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The unrivaled Queen of the murder mystery, Agatha Christie, has had many of her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections receive the adaptation treatment, often at the hands of the BBC. Now, in an unsurprising yet exciting announcement cited via Radio Times, Christie is having another of her mysteries adapted by the Beeb, namely her 1967 novel Endless Night, which has received a three-part series order. The adaptation is already placed in the capable and experienced hands of The Sixth Commandment's Sarah Phelps, who has already made five separate Christie-based shows for the BBC, including And Then There Were None, The Witness for the Prosecution, and Ordeal by Innocence. Excited about her involvement, Phelps said in a statement:

"One of Agatha Christie’s last novels, this is a chilling story of love, sex, deceit and death, of how far we’ll go to get our heart's desire and what we...

A sun-soaked tale full of beautiful rich people doing terrible things, including a transgressive sexual act that’s got the tabloids foaming at the mouth. On paper, BritBox import “Towards Zero” sounds like another salacious drama to ride on the coattails of “The White Lotus.” Yet it stems, in fact, from the bygone era of cozy crime fiction where the only stiff appendage was the upper lip.

Indeed, following the likes of “And Then There Were None,” “The Pale Horse,” and “Ordeal by Innocence,” the 1930s tale is the latest Agatha Christie whodunit to get a semi-contemporary spin. And just like her predecessor, period drama queen Sarah Phelps, screenwriter Rachel Bennette gives the purists plenty to scream blue murder over.

“BBC viewers left stunned by ‘filthy’ X-rated scene,” was a typical conservative media headline after the three-part series premiered in the UK last month. “Is ‘Towards Zero’ the raciest Agatha Christie ever?...

Netflix would be wise to not only renew Star Trek: Prodigy, but also benefit from the rising star power of Ella Purnell. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 is the only current Star Trek series that boasts a perfect 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a stellar 96% audience score. Despite widespread critical and fan acclaim, and charting in Netflix's top 10 in several countries, however, Star Trek: Prodigy didn't reach the same heights in the United States, and the streamer has yet to green light Star Trek: Prodigy season 3.

Star Trek: Prodigy cast Ella Purnell as Gwyndala just as the British actress was starting to make inroads. Purnell had lead roles in Ordeal By Innocence, Sweetbitter on Starz, and Belgravia, but she began to gain fame from playing Dave Bautista's daughter in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead and as Jackie Taylor in Showtime's hit series Yellowjackets. Star Trek: Prodigy...

Ella Purnell has several upcoming projects that greatly differ in genre, medium, and role. Purnell first rose to fame playing Emma Bloom in the movie Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but she is primarily known for her TV work. Purnell's first big TV roles were Hester Argyll in BBC One's Ordeal by Innocence and Tess in Starz's Sweetbitter. Nowadays, Purnell has an impressive resume, starring in renowned projects including Netflix's Arcane, Showtime's Yellowjackets, and Amazon Prime's Fallout. She also plays Kate Ward in the reboot of Army of the Dead.

Although Jackie Taylor is one of Purnell's best-known roles, it only lasted for one season, as Jackie dies in Yellowjackets season 1's ending. Nevertheless, her character continues to haunt the narrative. Purnell also joined the Star Trek TV universe by voicing Gwyn in Star Trek: Prodigy. There is no shortage of amazing Ella Purnell movie and TV show roles,...

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Ella Purnell is one of the most sought-after young actresses working in the industry right now. The English actress achieved her undeniable fame after starring in the leading role of Lucy in the TV series adaptation of the popular role-playing video game series Fallout, has consistently given us brilliant performances throughout her career starting from her first supporting movie role in Mark Romanek‘s Never Let Me Go. So, if you love Purnell’s performance in Fallout and want to watch more of her, here are the 10 best movies and TV shows starring Ella Purnell that you should not miss.

10. UFO (Buy on Amazon) Credit – Sony Pictures

UFO is a sci-fi mystery thriller drama film written and directed by Ryan Eslinger. The 2018 film follows Derek Echevaro, a college student who believes that he saw a UFO in his...

Ella Purnell is in the middle of an incredible Rotten Tomatoes hot streak with her television projects. The 28-year-old Fallout and Yellowjackets star began her onscreen career in the early 2010s after making her film debut as Young Ruth (the younger version of the character played by Keira Knightley) in the Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation Never Let Me Go. As she grew up, she took on a few similar roles including playing a teenage version of Angelina Jolie's character in 2014's Maleficent.

Although she is perhaps best known for her television projects, there are quite a few Ella Purnell movies that have earned her notoriety on the big screen. Her most prominent roles include playing Dolce in Jeff Wadlow's Kick-Ass 2, Emma in Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Kate Ward in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. She also played Mackenzie in the...

On a flight not so long ago, Ella Purnell managed to terrify the woman sat next to her after accidentally giving her a glimpse of the recent viewing history on her laptop.

“It was basically 50 shows about serial killers,” she recalls, speaking over coffee in a café near her flat in East London (which she admits she’s rarely been in due to excessive recent travel). “But specifically female serial killers, because they’re very different from male serial killers.”

As Purnell notes, the concerned neighbor was carrying a baby, which she then “literally moved” away from her.

“So I had to explain. I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m actually researching, it’s part of my job… I promise you, I’m not a monster,'” she recalls. “But I’m not sure how convincing I was.”

The Brit was, thankfully, telling the truth. A year on,...

Exclusive: Following her star-making role in the hit Amazon Prime series Fallout, Ella Purnell is signing with Range Media Partners for representation.

Most recently, Purnell starred in the post-apocalyptic drama series Fallout for Amazon Prime Video, set within the world of the role-playing video game franchise of the same name. Co-created by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner and developed by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the series is the platform’s highest-rated show and was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards.

This month, Purnell will executive produce and star in Sweetpea, a Sky Atlantic comedy drama series, which is an adaptation by See-Saw Films and writer Kirstie Swain of the book of the same name by Cj Skuse. In November, she will reprise her voice role as Jinx in the Emmy award-winning Netflix animated series Arcane. Additionally, Purnell just wrapped filming on The Scurry, a new comedy-horror about a band of killer squirrels,...

Donald Sutherland excels as a compassionate heart surgeon in the intense medical thriller Threshold. Threshold blurs the line between fiction and reality, forcing viewers to ponder life and death. Sutherland's transformative acting in Threshold showcases his exceptional range as an underrated actor.

Donald Sutherland played several doctors throughout his career, beginning with Sutherlands star-making performance as audacious combat surgeon Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce in the 1970 black comedy war film M*A*S*H. Following M*A*S*H, he played a paleontologist in the 1984 mystery film Ordeal by Innocence, a dedicated psychologist in the 1989 film Lost Angels, and Canadian physician Norman Bethune in the 1990 biographical drama film Bethune: The Making of a Hero.

One of his most effective performances can be found in the 1981 film Threshold, in which he plays Dr. Thomas Vrain, a brilliant heart surgeon who embarks on a risky operation to implant the first artificial heart in a human patient.

Amy Forsyth and Christian Cooke have joined the cast of “Plainclothes,” a new independent film from writer-director Carmen Emmi. They will star alongside Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, who Variety previously reported would lead the project.

Set in the ’90s and inspired by true events, the film follows a working-class undercover officer tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets. The film is produced by Arthur Landon, Colby Cote, and Eric Podwall on behalf of Page 1 Entertainment and Lorton Entertainment. Alex Wenger and April Kelley will co-produce.

Forsyth will play Emily, ex-girlfriend and trusted confidant to Lucas (Blyth). She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the 2021 film “The Novice.” She was also seen in the Oscar-winning film “Coda” that same year. She currently stars in the recurring role of Carrie Astor on...

The work of the beloved author Agatha Christie has been frequently adapted to the big and small screen, as the compelling mysteries within her novels and short stories are perfectly suited for dramatic interpretations. While the intricate nature of the mysteries themselves is a major reason why these adaptations are made so frequently, Christie’s work stands out due to her strong ability to write characters. Viewers enjoy watching different versions of Hercule Poirot solve mysteries because of the brilliant sleuth’s heroic intentions; his strong-willed appreciation for justice offers a requiem to the violent nature of the crimes Christie details. However, Christie has also dabbled in morally ambiguous territory with ethically gray characters. The excellent BBC miniseries adaptation of Christie’s novel Ordeal by Innocence inverts the whodunit genre by using it to analyze family dynamics.

Exclusive: The BBC is keeping its Agatha Christie tradition alive by setting Towards Zero as its next adaptation of the great author’s work.

Following on from 2023’s limited series Murder Is Easy, the BBC has commissioned Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited to reimagine the writer’s 1944 novel.

Towards Zero unfolds around the murder of an elderly widow at a clifftop seaside house, linking a failed suicide attempt, a schoolgirl wrongfully accused of theft, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player.

The book will be adapted by Rachel Bennette, the writer behind BAFTA-nominated Zadie Smith adaptation Nw. She has also written on World on Fire and Ripper Street.

Towards Zero will go into production over the summer. The series is co-produced by BritBox International, while Fifth Season will handle international distribution.

Executive producers are James Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited; Damien Timmer and Sheena Bucktowonsing for Mammoth Screen; Rachel Bennette,...

If you thought you'd seen the last of Hercule Poirot, think again. Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective, who has appeared in countless of her mystery novels, returns in "A Haunting in Venice," which is set to premiere on Sept. 15. The movie is based on Christie's 1969 novel "Hallowe'en Party," which revolves around Poirot embroiled in another murder mystery. The original story takes place at a Halloween party, while the upcoming adaptation sees the detective at a séance.

"A Haunting in Venice" coproducer and director Kenneth Branagh is set to reprise his role as Poirot for the third time in the upcoming film. He first made his debut as Poirot in the star-studded 2017 film "Murder on the Orient Express." Five years later, he returned as Poirot in the 2022 movie "Death on the Nile," which also had a stacked cast. The third film in the Branagh trilogy will also feature huge stars...

The BBC’s controversial Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning will be handed its long-awaited premiere in the autumn, while it has unveiled more cast and a first-look image.

Joining Coogan are BAFTA-winner Gemma Jones (Marvellous), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley), Mark Lewis Jones (Outlander) and Mark Stanley (Happy Valley).

The BBC has also unveiled a first-look image (top), in which Coogan portraying the posthumously-outed serial sex offender can be seen smoking one of his famous cigars ponderously staring out the window.

Produced by ITV Studios, penned by Neil McKay and EP’d by Jeff Pope, the four-part series will trace Savile’s life through the decades. He was one of the BBC’s most popular presenters when alive but in death was outed as using his involvement in multiple organizations, such as the BBC, hospitals, prisons, and charities, to legitimise himself, forging friendships in showbusiness, politics, journalism, the Catholic Church and...

It is one and done for Lockwood & Co. Netflix has canceled the supernatural detective series, an adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s book series, after one season.

Ruby Stokes (Bridgerton), along with newcomers Cameron Chapman and Ali Hadji-Heshmati, starred in the Complete Fiction-produced series, from Attack the Block director Joe Cornish.

Per the synopsis: In a world plagued by ghosts, where giant corporations employ psychic teens to battle the supernatural, only one company operates without adult supervision, and its name is Lockwood & Co. Run by Anthony Lockwood, a rebellious young entrepreneur haunted by his mysterious past, his brilliant but eccentric sidekick George and a newly arrived, supremely gifted girl called Lucy, this renegade trio are about to unravel a terrifying mystery that will change the course of history.

Cast also included Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans), Luke Treadaway (Ordeal by Innocence) and Morven Christie (The Bay).

Related: 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast,...

The BBC has unveiled a two-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy, produced by ITV Studios’ Mammoth Screen (The Serpent, World on Fire) and Agatha Christie Ltd. (And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile) for the BBC One network and the BBC’s video-on-demand service iPlayer in a co-commission with streamer BritBox International.

The thriller, which will get two hour-long episodes, will film this summer and be adapted by screenwriter Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur (Zinda Bhaag, World on Fire). Casting details will be announced later.

The story is set in 1954. “On a train to London, a man going by the name of Luke Fitzwilliam meets Miss Pinkerton, who tells him that a killer is on the loose in the sleepy English village of Wychwood under Ashe,” according to a plot description. “The villagers believe the deaths are mere accidents, but Miss Pinkerton...

Jed Mercurio’s Htm Television’s is working on Payback, a six-part crime drama for the UK’s ITV and Britbox International. Morven Christie, Peter Mullan and Prasanna Puwanarajah are leading the cast, and screenwriter Debbie O’Malley is writing.

Billed as a “compelling character-led series,” Payback will follows Lexie Noble,, as she becomes entangled in a perilous police operation to topple a notorious crime lord, Cal Morris. Puwanarajah and Derek Riddell play financial investigators looking into Lexie’s husband Jared, who has been laundering Cal’s illegal earnings behind her back.

Htm Television Creative Director Jed Mercurio is working alongside Hill, his Htm partner Madonna Baptiste and Diederick Santer on behalf of BritBox International on the series.

“The Cannon Film Guide is a treasure trove of info for Golan/Globus fans. Even diehard Cannon scholars will learn from this tome.” – Paul Talbot, author of the Bronson’s Loose! books

The unbelievable story of the legendary 1980s B-movie studio continues in The Cannon Film Guide Volume II, which covers the company’s output from 1985 to 1987, their peak production years under maverick moguls Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. This highly-anticipated sequel to the original Cannon compendium takes an up-close look at sixty Cannon movies, from deep cuts to cult classics, including American Ninja, The Delta Force, Over the Top, Invasion USA, Masters of the Universe, Runaway Train, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, King Solomon’s Mines, Lifeforce, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and many more. Order the book Here

With hundreds of photos and more than forty interviews with Cannon directors, writers, and stars, this is an indispensable reference book for...

Ella Purnell, who plays Jackie on “Yellowjackets,” will star opposite Walton Goggins in the upcoming “Fallout” TV series at Amazon, TheWrap has learned.

It’s based on the video game series of the same name, which launched in 1997, and is set in 2077 after a global thermonuclear war. No details about Purnell’s character are confirmed at this time.

Purnell voices Gwyn in the Nickelodeon series “Star Trek: Prodigy,” and her TV credits include include “Sweetbitter,” “Ordeal by Innocence,” and “Belgravia.” She also co-starred in Tim Burton’s “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” and Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead.”

She is repped by WME, Curtis Brown Group, and Sloane Offer.

Production is expected to begin later this year.

“Captain Marvel” co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner of “Portlandia” are executive producers and co-showrunners. “Westworld” co-creator Jonathan Nolan is set to direct the first episode and executive produce...

Ella Purnell has been cast in a lead role of the upcoming “Fallout” TV series at Amazon, Variety has learned.

Like the video games on which it is based, the “Fallout” series is set in a world where the future envisioned by Americans in the late 1940s explodes upon itself through a nuclear war in 2077.

Purnell joins previously announced cast member Walton Goggins in the series. As with Goggins, Amazon had no comment on the character Purnell would be playing. According to sources, however, her character is described as upbeat and uncannily direct with an all-American can-do spirit. But an intensity in her eyes says she might just be a tiny bit dangerous.

Purnell currently stars in the critically-acclaimed Showtime drama series “Yellowjackets,” which was renewed for a second season back in December, and lends her voice to the Nickelodeon series “Star Trek: Prodigy.” She recently starred in the Zack Snyder...

Ruby Stokes, best known for playing Francesca Bridgerton in Netflix’s hit period drama Bridgerton, is set to lead the streamer’s upcoming adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. Based on Stroud’s young adult supernatural thriller book series, Lockwood & Co. follows three teenage ghost-hunters as they fight deadly spirits in London, England. The eight-part series was written by Joe Cornish, who directed the film Attack the Block and also co-wrote Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Ant-Man. Stokes is joined by newcomers Cameron Chapman and Ali Hadji-Heshmati in a cast that also includes Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans), Luke Treadaway (Ordeal by Innocence), Morven Christie (The Bay), Jack Bandeira (Silent Witness), Ben Crompton (Game of Thrones), Hayley Konadu (Imperfect), Rhianna Dorris (Secret Life of Boys), and Paddy Holland (Invasion). According to Deadline, Stokes will play Lucy Carlyle, a supremely psychically gifted girl who recently arrived in London.

Exclusive: Ruby Stokes, who plays Francesca Bridgerton in the hit Netflix period romp, is to lead the cast of the streamer’s latest book adaptation.

Stokes stars in Lockwood & Co., a series adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s book series.

She is joined by newcomers Cameron Chapman and Ali Hadji-Heshmati in the Complete Fiction-produced series, which comes from Attack the Block director Joe Cornish.

The cast also includes Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans), Luke Treadaway (Ordeal by Innocence) and Morven Christie (The Bay).

Stokes plays Lucy Carlyle, newly arrived, supremely psychically gifted girl who along with Chapman’s Anthony Lockwood and Hadji-Heshmati as George Karim, run a psychic detection agency.

Set in London, where the most gifted teenage ghost-hunters venture nightly into perilous combat with deadly spirits, amidst the many corporate, adult-run agencies, one stands alone: independent of any commercial imperative or adult supervision – a tiny startup, run by a renegade trio destined...

The upcoming Apple limited series “Manhunt” has added Anthony Boyle and Lovie Simone to its cast, Variety has learned.

The pair join previously announced series lead Tobias Menzies. The show is based on the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James Swanson. Menzies will star as Edwin Stanton, Abraham Lincoln’s War Secretary and friend, who was driven nearly to madness by the need to catch Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth (Boyle), and to carry out Lincoln’s legacy. The series will also feature Black historical figures, including Mary Simms (Simone), a former slave of the doctor who treated Booth’s injury and gave him safe harbor after his crime.

The show marks the second Apple series in which Boyle will star. He is also set to appear in the Apple World War II drama “Masters of the Air.” His recent TV credits include “The Plot Against America” at HBO,...

BritBox North America has struck a deal for three Agatha Christie adaptations and is to double its creative and investment output.

Head Emily Powers unveiled the news at this morning’s TCAs, at which point she revealed BritBox is co-producer on ITV’s The Confessions of Frannie Langton and has acquired the same network’s The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe and BBC One’s Martin Freeman-starring The Responder, both of which will be badged BritBox Originals. The BBC Studios/ITV streamer has also ordered a second season of Father Brown spin-off Sister Boniface Mysteries.

The Agatha Christie deal has been struck with Agatha Christie Limited and ITV Studios-backed The Serpent producer Mammoth Screen, and will see the trio of as-yet-unannounced shows produced over the coming years. Endeavor Content will handle international sales outside of the UK, Ireland and the Americas for all three projects.

The adaptations...

Karen Thrussell has joined “A Very British Scandal” producer Blueprint Television as head of television. She will oversee the development and production of all series.

Thrussell replaces Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who now runs Happy Prince, a new drama label under ITV Studios. She joins from Mammoth Screen, where she executive produced five seasons of BAFTA winning series “Poldark” and the Sarah Phelps Agatha Christie adaptations “And Then There Were None,” “Ordeal by Innocence” and “The Witness for the Prosecution” for BBC One.

Blueprint Television is a sister company to Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin’s Blueprint Pictures. Blueprint Television also produced Emmy and BAFTA winning series “A Very English Scandal” (2018), starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. “A Very British Scandal,” starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany was broadcast on BBC One in the U.K. in Dec. 2021 and will be released on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia...

Madalina Ghenea (House of Gucci) and Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl) have been cast to lead shark survival thriller Deep Fear, which is set to shoot in Malta and the West Indies from January 2022.

Marcus Adams (Long Time Dead) is directing the pic from a screenplay co-written by Robert Capelli Jr (The Rules (for Men)) and Sophia Eptamentis (Invincible Summer). The story follows Naomi (Ghenea) an accomplished round-the-world yachtswoman, who sets out on a solo trip to meet her boyfriend, Jackson (Westwick) in Grenada. Her tranquil three-day sail aboard 47-foot yacht “The Serenity” takes an unexpectedly dark turn when a storm forces her off the plotted course.

The project will mark one of the first lead roles for Westwick since he was accused of rape by two women and sexual assault by a third back in 2017. The actor denied the allegations and Los Angeles District Attorney prosecutors eventually dropped the charges,...

Author Jackie Collins’ bestselling novel Lovers & Gamblers is to be reworked for TV by Sarah Phelps, the writer of a host of BBC Agatha Christie adaptations.

Lovers & Gamblers is also being exec produced by Phelps alongside The Bureau producer Federation UK’s Polly Williams and Arielle Gottlieb. eOne is onboard as co-producer.

The drama is adapted from the New York Times bestselling 1977 novel of the same name, which examines the harrowing void of greed and complex ideas around self determination, success, fame, independence and intimacy.

“Lovers & Gamblers is a searing scabrous masterpiece,” said Phelps, who has also adapted Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, The Witness for the Prosecution, Ordeal by Innocence, The ABC Murders and The Pale Horse for BBC1 and Amazon as part of a seven-show deal.

“Jackie Collins was ahead of her time, her unflinching eye trained mercilessly on the filthy machinations of politics and...

Steve Coogan (Philomena) has been cast as Jimmy Savile in BBC One drama The Reckoning.

Savile rose from working-class origins to become one of the biggest stars of British television, but faced rumors of misconduct during his career. After his death in 2011, the full extent of his crimes, which included sexually abusing hundreds of child victims, were revealed.

The controversial TV project, first revealed in October last year, comes from Neil McKay and executive producer Jeff Pope (The Moorside) and is produced by ITV Studios. It will be directed by Sandra Goldbacher (Ordeal by Innocence).

The team said they are working closely with people whose lives were impacted by Savile to ensure their stories are told with sensitivity and respect. It will look into the way Saville used his celebrity and powerful connections to conceal his wrongdoings and to hide in plain sight.

“To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly.

Members of the U.K. film and TV industry are calling for an overhaul of on-set safety measures and a “recalibration” of how to protect survivors of abuse following reports of multiple allegations of sexual harassment and bullying against Noel Clarke during his decades-long career as an actor, writer and producer.

Since The Guardian released its investigation into the star, best known for his roles in “Doctor Who” and “Bulletproof,” as well as creating “The Hood” film trilogy, 26 people have come forward with accusations against him. Clarke has categorically denied any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing, but released a statement apologizing for some of his actions.

The revelations have emboldened industry insiders to speak out about a culture that has allowed professional misconduct to continue, even after the Time’s Up movement swept the film and TV world four years ago with the #MeToo reckoning sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Anthony Boyle has signed on to star in in Apple’s World War II drama “Masters of the Air,” a continuation of the “Band of Brothers”/”The Pacific” franchise from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Boyle joins previously announced cast members Callum Turner and Austin Butler. Based on the book of the same name by Donald L. Miller, “Masters of the Air” follows the true story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep. Boyle will star as Major Crosby.

Boyle most recently starred in the HBO miniseries adaptation of “The Plot Against America.” He is also known for starring as Scorpius Malfoy in the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” for which he won an Olivier Award. He reprised that role in the show’s Broadway production in 2018. Boyle’s other TV credits include “Patrick Melrose,” “Derry Girls,” and “Ordeal by Innocence.

In today’s Global Bulletin, John Boyega’s UpperRoom sets animation deal with ViacomCBS’s Vis Kids; Germany’s Bavaria Film acquires Story House companies; and International Literary Properties appoints Hilary Strong as U.K./Europe CEO.

“Star Wars” and “Small Axe” actor John Boyega‘s UpperRoom Productions has set a deal to present three to five animation projects to ViacomCBS International Studios‘ Vis Kids for development into a long form series. The deal is one amongst several announced on Tuesday.

Other animation agreements from Vis Kids include a first-look deal with Fred Seibert‘s FredFilms (Nickelodeon’s “The Fairy OddParents”) for three projects; a female-led adventure comedy with Wildseed Studios; a Korea-originated fish out of water comedy by Jiwan Yoon; and a development deal with Argentine cartoonist and writer, Liniers, for an adaptation of an upcoming new book.

Among live action content, Vis Kids has optioned the rights for “¡Socorro!

When an actor is accused of wrongdoing and the film or TV project is already under way — or even wrapped — sometimes directors and producers go back and reshoot their scenes with a recast replacement.

“All the Money in the World”

After Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct, director Ridley Scott went back into production on “All the Money in the World” and reshot all of the actor’s scenes, this time with Christopher Plummer playing billionaire J. Paul Getty. (Plummer received an Oscar nomination for the role.)

“Ordeal by Innocence”

BBC had already shot a new adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic with “Gossip Girl” alum Ed Westwick as the rough-around-the-edges son of a wealthy family. But after Westwick faced accusations of sexual misconduct, the network went back and re-shot the limited series with “Magic City” alum Christian Cooke recast in the role.

“Wonder Park”

Ken Hudson Campbell (“Armageddon...

‘Everything is the story,’ says screenwriter Sarah Phelps. That’s why the stage directions in her scripts are so finely detailed. ‘The story isn’t just what comes out of people’s mouths, the story is what’s in the room.’

‘How high are the ceilings? Are the windows large or small? What does the air smell of? Is it cold? Is everything always slightly damp? Is there enough food on the table? Is there a fly buzzing somewhere? What can you see out of the window? Can you hear traffic? Can you hear your next-door neighbours? Is there a dog that barks incessantly?’

Without that detail, Phelps tells Den of Geek, she’d just be putting dialogue into a vacuum. Mood, weather, smell, hair, costume… it all forms the fabric of a script. But there’s more. All five of her BBC One Agatha Christie dramas are also connected through symbolic details.

‘You ordinary bitch!’ snarls Sarah Phelps, ‘put your cheap knickers on and get out of my house!’ The interview hasn’t taken a strange turn; she’s laughing down the phone, quoting along with memorable lines from her BBC One Agatha Christie adaptations.

‘Oh, it brings me so much joy. It’s like The Witness for the Prosecution’s Romaine screaming in court ‘You fucking men! You fucking men!’ and then hissing at Mayhew like a cat!’ One of Phelps’ friends downloaded Andrea Riseborough’s hiss in that scene to use as her text message alert. ‘I get such a thrill out of it.’

Phelps’ screenwriting is built on thrill. There’s the all-out thrill of the story she’s telling plus the tiny power-jolts of thrill she injects into dialogue. It’s for us, but also, for her. ‘I’m the audience, me.’ If she’s laughing or crying while writing,...

Hugh Laurie is working on a small-screen Agatha Christie adaptation, Variety has learned. The star of “The Night Manager” and “House” is developing a script, but which of the Queen of Crime’s books he is adapting is being kept strictly under wraps.

The project is through ITV-owned producer Mammoth Screen and is being developed for the BBC. Mammoth has made several successful Christie adaptations for the BBC, which Amazon has taken for the U.S. The latest coming down the pike is “The Pale Horse,” which was adapted by BAFTA-nominated Sarah Phelps, who won acclaim for her earlier TV version of the Christie classic “And Then There Were None.” Endeavor Content has sold those adaptations .

Laurie, who appeared in the P.G. Wodehouse adaptation “Jeeves and Wooster,” has not been confirmed to star. On screen, he parodied one of Christie’s most famous characters, Hercule Poirot, in the Spice Girls film “Spice World.

All 22,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 25 to cast their 2019 Emmy Awards nominations ballots for programs (save for animated documentary/nonfiction which are restricted to their peer groups.) Unlike the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally. In the past, voters were limited in the number of programs that they could put forth. Two years ago that cap (which was usually 10 per category) was lifted.

While there has been an explosion in the number of comedy and drama series in the last several years, the limited series genre had been almost static. There were 25 entries in 2015, 26 in 2016 and 25 again in 2017. But there has been an uptick, with 33 such shows submitted in 2018 and 35 this year. Even so, with six nominees for Best Limited Series, the odds for each of the entries detailed below is pretty good.

Agatha Christie’s 1961 novel “The Pale Horse” is being adapted for the small screen. The BBC has greenlit a two-part adaptation of the book, one of Christie’s later works, with Amazon Prime Video on board to co-produce and to show it in the U.S.

The drama follows events after a list of names is found in the shoe of a dead woman. One of the named people begins investigating and is drawn to the The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumored witches living in a small village. Word has it that the witches can do away with wealthy relatives using dark arts.

ITV-backed British producer Mammoth Screen is making the two-part series. Leonora Lonsdale (“Beast”) is attached to direct, and Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto (“City of Tiny Lights”) will produce.

BAFTA-nominated Sarah Phelps, who won wide acclaim for her TV version of the Christie classic “And Then There Were None,...

British actress Ella Purnell has joined the cast of Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” as Dave Bautista’s daughter Kate, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap exclusively. Additionally, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi and Huma Qureshi round out the rest of the cast.

Snyder and Shay Hatten wrote the script for the project, which follows a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas and a man assembling a group of mercenaries to pull off the greatest heist. “Army of the Dead” marks Snyder’s return to the zombie genre, having previously made his directorial debut with “Dawn of the Dead” for Universal Pictures.

Snyder and his wife Deborah Snyder are producing for The Stone Quarry with Wesley Coller. Ori Marmur and Andrew Norman are overseeing for Netflix.

Also Read: Dave Bautista Joins Zack Snyder's Zombie Film 'Army of the Dead'

Principal photography for “Army of the Dead...

Exclusive: Former The Art of More star Christian Cooke and James Bloor (Dunkirk) have been cast as co-leads opposite David Thewlis in Barkskins, National Geographic’s scripted drama series based on the 2016 bestselling novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx. The series hails from Elwood Reid, Fox 21 TV Studios and National Geographic.

Proulx’s Barkskins spans over 300 years. It chronicles the deforestation of the New World from the arrival of Europeans into the contemporary era of global warming through the stories of two immigrants to New France, René Sel (Cooke) and Charles Duquet (Bloor), who work as wood-cutters — barkskins — and of their descendants.

Cooke’s René Sel is a strong willed, morally sound indentured servant, signed to Monsieur Claude Trepagny (Thewlis), a wealthy landowner with grand visions for New France.

Bloor’s Duquet is a scrappy, industrious scoundrel, also signed to servitude under Trepagny.

Created by Reid, Barkskins the series...

David Morrissey, Luke Treadway and Charles Dance have been cast in “The Singapore Grip,” an ITV drama adaptation of the J.G. Farrell novel. Oscar winning screenwriter and playwright Christopher Hampton (“Dangerous Liaisons”) is adapting the book, which is set during World War II and follows a British family living in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion.

“As a great admirer and, eventually, a friend of J.G.Farrell, I was delighted to be invited to adapt The Singapore Grip, a panoramic account of the disastrous loss of Singapore to the Japanese invaders in 1942,” Hampton said.

Luke Treadaway (“Ordeal By Innocence”) will star as the reluctant hero of the piece and innocent abroad Matthew Webb. Morrissey (“The Walking Dead”) will play a ruthless rubber merchant, Walter Blackett, who is head of British Singapore’s most powerful firm alongside his business partner Webb, played by Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones...

Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories has inked a deal with Agatha Christie Ltd to develop a new TV series centered on Christie’s iconic sleuth Miss Marple. The latest incarnation will be based on the author’s Miss Marple books and short stories, and will be co-developed by the Big Little Lies producer and Endeavor Content.

The potential series will be produced by Agl’s James Prichard and Basi Akpabio along with Papandrea. Made Up Stories’ Steve Hutensky, Casey Haver, Jeanne Snow and Janice Park are shepherding the project.

Christie’s books about the amateur detective have been in print for more than 90 years and are now in more than 100 territories worldwide. Numerous film and TV adaptations have been mounted along the way starring the likes of Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, Geraldine McEwan, Helen Hayes and Joan Hickson.

“I’m just thrilled to be joining forces with James and...

When a dead body shows up in a murder mystery, there are few characters you’d want on the case more than Hercule Poirot. And when Hercule Poirot shows up in a script, there are few actors you’d want on the call sheet more than John Malkovich.

Enter “The ABC Murders,” the latest Agatha Christie adaptation heading to Amazon Prime. Based on the legendary crime author’s 1936 novel, Malkovich’s Poirot stumbles into a series of grisly murders. As each new victim falls dead, their first and last name start with the next letter of the alphabet.

The three-part series is directed by Alex Gabassi, who previously spent time behind the camera on “The Frankenstein Chronicles.” Apart from Malkovich, the rest of “The ABC Murders” ensemble includes Rupert Grint, Shirley Henderson, Andrew Buchan, Anya Chalotra, Eamon Farren, Jack Farthing, Tara Fitzgerald, Bronwyn James, Freya Mavor, and Michael Shaeffer.

This...

“Are we going to have a murder?” So begins the trailer for Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders, which Amazon has slotted to premiere February 1 on Prime Video.

Written and executive produced by Sarah Phelps, the three-part limited series starring John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot is the second of three dramatic series adaptations from Agatha Christie Limited for Prime Video in the Us.

In The ABC Murders, it’s 1933 and a killer travels the length and breadth of Britain via the railway network. The killer uses the alias ABC, and strikes in a methodical pattern, leaving a copy of the ABC railway guide at the scene of each of murder. As Poirot (Malkovich) attempts to investigate he is thwarted on every front. If he is to match his most cunning nemesis, everything about him will be called into question: his authority,...

In the grand tradition of Agatha Christie stories, “Ordeal by Innocence” has, at its heart, an unsolved murder. In this case, the victim is Rachel Argyll (Anna Chancellor), wife and adoptive mother of four, found beaten to death in her own study. It’s a homicide that tears at the seams of an already threadbare family, only held together by a faint sense of familial obligation and a shared animosity toward the now-deceased matriarch.

But this version of “Ordeal of Innocence” goes beyond the standard murder mystery fare to become a ghost story as well, a monster movie told in three parts, with humans barely cloaking the darker parts of their nature. Though Rachel’s death is the opening scene of the series, released this week on Amazon after airing earlier this spring on the BBC, she’s an instrumental part of the story as it weaves through the Argyll children’s younger days.

Christian Cooke is set to join Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie in the Netflix remake of “Point Blank.”

The cast also includes Marcia Gay Harden Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, and Markice Moore.

Joe Lynch is directing the movie from a script by Adam G. Simon. Joe Carnahan and Grillo are producing via their War Party banner, while Johanna Byer is producing for Gaumont. The film is a reboot of Fred Cavaye’s 2010 French crime drama of the same title. Gaumont’s Sidonie Dumas, Christophe Riandee and Gene Stein are exec producing.

The movie tells the story of the unlikely pairing of Paul (Mackie), an emergency room nurse, and Abe (Grillo), a wanted murder suspect, as they go toe to toe with rival gangsters and corrupt cops in a deadly race to save the lives of Paul’s kidnapped wife and unborn son. Cooke will play Grillo’s brother, who kidnaps...

Ed Westwick will not face charges after being accused of sexual assault due to insufficient evidence, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.

According to documentation obtained by TheWrap, three separate women came forward with accusations that the “Gossip Girl” alum sexually assaulted them at three different times in 2014.

According to the paperwork, one victim identified potential witnesses and another said that two people were present but outside of the room when the alleged assault occurred. However, the Da’s office determined, the witnesses “were not able to provide information that would enable the prosecution to prove either incident beyond a reasonable doubt” and charges on those two cases were declined due to insufficient evidence.

Also Read: Ed Westwick Under Investigation by Da After Being Accused of Rape

The investigating officer was unable to contact the third alleged victim for a pre-filing interview, according to the Da’s office,...

Los Angeles County prosecutors have decided not to file rape charges against actor Ed Westwick, citing insufficient evidence.

Westwick, best known for his role on “Gossip Girl,” was accused in November of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third in 2014. Actress Kristina Cohen made the first allegation in a post on Facebook, writing that Westwick held her down and raped her at his home in West L.A. Two more women came forward with their own accounts, actress Aurelie Wynn and Rachel Eck.

In a memo on Friday, prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to pursue charges. According to the memo, two of the women provided witnesses to help corroborate their accounts, including some who were outside the room where the alleged incident took place.

“Those witnesses were not able to provide information that would enable the prosecution to prove either incident beyond a reasonable doubt,” prosecutors wrote.

In today’s trailer round-up, we take a look at an international trailer for the upcoming animated remake of The Grinch starring Benedict Cumberbatch, a psychological thriller called A Crooked Somebody, a supernatural horror movie called Along Came the Devil, a Kevin Smith TV series called Hollyweed, and Ordeal By Innocence, a new Agatha Christie adaptation coming to […]

The post Trailer Round-Up: ‘The Grinch’, ‘A Crooked Somebody’, ‘Along Came the Devil’, ‘Ordeal By Innocence’, and ‘Hollyweed’ appeared first on /Film.

John Malkovich and “Harry Potter” star Rupert Grint have signed on for “The ABC Murders,” an Agatha Christie adaptation for the BBC in Britain and Amazon in the U.S. Shooting gets underway in June and will see Malkovich become the latest actor to take on the role of the famously mustachioed Belgian detective.

Kenneth Branagh played the sleuth in the 2017 film adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express” and is reprising the role in a remake of “Death on the Nile.” David Suchet and Alfred Molina are among those to have played the part on the small screen.

Grint has signed on to play Inspector Crome. The cast also includes Andrew Buchan (“Broadchurch”), Eamon Farren (“Twin Peaks”), Tara Fitzgerald (“Game of Thrones”), Bronwyn James (“Harlots”), and Freya Mavor (“The Sense of an Ending”).

Based on the classic 1936 Christie novel, the series will run to three parts. British pubcaster the...

Rupert Grint is also cast in the three-part drama.

The ABC Murders, the latest in a series of BBC One Agatha Christie adaptations, has unveiled its cast, with John Malkovich in the key role of Hercule Poirot.

This one off three-part drama continues BBC One and Agatha Christie Limited’s production deal that will see Agatha Christie Limited and Mammoth Screen deliver six more Christie adaptations.

Lining up alongside Malkovich are Rupert Grint (the Harry Potter series), Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch), Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks), Tara Fitzgerald (Game Of Thrones), Bronwyn James (Harlots) and Freya Mavor (Skins).

This new version is being written by Sarah Phelps,...