ABC Picks Up Untitled Phillip Marlowe Series From ‘Castle’ Creator



The Big Sleep



Murder, My Sweet. Farewell My Lovely. The Big Sleep. These three stories all share one thing in common; Phillip Marlowe. Back in the 1940s, Raymond Chandler’s book series about a private investigator named Phillip Marlowe was adapted into successful films starring actors such as Dick Powell and Humphrey Bogart. Now almost 75 years since he first appeared in literature, Marlowe is being adapted once again for a new generation.

ABC Studios has picked up an Untitled Phillip Marlowe Project from Castle creator/showrunner Andrew Marlowe and producer Michael De Luca (Fifty Shades of Grey). Deadline states that the show will be “a smart, sexy and stylish update of Chandler’s character” as he explores the “morally complicated world of today’s Los Angeles.” Phillip Marlowe is described as “edgy” and “wisecracking” in the new adaptation

Marlowe and De Luca will be updating the character for modern audiences; Marlowe is writing the script with his wife, Terri Edda Miller. Miller is also a writer and consulting producer on Castle. This isn’t the first time the character of Phillip Marlowe was on television. Actor Powers Boothe played the famous detective in the 1980s series, Phillip Marlowe, Private Eve. ABC had previously attempted to adapt the character back in the 2006-2007 season with Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars) playing Marlowe, but the show was never picked up.



Castle



Without Chandler’s work there wouldn’t be a show that follows the adventures of Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), the bestselling mystery novelist who helps the police solve strange and unusual crimes, as Chandler’s Marlowe series helped make hardboiled crime one of the most popular genres in Hollywood. Andrew Marlowe is definitely the ideal candidate to adapt Raymond Chandler’s work, since he has already shown his passion for murder mysteries with his show Castle, which is on its sixth season. Shows like Castle prove that audiences still want to see noir inspired murder mystery.

As a fan of classic film noir, I am excited to see new adventures of Phillip Marlowe. Television is filled with different police dramas that cover every subject, and a series about a private detective will be a nice change of pace from all the spin offs of NCIS & Law and Order. Hopefully they can find an actor as versatile as Nathan Fillion to play the legendary role of Phillip Marlowe. The Untitled Phillip Marlowe Series is currently in development. We will keep you updated on the current status of the new series.

Source: Deadline