ITV3 CRIME DRAMA AWARDS - winners and report

SOLVED: WHOWONIT?

Bourne, Ian Rankin, Colin Dexter & The Wire

Celebrate Wins at Inaugural Awards

The Ballroom of the Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane, London, was the location for the inaugural ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards. The room was packed with writers, agents, industry people and a host of TV stars. From Lee Child, Val McDermind, Jeffrey Deaver, Michael Robothom, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Roger Jon Ellory to Robson Green, Marie Helvin, Raza Jaffrey, Keeley Hawes and Alex Walkinshaw. Obviously there were many more but the above is just a teaser.

Executive producer Amanda Ross spoke about how excited she was that ITV3 and Cactus TV was able to present this new award and believed it would grow from strength to strength. The event was hosted by actor, Alan Davis, himself no stranger to the crime and thriller genre. The winners were presented with their awards by a selection of star names, led by Dame Helen Mirren, Robson Green and Ricky Gervais. The ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards will be broadcast on Monday 6th October at 2200 on ITV3.

Before sitting down for the event I spoke to Roger Jon Ellory about his new book A Simple Act of Violence which had just been published. It’s a big doorstep of a book that dented my floor when it landed. Mind you it was in company with another big ‘un Dennis Lehane’s The Given Day. When I mentioned to Roger about the length of the book he said that we got the cut down version. “Why so long?” I asked in all innocence. “I just can’t shut up,” came his honest reply. He was in the company of his editor, Jon Wood, and the gorgeous supermodel Marie Helvin. She could still give some of the current supermodels a run for their money. As a young man, I remember her photoshoots for David Bailey – and yes, that is an admission.

I was sat at a table near the stage with fellow Crime Fest organizers Adrian Muller, Myles Allfrey and Liz Hatherell. We were joined by Coronation Street stars Helen Worth (Gail Platt) and Michael le Veil (Kevin Webster) and his friend, Stevie Bell. In the course of the conversation Helen said that Michael was a big crime fan and we spoke of how well The Place of Execution had been adapted from Val McDermid’s book, then onto what books to read and some of the great stuff being screened on FX in the UK. Later on in the evening I was able to introduce Val to Michael, whom she remembered from her days as a journalist.

The pinnacle of the star studded event was the announcement of the ITV3 Writer’s Award for Classic TV Drama, voted for in an entirely free vote by viewers of the channel. Morse author, Colin Dexter, was announced at the winner by Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren.

In the hotly contested Film of the Year category, presented by Ricky Gervais, Matt Damon's The Bourne Ultimatum beat blockbusting and critically acclaimed films The Dark Knight, Gone Baby Gone and No Country for Old Men to the honour.

Criminal Justice scooped the award for TV Crime Drama of the Year – beating Ashes to Ashes, He Kills Coppers, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Spooks and Wire in the Blood.

The final season of massively acclaimed US drama The Wire saw off challenges from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Dexter, Numb3rs, CSI: Miami and Shark to walk away with the gong for International Crime Drama of the Year.

Best Actress winner Hermione Norris, who won for her role as Ros Myers in Spooks, had seen off a varied selection of her peers - Kelly Reilly (He Kills Coppers), Jill Scott (The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency), Amanda Redman (New Tricks) and Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes)

Miranda Raison & Raza Jaffrey (Spooks)

The best actor award was won by Rupert Penry-Jones, for his role as Adam Carter in Spooks. Runners up in the Best Actor category were - Philip Glenister (Ashes to Ashes), James Nesbitt (Midnight Man & Murphy’s Law), Dominic West (The Wire) and Ben Whishaw (Criminal Justice). He was unable to attend the event as he is currently filming a version of John Buchan’s 39 Steps in Scotland for transmission this Christmas the BBC..

At the ceremony, as well as the winners of the awards above the first three entries into the The International Crime Writing Hall of Fame were announced – three authors who throughout their illustrious careers have represented the pinnacle of the crime thriller genre. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dame Agatha Christie and PD James were all inducted into the Hall of Fame. A visibly moved PD James collected her accolade from award presenter Alan Davies, and paid tribute to her many peers at the event.Rebus author Ian Rankin’s last novel about the Scottish detective, Exit Music, gained him the coveted Author of the Year title. Beating competition from acclaimed authors Peter James (Not Dead Enough, Pan), Robert Harris (The Ghost, Hutchinson) and Lee Child (Bad Luck and Trouble, Bantam). Ian sent a recorded message as he was unable to attend due to current book tour.

Stieg Larsson was posthumously awarded the International Author of the Year title. His father, Erland Larsson, collecting the award on his behalf paid tribute to his son in a moving speech about his pride for his son’s work and life. Larsson’s debut novel, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, had seen off competition from Jeffery Deaver (The Sleeping Doll, Hodder & Stoughton), Karin Slaughter (Skin Privilege, Arrow) and PJ Tracy (Snow Blind, Penguin)

With the awards and dinner out of the way, it was time to chat with old friends and meet new ones. On the way back from the bathroom I spotted Ali Karim speaking to Jeff Deaver and Mark Smith (CEO of Quercus Publishers). I congratulated Mark on Larsson’s win, and thought it would bring the author an even wider UK audience especially since The Girl Who Played With Fire (the second installment of the Millenium series) will be published in January 2009. And before Ali could say another word, I turned to him and said, “Don’t you dare ask Jeff about Garden of Beasts.” That brought about much hilarity as it is now a running joke between Jeff, Ali and I. If you happen to be at an event with Jeff and Ali is in the audience you can bet your bottom dollar Mr Karim will ask Jeff about Garden of Beasts despite my kicking him under the table.

After chatting with Lee Child, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, I met up again with Michael Robotham. We last met at Thriller Fest New York 2007 and got on really well. In my opinion Shatter is Michael’s best novel to date and we spoke about his new novella - a fast paced thriller entitled Bombproof, which will be out in the UK next year (I was lucky enough to obtain an advance copy). It was written as part of an Australian government programme to promote reading and literacy, and given away for free.

A surreal part of my evening was bumping into the dazzling Keeley Hawes and a group of her friends trying to take a photograph with her iPhone. I volunteered my services and snapped them in their "happy" and "unhappy" looks - and thank goodness for auto focus. And that's one photo you'll never get to see!

My night ended in early morning and thanks to Snapper Karim you’ll be able to see a selection of photos over on the website. I have a feeling that the exposure given by ITV3 will be of great benefit to everyone involved in crime & thrillers, and to me, that can’t be a bad thing.

ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Season & Crime Thriller Awards are commissioned by Claire Zolkwer, Commissioning Editor, Entertainment on behalf of Emma Tennant, Controller of ITV3 and CITV. The Executive Producer is Amanda Ross and the series is Produced by Gareth Jones.

ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards will be screened on 6^th October, 10pm. ITV3

Click here to see the Red Carpet Gallery

2008 Ellis Peters Historical Award - Shortlist announced

Hot off the press from the British Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) comes the shortlist for 2008 Ellis Peters Historical Award.

Here are all the shortlist contenders:

• The Death Maze, by Ariana Franklin (Bantam Press)
• A Quiet Flame, by Philip Kerr (Quercus)
• Death on a Branch Line, by Andrew Martin (Faber and Faber)
• Revelation, by C.J. Sansom (Macmillan)
• Bleeding Heart Square, by Andrew Taylor (Michael Joseph)
• Stratton’s War, by Laura Wilson (Orion)

Now your guess is as good as mine in predicting the winner as the list is very strong. Could Ariana pull off a double, or will Laura win by a neck? As I say, a very hard call to make and good luck to the judges on picking the winner.This year’s Ellis Peters winner will be announced on October 27 and SHOTS will be there to cover it.

Stella Rimington - Dead Line Launch

Stella Rimington signs for fan boy Ali Karim

Quercus publishers launched the new Stella Rimington Liz Carlyle novel, Dead Line, not in a secret location but in the rather sumptuous setting of Wiltons in Jermyn Street, London.
Stella Rimington is the former Director General of the Secret Service (MI5 to me and you), and speaking to her she said she was happy to have been the first ever woman to hold the post and also the fact that it helped Dame Judy Dench to become the first ever female head of the service in the James Bond books after the departure of M.
The author was very gracious as I bombarded her with questions, not only about the book but on the genre as a whole. Although a couple of my queries were deflected, she was very honest.
Those attending the launch including Ali Karim, Ayo Onatade, Chris Simmonds and Barry Forshaw (could there ever be a launch without them?) Also journalists Jeremy Jehu, John Duggdale, Natasha Cooper and Jake Kerridge; as well as the support from Anthony Cheetham, Lucy Ramsey, Ron Beard and Mark Smith of Quercus (and apologies to those who I have missed out).
Dead Line is the forth Liz Carlyle in the series.
The Synopsis:

MI5 Itelligence office Liz Carlyle is summoned to a meeting with her boss Charles Wetherby, head of the Service's Counter-Espionage branch. His counterparty over at MI6 has received alarming intelligence from a high-placed Syrian source. A Middle East peace conference is planned to take place at Gleneagles in Scotland and several heads of state will attend. The Syrians have learned that two individuals are mounting an operation to disrupt the peace conference in a way designed to be spectacular, laying the blame at Syria's door. The source claims that Syrian Intelligence will act against the pair, presumably by killing them.
No one knows who they are or what they are planning to do. Are they working together? Who is controlling them? Or is the whole story a carefully laid trail of misinformation? It's Liz's job to find out. But as she discovers, the threat is far greater than she or anyone else could have imagined. The future of the whole of the Middle East is at stake and the conference is drawing ever closer.

Crime Parties

The launch of a new Dick Francis novel has always been a glittering affair usually held at the Savoy Hotel. Sadly, that venue is no longer available but Claridges in Brook Street, London was a rather splendid substitute. The luxurious hotel provided the launch pad for Silks, written in collaboration with his son, Felix and published by Michael Joseph.

Excellent canapés and champagne flowed as many paid homage to the great author on a very rare public appearance. Dick Francis took to the stage and showed everyone that he was still a man to be reckoned with, his wit as sharp as a knife. And didn't bat an eyelid when Felix plonked a jockey's cap on his head. Felix then took over and explained a little about the Francis Franchise.

Afterwards Dick and Felix spent some time signing books for the attendees (which I was told they hadn't done for the trade). Silks is an excellent read and the collaboration continues a tradition started by Dick, and I can see Felix taking up the reins for the next book with the ease of Desert Orchid crossing the finishing line.

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Stav Sherez shows off his new book

Despite the present doom and gloom in the financial world, it was good to see that Faber & Faber UK publishers were in the party mood. They had invited their authors and a group of crime reviewers to what, I think, was the first Crime Party held in the penthouse of their London building.

There was a good turn out with the usual reprobates turning up: Ayo Onatade, Ali Karim, Mike Ripley, Barry Forshaw, Natasha Cooper, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simmons, Cathi Unsworth, Adrian Muller and Philip Gooden (OK not all of those are reprobates). Each having the chance to meet with Nicola Upson, Stav Sherez, Adam Creed, Jason Goodwin, Andrew Martin, Roger Morris and Tobias Jones.

Each author was called upon to say a few words about their main protagonist by editor, Angus Cargill. After which they were let loose to mingle, drink and feed on the rather fine selection of cheeses. Angus is particularly excited about Faber’s expanding crime list and flicking through their catalogue, it does appear that there are some cracking books coming up.

Thanks to Snapper Karim for the photo. The other photos will be loaded up over at the Shots Website next week.

Andrew Martin has a few words

This smacks of Sour Grapes

No sooner than the nominations for the Man Booker are announced, someone has to get the first strike in. Enter Jamie Byng of Cannongate Books. Writing in the online forum on the Man Booker Prize's website, Byng stated: "I cannot respect a judging committee that decides to pick a book like Child 44, a fairly well-written and well-paced thriller that is no more than that, over novels as exceptional as Helen Garner's The Spare Room or Ross Raisin's God's Own Country."
In the Independent, Boyd Tonkin wonders why James Kelman's Kieron Smith, Boy was left off the list, but mainly praises the titles that made it. "Some less predictable contenders merit a cheer," he adds, and of Child 44, he says: "With his Stalin-era investigator in Child 44, Tom Rob Smith achieves what has so far eluded the Rankins and Jameses: a penultimate-round Booker run for an upscale detective novel."
Just as with any competition, you can't please all the people all of the time.

Tom Rob Smith nominated for Man Booker Prize

Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 has today been announced on this year's Man Booker longlist. SHOTS was amongst the first to bring the book to reader's attention when Ali Karim interviewed him. So we just love it when someone we have championed comes through. Look at the authors we have been first to feature: Nick Stone, Roger Jon Ellory and Simon Kernick.

News is out for the line up to Crime Scene 2008. Look out for, amongst others, Dame Stella Rimington (ex MI5 head) and Natasha Cooper who is fast becoming the toast-mistress dominatrix.

News in from Harrogate - Stef Penny WINS

Debut Novelist Is A Winner In Harrogate
Posted at 8:00AM Friday 18 Jul 2008

A debut novelist who has taken the literary world by storm has won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.
The Tenderness of Wolves (Quercus), by Stef Penney, was chosen by the Theakston panel of judges against competition from 12 other best-selling top authors including Alexander McCall Smith, Peter Robinson and Mark Billingham.
Story in The Yorkshire Post

ALL FUN AND GAMES AT HEFFERS 18th BODIES IN THE BOOKSTORE

OK, what's the odds on it being another sweltering night in Cambridge after a day of cloud and drizzle? I tell you I wouldn't give you evens. But it is a well-known fact that each and every year I attend Bodies in the Bookstore run by Richard Reynolds for Heffers, it is so damned hot. So much so, we are thinking of renaming it Sweaty Bodies in the Bookstore.

But we still managed to have fun. Take Tom Cain for instance. He found his long lost sister, Chelsea. Who just happened to be there promoting her second book at the same time as he was promoting his second book. What a fantastic co-incidence!And then he meets up with Charles Cumming promoting Typhoon but by this time he becomes a little shy and retiring.

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And whilst I'm writing this most crime fans are on their way to the Harrogate Crime festival. Now I couldn't make it this year, something about being banned for singing dirty lyrics to Chim Chiminee (if you believe a certain A.Karim Esq). But the latter will be there with his trusty camera, laptop at the ready to write the report. So keep 'em peeled for that.

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Speaking to Maxim Jakubowski of Muder One bookstore fame, he tells me that he had just finalised the programme for this years Crime Scene. The literary events are to be held at the Waterstones' Flagship in Piccadilly this September. But he has promised to give me full details later.

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And competitions running at the SHOTS Ezine site are: 10 signed copies of the UK debut THE LAST EXILE by EV Seymour

and this will blow you away.... BLACK STAR CRIME is offering one lucky winner an Apple iPod Touch 8g worth £199.00, plus a Black Star Crime Goodie Bag. 10 Runners up will recieve a Black Star Goodie bag with copies of all first 5 titles in the series, and an exclusive Black Star Crime polo shirt! Pretty fantastic, eh? You will need to check on the site as from next week to enter that one.

Who is this BLACK STAR CRIME outfit, I hear you ask? It's a thrilling new series of short, addictive crime fiction novels. With five titles out every two months ranging from thrillers to mysteries, and each book only costs £3.99.

And over at the website:

Not only does Mike Ripley write his regular column, Getting Away With Murder, he is the subject of an appreciation to celebrate 20 years of the Angel series (and the Great Train Robbers didn't even get that).

The Last Straight Face by Bruce Kennedy and Eric Allison is an uncompromising look at the UK's criminal underworld. They both explain 11 Things You Didn't Know.....

Patrick Lennon, author of the Tom Fletcher series writes on his latest novel, Steel Witches

Ayo Onatade has been busy interviewing Don Winslow, Ariana Franklin and Karen Rose

Amy Myers gets the low down from The Mulgray Twins and Will Randall

Ali Karim gets to chat with Bill Vidal

And spy novelist, Charles Cumming explains what it took to write TYPHOON.

Read the first chapter of P.D.Martin's The Murder Club

Read an exclusive article by EV Seymour, debut author of the fantastic THE LAST EXILE

IS THIS A DAGGER I SEE BEFORE ME?

I was amongst the 100 people attending the 2008 CWA Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award dinner last night. It turned into an evening full of surprises and emotional speeches. Yes, Frances Fyfield?



And the runners and riders are:

Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award: Blood from Stone, by Frances Fyfield (Little, Brown)

Also nominated: The Tin Roof Blowdown, by James Lee Burke (Orion); The Coroner’s Lunch, by Colin Cotterill (Quercus); Night Work, by Steve Hamilton (Orion); What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman (Orion); and A Vengeful Longing, by R.N. Morris (Faber & Faber)

Duncan Lawrie International Dagger: Lorraine Connection, by Dominique Manotti, translated by Amanda Hopkinson and Ros Schwartz (EuroCrime, Arcadia Books)

Also nominated: The Patience of the Spider, by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli (Picador, Macmillan); The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland (MacLehose Press, Quercus); A Deal with the Devil, by Martin Suter, translated by Peter Millar (EuroCrime, Arcadia Books); and This Night’s Foul Work, by Fred Vargas, translated by Sîan Reynolds (Harvill Secker, Random House)

CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith (Simon & Schuster)

Highly recommended: The Echelon Vendetta, by David Stone (Penguin)

Also nominated: Ritual, by Mo Hayder (Transworld); I See You (aka The Crime Writer), by Gregg Hurwitz (Little, Brown); and Shatter, by Michael Robotham (Sphere/Little, Brown)

CWA Gold Dagger for Non-fiction: Nationality: Wog--The Hounding of David Oluwale, by Kester Aspden (Jonathan Cape, Random House)

Also nominated: The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi, by Francisco Goldman (Atlantic Books); Violation, by David Rose (HarperPress); The Lost Boy, by Duncan Staff (Bantam Press); The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, or The Murder at Road Hill House, by Kate Summerscale (Bloomsbury); and Into the Darkness, by Peter Zimonjic (Vintage Books, Random House)

CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger: The Bethlehem Murders (American title: The Collaborator of Bethlehem), by Matt (Beynon) Rees (Atlantic Books)

Also nominated: The Night of the Mi’raj (American title: Finding Nouf), by Zoë Ferraris (Little, Brown); Die with Me, by Elena Forbes (Quercus); Absolution, by Caro Ramsay (Michael Joseph, Penguin); and Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith (Simon & Schuster)

CWA Dagger in the Library (awarded each year to “the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users”): Craig Russell

Highly commended: C.J. Sansom

Also nominated: Elizabeth Corley, Andrew Martin, Denise Mina, and Chris Simms

CWA Short Story Dagger: “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice,” by Martin Edwards (from The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries, edited by Maxim Jakubowkski; Constable Robinson)

Highly commended: “Glazed,” by Danuta Reah (from Getting Even: Revenge Stories, edited by Mitzi Szereto; Serpent’s Tail)

Also nominated: “Provenance,” by Robert Barnard (from The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries); “One Dollar Jackpot,” by Michael Connelly (from Dead Man’s Hand, edited by Otto Penzler; Quercus); and “One True Love,” by Laura Lippman (from Best American Mystery Stories 2007, edited by Otto Penzler and Carl Hiaasen; Quercus)

CWA Debut Dagger (for unpublished work): Western Fringes, by Amer Anwar (UK)

Highly commended: Blacklands, by Belinda Bauer (UK)

Also nominated: Desert Storm, by Russell Colman (Canada); The Eclipse of Lilith, by Peter Dewar (UK); Nite Lite, by Bill Harrison (Canada); The Stench of Lilies, by Alison Marlow (UK); The Book of Souls, by James Oswald (UK); Wearing the Spider, by Susan Schaab (USA); Devils and Disciples, by Ian Simpson (UK); and All the Wrong People, by P.J. Watson (USA)

Whatsup?

A couple of things. Firstly, I wonder how many of you will be attending Crime Fest in Bristol next month 5 – 8 June 2008? It would be good to say hello to you.

At Crime Fest I am moderating two panels. On Thursday it’s researching the National Archives with Peter Guttridge, Vicki Blake, Alanna Knight and Keith Miles. Saturday morning (0900) I’m on How to Write a Thriller and the panel consists of Meg Gardner, “Kate Westbrook”, Charles Cumming, Tom Cain and me old mate, Nick Stone. Also two other members of the Shots team are moderators of other panels – Ali Karim and Ayo Onatade. Hope we can count on your support.

Secondly, can I draw your attention to the website and its updates. New features and interviews with: Martin Walker, Nicola Upson, Edgar Wallace, Ray Banks, Louise Penny (+ a comp to win a signed copy of The Cruellest Month), Jason Pinter (+ competition to win a signed copy of his debut The Mark) and Mike Ripley’s appreciation of the late R.D. Wingfield.

And finally, if you are a member of the newsletter all the above is not news to you. However if you sign up now there is an exclusive competition. The prize is one book per month for one year. It will be a mixed bag of hardbacks and paperbacks and worth up to £156.00. All you need to do is get five other people to sign up to the newsletter – as simple as that. The deadline is 31st May 2008. To sign up for the newsletter just go to the homepage and the entry field is on the left hand side.
Hope to see some of you in Bristol.

If you are in the UK on June 3rd make a date in your diary to come along to see Andrea Maria Schenkel At The Goethe Institute. Andrea Maria Schenkel is appearing on stage with Anthea Bell, the translator, at 7.00pm on Tuesday, 3rd June. They will do readings and then be interviewed by Peter Guttridge. They will then take questions.Admission is free.The Goethe Institute is at 50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Rd., London SW7,Tel: 0207 596 4000.
Andrea has won the German Krimi Preis for both The Murder Farm (now published by Quercus) and Ice Cold, an unprecedented achievement. She topped the German bestseller lists for many weeks with these two books.

FILM NEWS:

Leonardo DiCaprio may star as Ian Fleming in a biopic of the James Bond creator.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the actor's production company Appian Way recently jumped on board to produce the film, based on the script Fleming by Damian Stevenson.
Producer Andrew Lazar said a film about the life of Fleming had the potential to be "fascinating".
"It's going to be very different from the Bond films," Lazar commented. "There are a lot of different ways to crack biopics, but we're not trying to emulate a Bond movie... The idea that this guy's life informed the James Bond character is pretty fascinating."
Stevenson, whom DiCaprio will replace with a new writer, researched the script by looking through out-of-print biographies at the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library.
"It's the real James Bond," Stevenson said. "In England, Ian Fleming's exploits are much better known. Talking to people out here [in the US], no one had any idea that M was based on a real person, Miss Moneypenny was based on a real person."
The story begins on the eve of Fleming's wedding in 1952 - before his first Bond novel Casino Royale was published - then flashes back to his days as a Reuters journalist and Naval Intelligence Commander.

Dutch filmmaker Jan De Bont will direct a follow-up to Point Break, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Asia-based sequel, titled Point Break: Indo, takes place 20 years after the events of the first film, which starred Keanu Reeves as an FBI agent who takes up surfing to catch a group of bank robbers led by Patrick Swayze.The sequel, written by the first film's screenwriter W. Peter Iliff, will shoot in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Nicolas Cage is to star in a remake of 1992 crime drama Bad Lieutenant.
Werner Herzog will direct the movie for Nu Image/Millennium Films, reports Variety. The production will be announced at the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off today.
The original movie starred Harvey Keitel as a New York cop who is involved in drugs, gambling, sex and stealing. He vows to change his ways while investigating the rape of a young nun. TV writer Billy Finkelstein, whose previous credits include Murder One, Law & Order and NYPD Blue, will pen the remake. It is scheduled to start filming during the summer.

IT NEVER RAINS, BUT IT POURS

Gary Oldman is in negotiations to join the cast of "Rain Fall," a Japan-set thriller that employs sophisticated western finance techniques.

Adapted from a novel by best- selling American author Barry Eisler, it is the story of a hit man who is forced to protect the daughter of one of his victims against assassination by the CIA. Shiina Kippei ("Shinobi") and Akiho Hasegawa star.

Japanese Satoru Iseki ("The Emperor and the Assassin," "A Battle of Wits") produces through his Tara Contents shingle and a special purpose vehicle with backing from Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and other equity investors.

"Rain Fall" will be the second directorial outing for scripter-helmer Max Mannix ("Dance of the Dragon"). Pic, to be lensed beginning next month, will be shot predominantly in Japanese, with 15% English dialogue.

Iseki said the film will have the distinction of being the first Japanese movie to use a completion bond. Budgeted at over $7 million, bond supplied by Film Finances, will allow producers to discount a video contract and bring forward coin for the production stage.

"Normally Japanese investors don't use bonds as they create film investment consortia and share the risk among themselves, but I think a bond helps the producer and opens up other kinds of finance such as gap or debt," Iseki said. "One reason I don't like the consortium system is that it is difficult to see who has the final decision -- and decision-making at their monthly meetings can be slow."

Iseki, who is in Hong Kong with two projects at the HAF, expects to appoint a world sales agent in the next two weeks.

Barry will be in the UK in a drive-by signing. March 31, 5:00 pm Books Etc.
02 Centre, 255 Finchley Road London, NW3 6LU +44 20 7433 3299
http://www.borderslocal.co.uk/finchley-road/events

Other film news includes
Neil Marshall has signed with Universal to direct "Drive," an adaptation of the James Sallis novel. Hugh Jackman is attached to play a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway car driver in heists.

Crime Awards and news roundup

News just in from the ITW

Finalist for the 200 Thriller Awards. The winners will be announced this summer at Thrillerfest 2008 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City during a gala banquet on Saturday, July 12th.

BEST NOVEL 2008

No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (Bantam)
The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)
The Ghost by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster)
The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz (Viking)
Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (Putnam)

BEST FIRST NOVEL 2008

Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell (Dutton)
Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (William Morrow)
From the Depths by Gerry Doyle (McBook Press)
Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi (Henry Holt and Co.)
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (William Morrow)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL 2008

The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flacco (Ballantine)
A Thousand Bones by P.J. Parrish (Pocket)
The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli (Bantam)
The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon (Pocket)
Shattered by Jay Bonansinga (Pinnacle)

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It’s been a very sad time of late. First the passing of Julian Rathbone, followed by Anthony Minghella and Arthur C. Clarke. Now veteran British actor Paul Scofield has died of leukemia, aged 86.

He passed away peacefully in hospital near his Sussex home yesterday, his agent confirmed.

She told Reuters: "He had leukemia and had not been well for some time."

Scofield won a Best Actor Oscar in 1967 for his turn as Sir Thomas More in Man for All Seasons. He was also nominated for Robert Redford-directed movie Quiz Show in 1995.Although he appeared in more than 30 films, he spent most of his career on the stage and was a leading member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He was made a companion of honour in 2001 but rejected three attempts to give him a knighthood.

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The Departed writer William Monahan is to pen a thriller based on an article to appear in Playboy.

The Paramount movie will tell the true story of Jim Keene, a police chief's son who was convicted of drug dealing. As an alternative to a ten-year jail sentence, he was allowed to go undercover at an insane asylum, where he tried to get a serial killer to reveal the location of his victims' bodies.

The film is being produced by Graham King (The Aviator, The Departed) and Alexandra Milchan (Street Kings, Righteous Kill). It is part of a first-look deal that King's GK Films has made with the Oscar-winning writer, who will work from their office.

The article will appear in Playboy later this year.

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New James Bond film Quantum of Solace will be released in the UK on October 31.

The 22nd instalment in the franchise will hit cinemas slightly earlier than the previously expected date of November 7.

A statement from Sony revealed that Daniel Craig’s 007 will be tackling "a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit" in Haiti, Austria and South America.The movie follows on directly from Casino Royale and sees Bond discover that love interest Vesper was being blackmailed when she betrayed him.

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The A-Team movie has a release date of June 12, 2009 and will be directed by John Singleton.

The director, whose credits include Shaft, Four Brothers and 2 Fast 2 Furious, was first linked to the job in December.

Michael Brandt and Derek Haas have written the script for the big-screen adaptation of the popular 1980s TV show, reports Variety.

The film will reportedly update the characters' back-stories to establish them as veterans of the Gulf War rather than Vietnam. No casting for the movie has been confirmed yet. However, rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube said he would be interested in the role of B.A. Baracus, originally played by Mr T, if Singleton was at the helm.

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For those of us on this side of the Atlantic we will be treated to the ITV drama adaptation of Jake Arnott’s He Kills Coppers. A stylish crime narrative concerned with the moral legacy of Flying Squad corruption in 1960s London, tells of the infamous murder of three Met officers in 1966. Check out the TV company’s website for further information.

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Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, which was announced yesterday, may be a sequel in the Harry Callahan series, reports say.Eastwood played rogue San Francisco cop Harry Callahan in five films, starting with 1971's Dirty Harry. He last played the character 20 years ago in The Dead Pool. Callahan's "Do I feel lucky?" monologue is often quoted and parodied in popular culture. Reports supposedly made by the prodcers that hey have been trying to buy a 1972 Ford Gran Torino for the Warner Bros movie. The plot is alleged to revolve around the retired Callahan seeking to track down the killer of two young police officers, one of whom is his grandson. The only thing known about the murderer is that he drives a Ford Torino. So it's Dirty Harry on Wheels?

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Have a Happy Easter

Movie/TV round up

Clint Eastwood's next project will be Gran Torino

The screen legend will both direct and star in the film for Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Pictures.

Eastwood's involvement in the movie was revealed on Tuesday, March 18 when the studio gave the film its release date schedule. His starring in "Torino" marked his first time return on screen after his last appearance in "Million Dollar Baby" with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman.
His latest outing behind the camera was prohibition-era thriller Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie. The Universal movie opens in cinemas in November.

Sam Raimi is in negotiations to revive the Jack Ryan franchise for Paramount.

The studio hopes Raimi will direct a series of films based on Tom Clancy's CIA analyst character, the first of which is being targeted for summer 2010, after he completes horror film Drag Me to Hell.

The Jack Ryan character features in several novels from US author Clancy and first appeared on screen played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October. Harrison Ford later took over the role in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger before Ben Affleck played a younger version of Ryan in 2002's The Sum of All Fears.

Ryan Gosling has been ">linked with the lead role in the new film, which is to take place during the character's early years at the CIA.

Paramount is yet to decide whether to use the upcoming Tom Clancy Ryan novel as the basis for the new film or come up with an original story.

Director Anthony Minghella has died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 54.

His publicist Jonathan Rutter said he had undergone surgery for cancer of the tonsils and neck last week and the operation "seemed to have gone well". However, he suffered a fatal haemorrhage at 5am this morning and died at London's Charing Cross Hospital.

The British filmmaker and playwright, who won an Oscar for 1996 film The English Patient, recently finished work on feature-length TV pilot The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Minghella was also nominated for an Academy Award in the adapted screenplay category for 1999's The Talented Mr Ripley and 2003's Cold Mountain.

His other acclaimed films include Truly, Madly, Deeply, which he wrote and directed in 1990.He had been chairman of the British Film Institute since 2003 and was appointed a CBE in 2001.

Producer Lord David Puttnam described the news as "a shattering blow", telling the BBC: "He wasn't just a writer, or a writer-director, he was someone who was very well-known and very well-loved within the film community. Frankly he was far too young to have gone."Minghella, who was born on the Isle of Wight, is survived by his wife, Hong Kong-born choreographer Carolyn Choa, and children Max and Hannah.

Danny Dyer has claimed that he would be perfect for the role of DS George Carter in the big-screen adaptation of The Sweeney.

According to UK newspaper The Sun, US producers are looking for someone to star alongside Ray Winstone in the film, but don't believe Dyer is famous enough in America to win the part.

Nick Love, who worked with Dyer on The Football Factory and The Business, is directing the movie.Dyer said: "This is the big one for me. Nick is campaigning for me but they want to sell it worldwide. There's no better combination than me and Ray for this."

The original 1970s cop show starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman in the lead roles.

Hat tip: Digital Spy.

Crime Party - Penguin/Michael Jospeh

As usual, Ali Karim is first out of the stalls in posting his report on the yearly party held by Penguin/Michael Joseph UK. It's no good me re-telling it here, you're best to nip over to his blog on the Rap Sheet and read all about it.

What he might not know: I spent some time talking with Felix Francis (son of Dick) and he was allowed to divulge the title of their new book out this August - SILKS. Alas, Dick was unable to make the evening.

Peter Guttridge, our one-time film critic was also attending and it turns out that he is a busy little bee at the moment. Not only is he almost finished writing his "Brighton" book, (a modern day Brighton Rock, or so he says) but he has been commissioned by the National Archives to write a book on the Great Train Robbery and spends most of his time locked in a vault in Kew Gardens with only the mice for company.

I met up with Ali, Nick Stone, Charles Cumming, Mike Ripley and Ayo Onatade in the pub beforehand. Did you know that come August, Mike Ripley will be celebrating 20 years of "Angel"? I reckon that Angel is now the longest-running series of comedy crime still going. Simon Brett packed in Charles Paris ten years ago, Liz Evans only started 9 years ago. Peter Guttridge's last one came out four years ago, Jeremy Cameron last one came out in 2004 (and one straight-to-video film). Simon Shaw and Charles Spencer gave up after three books.

August must be an important time of year as Mills & Boon is to launch a crime and thriller series in its first venture beyond romance publishing since it was founded 100 years ago. Black Star Crime kicks off in August with five titles, and will initially publish five titles every two months. The heavily-­branded short novels will be priced at £3.99. Just to make it clear Black Star Crime is a completely separate brand to MIRA. Black Star Crime will include a range of genres, from cosy mysteries to hard-core thrillers, with authors to include new names as well as more established writers. M&B has liaised with Working Partners to generate some of the concepts, as well as acquiring titles itself, and is adamant the quality of the ­stories is paramount. Launch titles include Runaway Minister by Nick Curtis, Streetwise by Chris Freeman, A Narrow Escape by Faith Martin and Murder Plot by Lance Elliott.

Nick Stone tells me that King of Swords has been optioned by Brilliant Films for Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye, Edge of Darkness) to direct. Nick would like to see Josh Brolin play the young Max Mingus and Idris Elba (Stringer Bell in The Wire) play Joe Liston.

And also that the August paperback edition to King of Swords had undergone several book designs and was happy that they settled on this one.

Well the parties continue and tomorrow night (18th March) is the launch for Tom Rob Smith and CHILD 44. No doubt Ali will blog long before I do but he's that kind of guy. I'll let you know any asides.

Julian Rathbone R.I.P.

JULIAN RATHBONE

1935 - 2008

It’s a sad start to the week when I have to report that the Booker Prize nominated author Julian Rathbone died last Thursday (28th Feb 2008) after a long illness. He was 73 years old. To quote Bob Cornwall from his interview with Julian: “Not too many crime, mystery or thriller writers, after all, can boast two nominations for the Booker Prize. None in fact. Throw in the narrative skills that have grown over the years in both complexity and clarity, great descriptive writing, and a collection of flesh and blood characters that it is always a pleasure to encounter. Then take into account a range of political concerns that reveal his position on the libertarian Left, and a cultural framework that takes him from Wellington back to Harold Godwin (the last English king) and from Monteverdi to James Crumley. It is a combination that has resulted in a body of work that is remarkable in its range and versatility.” That kind of sums him up.
I met Julian on many occasions and found him the perfect gentlemen, possessing a keen sense of humour. He would often be found at launches in his trademark hat which he wore with panache. A dash of individualism among the norm. He’ll be missed.
A further tribute to Julian will be online soon.
R.I.P. – Julian Rathbone.