Phoenix Pictures and Renaissance Literary & Talent "are teaming to develop a television anthology based on a series of short stories by prolific mystery writer Cornell Woolrich," Deadline reported. Among the titles to be included are A Death Is Caused, After-Dinner Story, Death Sits in the Dentist's Chair, For the Rest of Her Life, The Moon of Montezuma, Mystery in Room 913, The Murder Room, The Dancing Detective and The Death Rose.
Phoenix Pictures' Chairman/CEO Mike Medavoy and Benjamin Anderson will executive produce the potential series, along with Alan Nevins, who represents the Woolrich Estate. Deadline noted that as a fan of the author, Medavoy "had been tracking the Woolrich material for years. The Woolrich library has been a complicated rights issue with more than five owners controlling the nearly 300 properties in the Estate. Renaissance has spent years untangling the web of rights issues and, additionally, now represents all five proprietors."
Woolrich "was thought of as one of the best crime writers of his day, along the ranks of Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler," Deadline added. To date, he is the most adapted crime author in the film noir era, with Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black among his credits.
"We are excited to have been entrusted with bringing these incredible short stories to television together and to have the opportunity to explore Cornell Woolrich's beloved material," Medavoy said.