Nearly 30 years after she made her TV, Jessica Fletcher is heading to the big screen, as a Murder, She Wrote movie is in the works at Universal Pictures, Above the Line can exclusively report.
Dumb Money scribes Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo were tapped to write the screenplay prior to the Writers Strike, and they won’t continue working on it until the AMPTP has reached a deal with the guild.
Schuker Blum and Angelo have a long history with Pascal, as they also developed a GamerGate movie together based on Zoe Quinn‘s memoir Crash Override: How to Save the Internet From Itself, as well as a Wolfman movie that’s in the works at Universal.
Angela Lansbury originated the role of Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, which ran on CBS for 12 seasons and brought her an Emmy nomination every season. The character is a mystery writer who uses her unique skills to outwit local cops and unmask criminals.
Produced by Universal Television (which explains why Universal Pictures has the movie), the long-running series found a loyal audience around the world, and Lansbury was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame as soon as it wrapped its run in ’96.
Pascal is the former head of Sony Pictures who exited her producing deal with the studio in May 2019 to sign a first-look deal with Universal. Her producing credits include the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movies, as well as Greta Gerwig‘s adaptation of Little Women.
Schuker Blum and Angelo met as reporters at the Wall Street Journal before going on to write together on the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. They have developed a number of studio projects over the years, and they also wrote a script about Hollywood superagent Sue Mengers that drew the interest of Jennifer Lawrence.
Dumb Money chronicles the Gamestop short squeeze from the perspective of the various players involved, and it boasts a top-notch cast including Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Dane DeHaan, and Vincent D’Onofrio. After premiering to strong reviews in Toronto, the film will open in limited release on Sept. 15 before Sony gives it a wide release on Sept. 29.
Blum and Angelo are represented by CAA. Representatives for Universal did not respond to requests for comment.
