What is ‘Crime 101’ - the new Pedro Pascal and Chris Hemsworth film Amazon paid $90m for the rights to?

Amazon Studios are the lucky winners of a bidding war for the upcoming Pedro Pascal and Chris Hemsworth crime thriller ‘Crime 101,’ after finally coming to terms with a successful bid for the new release after a back-and-forth between the streaming service and Netflix. The estimated sum that won ‘Crime 101’ for Amazon is a reported $90m USD (£71.2 million GBP).

Though Netflix ultimately offered a much larger investment in the film, Amazon ultimately won out as the producers of the film were not asked for script revision from the Jeff Bezos entity, and felt they had more of a chance of earning a theatrical release with the film through Amazon Studios as opposed to screening simply on Netflix. 

However, there might be one more twist in the tale of ‘Crime 101’ - Puck reported that their sources believe there is the possibility of Hemsworth dropping out of the project. 

While this fact is yet unconfirmed, Hemsworth backing out of ‘Crime 101’ would be a major setback for the movie, where the success hinges upon strong main stars. With production moving forward with Amazon, hopefully, Hemsworth will stay on board and help bring the intimate thriller to life.

What is ‘Crime 101’ about?

‘Crime 101’ is an adaptation of the Don Winslow book of the same name; the novella revolves around a series of high-level jewel heists that have taken place along the Pacific Coast Highway, all of which have remained unsolved for an extended period. The heists are unique because the perpetrator follows a strict set of rules and principles that he calls "Crime 101." These rules likely govern his approach to the thefts, making him a highly skilled and elusive criminal.

While the police initially attribute the jewel heists to the Colombian cartels, Detective Lou Lubesnick has a strong hunch that all these crimes are the work of a single individual, a lone-wolf jewel thief. This thief is not just looking for any score; he is in pursuit of what is referred to as the "fabled final last score." This suggests that the thief is after a particularly valuable or legendary treasure, which adds an element of intrigue and high stakes to the story.

Detective Lou Lubesnick becomes determined to crack the case and apprehend the elusive jewel thief, even if it means breaking the rules of ‘Crime 101.’ This sets the stage for a gripping and suspenseful narrative in which the detective seeks to outsmart and capture the cunning and resourceful criminal. 

Who else has been cast in ‘Crime 101’

No other names have been confirmed for ‘Crime 101,’ however, the book features just two central characters, meaning that there is the potential the adaptation will be a two-hander rather than an ensemble drama.

When is ‘Crime 101’ set for release?

No release date has been offered regarding the production, but with Amazon now the studio behind it alongside how close to the end of the year we are, speculation is that ‘Crime 101’ could get a release around the middle of 2024 - if everything lines up correctly so far.