According to Puck, Amazon Studios has claimed victory over the rights to the upcoming film adaptation of Don Winslow’s Crime 101 novella, which hails from Working Title. The acquisition deal has reportedly cost around $90 million, leading Amazon to beat Netflix in an intense bidding war for the project. The outlet’s source revealed that Amazon won the project after new studio film head Courtenay Valenti offered a theatrical release for the movie.
What to Expect in Crime 101?
The Crime 101 adaptation will directed by Bart Layton (American Animals). Marvel vet Chris Hemsworth and The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal have reportedly been attached to lead the project prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
“It’s a great crime story in the vein of Heat. High-level jewel thieves are taking place up and down the Pacific Coast, and police have linked the thefts to the Colombian cartels,” reads the synopsis. “Detective Lou Lubesnick has other ideas, and he zeroes in on one perp, a thief looking for a final score.”
Hemsworth most recently starred in Netflix’s action thriller sequel Extraction 2, in which he reprised his role as black ops mercenary Tyler Rake. He will next be seen portraying a villain in George Miller’s Mad Max prequel Furiosa and is also set to lend his voice to a young Optimus Prime in the animated prequel movie Transformers One.
After dominating television during the first half of the year with his leading performances in The Mandalorian Season 3 and The Last of Us, Pascal will continue to have a busy year in 2024, as he stars in a few star-studded movies such as Drive-Away Dolls and Gladiator 2.