dependence to loathing. And once he develops an obsession with the sexy, melancholic mother of two living down the road, those Victoria's Secret catalogs just won't do the trick anymore. He wants Callie Mercer (Jennifer Garner) so badly he fears he will explode. But it's the family secrets, the lies, and the unspoken truths that light the fuse and erupt into a series of staggering surprises, leaving what's left of his family in tatters.
Marcia Gay Harden plays the role of a court-appointed psychotherapist Harley is required to visit.
You can read the first chapter(s) of Back Roads below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Nominations for the 2011 Barry Awards Announced
We're a little late in reporting this, but Deadly Pleasures has released its nominee list for the 2011 Barry Awards. We've updated our site with the nominations, but for your convenience, we're also listing them below. The winners will be announced at this year's Bouchercon in September. (
◊ Best Novel
Nowhere to Run by C. J. Box (Putnam)
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (William Morrow)
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Minotaur Books)
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow)
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
Savages by Don Winslow (Simon & Schuster)
◊ Best First Novel
Gunshot Straight by Lou Berney (William Morrow)
Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva (Forge Books)
The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books)
The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (Twelve)
The Holy Thief by William Ryan (Minotaur Books)
Once a Spy by Keith Thomson (Doubleday)
◊ Best British Novel
Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (Doubleday)
Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton (Bantam)
Night Whispers by John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton)
Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström (Quercus)
The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill (HarperCollins)
Fourth Day by Zoë Sharp (Allison & Busby)
◊ Best Paperback Original
The Hanging Tree by Bryan Gruley
The Dead Lie Down by Sophie Hannah
Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy (Berkley)
Fever at the Bone by Val McDermid (Harper)
The Rhetoric of Death by Judith Rock (Berkley)
A Small Death in the Great Glen by A. D. Scott (Atria)
◊ Best Thriller
The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd (Harper)
Bolt Action by Charles Charters (Hodder)
American Assassin by Vince Flynn
On Target by Mark Greaney (Jove)
13 Hours by Deon Meyer (Grove Atlantic)
The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva (Putnam)
◊ Best Short Story
"Requiem for Antlers" by Mitch Alderman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Family Values" by Robert Barnard (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Body in the Dunes" by Caroline Benton (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The List" by Loren D. Estleman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Seven Sorrows" by Terence Faherty (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"When the Apricots Bloom" by Ellen Larson (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
New Poster for The Adjustment Bureau
The Adjustment Bureau is scheduled to be in theaters on March 4th, and the studio has released a new poster for the film. (We previously posted an earlier version in November.)
Based on the 1954 short story "Adjustment Team" by Philip K. Dick, the film stars Matt Damon as David Norris, an ambitious politician on the brink of winning a seat in the US Senate, and Emily Blunt as a contemporary ballet dancer he meets while campaigning. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself — the men of The Adjustment Bureau — who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together.
Learn more about the film on The Adjustment Bureau website. Watch the trailer below.
