David E. Kelley has found his Avraham Avraham. Peacock’s “The Missing” has cast Jeff Wilbusch as the series lead on the Keshet-Universal Television adaptation of Israeli crime writer Dror A. Mishani‘s novel, “The Missing File.”
Avraham Avraham is an NYPD detective with the 77th precinct whose belief in mankind is his superpower when it comes to uncovering the truth. Guided by a deep sense of spirituality and religious principles, Avraham is left to question his own humanity when a seemingly routine investigation turns upside down.
Kelley will write as showrunner. He’ll executive produce alongside Matthew Tinker (Kelley’s producing partner), Keshet Studios’ Peter Traugott, Keshet International’s Alon Shrutzman, Keshet Media Group’s Avi Nir and Keshet Broadcasting’s Karni Ziv.
Originally published in Hebrew in 2011 and in the U.S. in 2013 (by HarperCollins), “The Missing File” is the first in a series of novels featuring police inspector Avraham Avraham. The novels in the series (four until now) were translated into more than 20 languages.
The last novel in the series, “Conviction,” was published in Israel earlier this year and will be published in English in Summer 2022. Mishani’s standalone crime novel, the international bestseller “Three,” is also in development with Keshet International in the UK.
Wilbusch is represented by Gersh and Echo Lake Entertainment.
Kelley, who has always been pretty prolific, seems particularly busy these days. He has partnered with Regina King to adapt Tom Wolfe’s “A Man in Full” for Netflix, where he’s also (now) doing “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
“The Lincoln Lawyer” originally received a series commitment from CBS. Neve Campbell is set to star in that one as Mickey Haller’s (the Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) first ex-wife, Maggie McPherson.
Maggie McPherson is described as a passionately committed deputy district attorney known to colleagues as “Maggie McFierce” for her unwavering dedication to her job. Although frequent tensions (both professional and personal) erupt between exes Mickey and Maggie, underneath it all they still care very deeply for one another.