Today, Investigation Discovery (ID) announced the commission of DATING GAME KILLER from Thinkfactory Media. Production is currently underway for ID's first ever true-crime movie, set to premiere in early 2017 on America's leading mystery and suspense television network.
The thriller directed by Peter Medak ("Romeo is Bleeding," "The Krays"), stars Guillermo Diaz ("Scandal," "Weeds") as Rodney Alcala, a man with a near-genius IQ, whose charm and smooth talking ability landed him an appearance on the television show "The Dating Game" in 1978 - and, subsequently, a place in history as one of America's most prolific serial killers. Alcala preyed on young attractive women, luring them by telling them he was a professional photographer who wanted to enter their photos in a contest. While the precise victim count remains unknown, Alcala is suspected to have killed as many as 130 women and children before he was finally captured in 1980. Through parallel storylines, DATING GAME KILLER charts Alcala's reign of terror alongside the gut-wrenching journey of Carol Jensen (Emmy winner Carrie Preston, "The Good Wife," "True Blood") as she seeks justice for her murdered daughter. Chronicling the depth of lives impacted by her murder, audiences also follow Det. Jim Hamill (Robert Knepper, "Prison Break," "Twin Peaks") and his partner Greg Ryan (Matt Barr, "Hatfields & McCoys") on their
RESTLESS mission to put Alcala behind bars, and the plight of Alcala's mother Anna (Alma Martinez, "The Bridge") as she comes to the realization that her own son has done the unthinkable.
"ID has become the premier destination for consistent, high-quality, true-crime content, and we're excited to extend our storytelling with DATING GAME KILLER, our first scripted movie," said Henry Schleiff, Group President, Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel, and Destination America. "Thinkfactory's creative vision and our stellar cast will bring to life the cat and mouse story of how Alcala evaded the justice system for years and, as such, this is a frightening but true cautionary tale of how we must increasingly be ever vigilant of the evil that lurks, today, in our society."
"It's a real privilege to be working with the team at ID on their first scripted project," said Leslie Greif, Founder and CEO of Thinkfactory Media and Executive Producer on the movie. "They have collaborated with us to gather a top-tier director and cast; allowing us to bring a real depth and sophistication to these characters and this story. Alcala is a harrowing figure and we are confident the ID audience will be fully engaged with Alcala's story and those of the investigators and mother of one of the victims who helped finally bring Alcala to justice."
DATING GAME KILLER is produced for
Investigation Discovery by Thinkfactory Media with Peter Medak ("Romeo is Bleeding," "The Krays") as director and Martin Hunter ("Full Metal Jacket") as editor, from a script by Leslie Greif & Darrell Fetty. For Investigation Discovery, Angela Bromstad is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Jane Latman is executive vice president of development, and Henry Schleiff is Group President, Investigation Discovery,
AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL and Destination America.
Guillermo Diaz is represented by Innovative Artists, Meghan Schumacher Management and Door 24 Entertainment. Carrie Preston is represented by Innovative Artists and Sanders/Armstrong/Caserta Management. Robert Knepper is represented by Innovative Artists and Link Entertainment.
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