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BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Crime writer Michael Connelly: I'm definitely not finished with Harry Bosch
It was a bittersweet moment when bestselling crime writer Michael Connelly was told that the series featuring his signature detective Harry Bosch – the longest-running character on streaming television in the world – was being cancelled. After seven series of Bosch, which began in 2014, and three of Bosch: Legacy on Prime Video, Connelly, who also created The Lincoln Lawyer, was told there wouldn't be a fourth series for Bosch. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bosch (@boschamazon) Speaking from his home in Los Angeles, Connelly, whose books have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide and been translated into 45 languages, says: 'I have no complaints about it only lasting 10 seasons. It's rare that shows last that long. 'I just wish we knew we were ending it when we were writing it and filming it, and I think we would have gone out in a slightly different way. There were a couple of loose ends and luckily the last episode was an introduction to (Renée) Ballard.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Entertainment Weekly (@entertainmentweekly) Now he's working on a new series centring on the Ballard character as she heads up a cold case squad, starring Maggie Q, which is scheduled for summer. So as one door closes, another opens. And his creation The Lincoln Lawyer (in which lawyer Mickey Haller runs his office from his Lincoln car), which was adapted into a film starring Matthew McConaughey and later a Netflix series starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, has just been renewed for a fourth season. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Lincoln Lawyer official account (@thelincolnlawyerr) Yet Bosch will live on, Connelly says confidently. 'I've definitely not finished with Bosch. I think we'll probably see him again next year in a book.' The former journalist, who has had to cancel his latest US and England tour because of a medical procedure, is now considering how his 40th book might make the screen and says he's already had some interest regarding adaptation. Nightshade, a stand-alone thriller, introduces a new detective, County Sheriff Detective Stilwell, who has effectively been put out to pasture on the picturesque Catalina Island off California after a fall-out with a fellow detective on the Los Angeles mainland. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Author Michael Connelly (@michaelconnellybooks) Soon enough, though, he is investigating the death of a young woman who has drowned in the harbour, but comes up against his old LA adversary who is trying to take over the inquiry and hamper Stilwell's investigation. Connelly, 68, favours using less well-known actors, or those you can't put a name to, to play his lead characters in the screen adaptations of his work. 'Sometimes it's just somebody who can lead through example and Titus Welliver (who plays Harry Bosch in both TV series) has the gravitas of a guy who knows how to act well and is like automatic, not having to do a number of takes because he doesn't know his lines.' The author, who has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years but also has a home in Florida, where he grew up, has been to Catalina Island many times and was aware that there was just one detective there assigned to handle everything except homicide, which is left to the LA County Sheriff's Department. 'I talked to a guy who was an old hand who could tell me about the politics, the place and what it's like to be the lone detective on the island. He actually retired and now lives in Texas. But I liked the idea of it almost being like a private detective story, a guy who doesn't have a (police) partner and works cases by himself.' Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Orion Books (@orionbooks) The former journalist, who was a crime reporter at the Los Angeles Times, is prolific, writing at least one book a year – his next is a Lincoln Lawyer book called The Proving Ground which is out in autumn. His interest in crime was sparked when, at 16, he was driving home after his dishwashing shift at a Fort Lauderdale resort at night when witnessed a man running and hiding a gun in a hedge before fleeing. After pulling over and finding the gun wrapped in a shirt, Connelly saw police cars arriving. It turned out the suspect had just shot somebody trying to steal their car. The young Connelly spent the night with detectives in a police station, and ended up looking at line-ups but was unable to identify the suspect, who was never caught. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Author Michael Connelly (@michaelconnellybooks) 'I was handled by a really tough guy, a Harry Bosch-like detective, which turned me towards more hard-boiled fiction and true crime and newspaper stories about crime.' But reporting was always a means to an end to writing detective stories. Today, he doesn't support the Trump administration's take on gun rights. 'I don't have a gun. I live in a community where there's a lot of crime but I don't feel the need to have a gun. It's a root source of a lot of problems. A lot of the violence in this community is the easy access to weapons. Advertisement (Alamy/PA) 'I know there are tons of cops out here who are Trumpers, but they're not the ones that help me with my books.' 'I've taken shots at Trump in my books and I'll do a book signing and invariably somebody would say something,' he continues. 'Many times people have said, 'I used to love your books but I can't read them anymore because you put your politics into them'. It doesn't bother me. I never respond to anyone who says something like that.' Unlike Connelly's more famous detectives, his latest, Stilwell, has found a happy romantic relationship with his partner, assistant harbourmaster Tash Dano, on the island. 'This is the first main character I've ever written who has a reasonably healthy and stable relationship with a partner. If you look back across 39 books before, I didn't have that. Harry Bosch, Renée Ballard, Mickey Haller, they all have fraught relationships and are all looking for something, which makes them easier to write.' Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Author Michael Connelly (@michaelconnellybooks) Part of the inspiration comes from his own happy marriage to college sweetheart Linda McCaleb, with whom he has a daughter. They've been married for 41 years, as long as he's been writing books. Linda is his first reader on each new manuscript. 'I was thinking, isn't it about time I wrote about someone who is more like me in that regard than these characters I've dwelled on for 30-plus years? It's about the accommodations couples make, but at the end of the day, they know why they're in the relationship together. I like that aspect of it.' With the TV series cancelled for now, will he ever kill off his first hero, Bosch? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Author Michael Connelly (@michaelconnellybooks) 'I don't think so. I mean, never say never. I hope the last book I'm writing has Bosch in it. Now, whether that's just his final book or his final story, I don't know yet.' Nightshade by Michael Connelly is published on May 22nd by Orion, priced £22
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ballard OTT Release Date: When and where to watch Bosch spin-off show featuring Maggie Q and Courtney Taylor
Ballard OTT Release Date: If you've been waiting for the next big crime drama to watch, here's something to look forward to. A brand-new show called Ballard, a spinoff of the popular Bosch series, is set to release on Prime Video. The entire season drops on July 9. All ten episodes will be available to stream in one go. Ballard continues the story world of Bosch, but this time with a new lead character: Detective Renée Ballard, played by Maggie Q. What is Ballard about? Ballard focuses on Detective Renée Ballard, a hardworking LAPD officer who now heads the department's cold case unit. These are old criminal cases that were never solved, and her job is to dig into them and find the truth. This division is new, and it doesn't have many resources. But Ballard is committed. She's determined to give forgotten victims a voice. One of the cases she looks into involves an old serial killer, while another centres on a murdered John Doe. As she follows the clues, she uncovers something much bigger, a dark secret that might involve people inside the police department itself. Ballard is joined by retired detective Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver, who fans of the original Bosch series will recognize. Together, they work through old files, new evidence, and personal struggles to bring justice to people. Who's in the cast? Leading the series is Maggie Q as Detective Ballard. You may know her from action-packed roles in Nikita and Designated Survivor. She's joined by Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy, and Hector Hugo. And yes, Titus Welliver returns as Harry Bosch. Although he's retired in the story, he plays an important role in helping Ballard solve the cases. Is Ballard connected to Bosch? Yes, it is. Ballard takes place in the same world as Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. In fact, Renée Ballard first showed up in the Bosch: Legacy series finale earlier this year. This new show is based on characters and stories by best-selling author Michael Connelly. Just like Bosch and Legacy, Ballard sticks to the same serious, realistic tone. Connelly is also one of the executive producers. Others involved in the bankrolling are Henrik Bastin, Michael Alaimo, Kendall Sherwood, Trish Hofmann, Jet Wilkinson, and Melissa Aouate. Jasmine Russ joins as co-executive producer under Fabel Entertainment. Jamie Boscardin Martin, Trey Batchelor, and Theresa Snider also serve as co-executive producers. If you enjoy slow-burn crime dramas with smart storytelling, Ballard might be your next binge-watch.
UPI
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Maggie Q's 'Ballard' to premiere on Prime Video July 9
1 of 2 | Maggie Q's "Ballard" is set to premiere on July 9. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo May 23 (UPI) -- Actress Maggie Q's Bosch spin-off Ballard is set to premiere on Prime Video July 9. Maggie Q will play Renee Ballard, a Los Angeles Police detective working with the city's cold-case division. The cast also includes Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy and Hector Hugo. Both Bosch and Ballard are based on the best-selling novels of Michael Connelly. A new chapter in the world of Bosch begins with BALLARD. Introducing Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, coming this summer to @primevideo. Ballard (@BoschAmazon) April 16, 2025 Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer books also inspired a hit series on Netflix. "You don't often get the chance to work with such a talented group of people and help create something as special as this show," executive producers Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood said in a statement Thursday. "Ballard is gritty, emotional, and grounded, with that layered storytelling that makes Michael Connelly's world so compelling. We're really excited to expand that universe and introduce Renée in a way that feels fresh but still true to the spirit of the franchise. Her journey is just getting started, and we can't wait for everyone to meet her."
