With shows like Six Feet Under, Good Grief, Fun at the Funeral Parlor, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina putting the “fun” back in funeral homes, it’s high time a show came along to remind audiences how grim and mysterious these houses of death can be. That’s why I’d like to bring Chop Shop to your attention. Deadline says a new series starring Christina Ricci (Wednesday, Yellowjackets, Black Snake Moan) and Hamish Linklater (Legion, Midnight Mass, Tell Me Your Secrets) is gaining buzz as it prepares to court a network.
Inspired by the Kathy Braidhill novel, Chop Shop retells the true crime story about the Lamb Funeral Home in 1980s Los Angeles. The following description comes courtesy of Deadline‘s exclusive article: When David Sconce — the Machiavellian scion of a Bible college football coach and a church organist — takes the reins of the family business, the seemingly All-American clan begins a jaw-dropping descent from saints to sinners. Desperate to keep their funeral home afloat, Sconce engineers a sinister new business strategy, replete with human body harvesting and mass cremation. The script will paint a harrowing portrait of hubris against the neon greed of the era, where insatiable ambition turns a former football star into a SoCal sociopath.
Hamish Linklater plays David Sconce in the series, while Christina Ricci portrays a journalist inspired by Braidhill. Andy Bellin is writing the script, and Ricci, Laura Rister, and Untitled Entertainment are producing it. The search for directors and showrunners is in progress. While we wait for Chop Shop to open shop, Bellin’s upcoming project, The Baccarat Machine, starring Awkwafina, is in pre-production. The Baccarat Machine focuses on a young Chinese woman who becomes modern history’s most successful female gambler after partnering up with a legendary poker player.
Are you interested in learning more about Chop Shop? Which network or streamer will eagerly get their hands on this one? Do you find funeral homes unnerving? I wouldn’t say I like the smell of most flowers, so funeral homes tend to overwhelm my olfactory modality. Let us know if you’re looking forward to Chop Shop in the comments below.
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