Barry Levinson to Direct Crime Drama The Missing at Peacock
Barry Levinson has been tapped to direct David E. Kelley’s upcoming Peacock crime drama The Missing. Levinson—who is known for directing films like Rain Man, Good Morning, Vietnam, and Wag the Dog—will direct multiple episodes, including the first. He will also executive produce the series. The Missing is based on Dror A. Mishani’s 2011 novel The Missing File. The eight-episode series is a co-production between Keshet Studios and Universal Television. David E. Kelley will serve as showrunner. Kelley and Levinson will executive produce alongside Mishani, Kelley’s producing partner Matthew Tinker, Jonathan Shapiro, Keshet Studios’ Peter Traugott, Keshet International’s Alon Shrutzman, Keshet Media Group’s Avi Nir and Keshet Broadcasting’s Karni Ziv.
20th Century Studios Developing a Third Film Based on Hercule Poirot
According to 20th Century Studios, a third Hercule Poirot film is in development, and this one will be a different genre and tone than Death on the Nile. 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said in a statement that the next installment in the Poirot series will be based on one of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known novels. Absell said, “We have the Poirot franchise, we have other Christie stories. I love these films, I love [Kenneth Branaugh, who stars as Poirot in the films]. We have a third script written, by Michael Green, that is a pretty daring shift in genre and in tone. It’s post-war Venice and an adaptation of one of the lesser-known novels. So I think you’ll see the mustache again.”
Dolly Parton Fans Slam Lawmaker for Asking if Book Program is “Appropriate”
Fans of Dolly Parton are slamming Kentucky State Senator Stephen Meredith about his recent questioning of the country star’s children’s book program. The program gives free books every month to children up to age 5. During a meeting, Republican Meredith asked if language could be added to the partnership bill to ensure the program’s books are “subject-appropriate.” In a tweet Thursday morning, Dolly’s sister Stella Parton wrote, “I’m outraged this morning that anyone, let alone a GOP Sen. Meredith from the great state of Ky. Would question my sister Dolly or even insinuate something sinister about the ‘Imagination Library’ program for children.” Following the tweet, Dolly Parton fans reacted with outrage, causing the subject to become one of the day’s top trending Twitter topics.
How Much Does A Book Challenge Cost?: This Week’s Book Censorship News
Here’s a look at the costs of book challenges and this week’s roundup of book censorship news across the US.