Unconventional detectives are having a moment at Peacock.
On the heels of renewing Poker Face for a second season, the NBCUniversal-owned streamer has greenlit a movie reuniting the cast and creative team behind former USA series Monk. Tony Shalhoub — who won three Emmys for the role — will once again play Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Series creator Andy Breckman is writing and executive producing the movie, titled Mr. Monk’s Last Case. Randy Zisk, who helmed 35 episodes of the show, will direct, and EP David Hoberman is also on board. Cast members Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Melora Hardin and Hector Elizondo will reprise their roles. Universal Studio Group’s UCP is producing.
“When creator Andy Breckman came to us with a new Monk case set in present day, we immediately fell in love with this story all over again,” said Michael Sluchan, executive vp movies, kids and daytime at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “The movie has the heart and humor of the original series with a contemporary relevance, and we’re overjoyed to work with the original creative team, including Andy, David Hoberman, Randy Zisk, the unparalleled Tony Shalhoub, and our partners at UCP, for what is sure to be a must-see movie event for Peacock audiences.”
Monk ran for eight seasons and 125 episodes on USA, helping kick off the cable channel’s run of successful scripted series in the early 2000s. The show was also a critical and awards success, winning eight Emmys, a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards. Its series finale in 2009 drew more than 9 million viewers — at the time a record for a scripted program on ad-supported cable (it was later surpassed by The Walking Dead).
Mr. Monk’s Last Case will find Monk attempting to solve a very personal case that involves his beloved stepdaughter Molly, a journalist preparing for her wedding.
“New and returning fans of Monk will love how this creative team was able to preserve all that we admire about Adrian Monk while bringing him into the present,” said UCP president Beatrice Springborn. “We can’t wait for Peacock viewers to experience this fresh, fun and imaginative film.”
Monk is not the first former USA show to get a movie treatment at Peacock; the streamer has also released two movies based on Psych.
Breckman, Hoberman, Zisk and Shalhoub are executive producing the movie.
