Amazon and Netflix are in a bidding war for the rights to Crime 101 and are apparently prepared to spend big bucks to get it.
Neither company has cemented a contract yet, though according to Deadline a deal could reach $100 million for a film that has yet to begin production. Working Title’s Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan along with Story Factory’s Shane Salerno helped create the production package. Sources from Deadline said Amazon looks to have an “edge” in this dual.
Amazon and Netflix were not immediately available for comment.
Crime 101 is based on a 2021 novella by Don Winslow, a New York Times best-selling author. The story follows a string of high-level jewel robberies taking place along the Pacific Coast. For years, the unsolved thefts have erroneously been attributed to Colombian cartels. Detective Lou Lubesnick trusts his gut, connecting the dots to figure out the crimes are committed by a solo perpetrator living by a strict code he’s dubbed ‘Crime 101’. Looking for one last score, the detective breaks all the code’s rules.
Prior to the Screen Actors Guild strike, Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Extraction) and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) were on board to star in the project, though no details on who would be cast as the detective or the thief. Both actors have had successful streaming movies and series, contributing to how badly Amazon and Netflix want to secure this deal. Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter) is slated to direct the film, adding to Crime 101’s appeal.
Production won’t begin until after the WGA and SAG strikes end. Hemsworth has already confirmed he will be in the third installment of the Extraction franchise on Netflix. Pedro Pascal also has agreed to more projects such as Gladiator 2, Minecraft, and The Last of Us.