UPDATED: Fox has greenlit the drama series “Memory of a Killer” for the 2025-2026 season with Patrick Dempsey set for the lead role. The announcement came ahead of Fox’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Monday.
The new series is said to be inspired by the Belgian film “De Zaak Alzheimer,” aka “La Memoire Du Tueur.” Per the official logline, the show is a “dramatic thriller about a hitman (Dempsey) who develops early onset Alzheimer’s.”
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“’Memory of a Killer’ is a propulsive series with a noisy, unrelenting character hook that immediately grabbed our attention,” said Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network. “In the spirit of ’24’ and ‘House,’ we’re introducing a daring new signature Fox lead, a complicated antihero facing unimaginable danger. We’re excited to bring this gripping new thriller to life alongside our long-standing partners at Warner Bros.”
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment. Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone developed the series for television and executive produce alongside Cathy Schulman of Welle Entertainment. Arthur Sarkissian and Martin Campbell are also executive producers, along with Peter Bouckaert of Eyeworks.
The role marks a return to broadcast for Dempsey, who famously starred in the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” for 11 seasons. He most recently starred in the Showtime series “Dexter: Original Sin” and has also been in shows like “Devils.” Dempsey’s film roles include “Ferrari,” “Enchanted” and “Disenchanted,” “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”
He is repped by UTA, The Burstein Company, and Goodman Genow.
The original film was released in 2003. It starred Jan Decleir, Koen De Bouw, Werner De Smedt, Laurien Van den Broeck, and more. The film received positive reviews from critics upon its release.
This will now be the second adaptation of the film. Previously, it was remade as the feature “Memory” in 2022 starring Liam Neeson with Martin Campbell directing from a screenplay by Dario Scardapane.
“Memory of a Killer” is the latest new Fox scripted series announced in recent days, and it is not the only adaptation of a foreign project. The network is also working on the series “Best Medicine” starring Josh Charles, which is based on the British show “Doc Martin.” Elsewhere, Fox has picked up the event series “The Faithful.”
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