Turkey Is on the Menu

It looks as though Barbara Nadel’s hard-drinking Istanbul police inspector, Çetin İkmen, will soon become the star of his own television series. From The Hollywood Reporter:

ViacomCBS’ ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has struck a deal with Miramax, in which the entertainment giant owns a 49-percent stake, to co-produce The Turkish Detective, a detective series set in modern-day Istanbul based on the 21 books in The Çetin İkmen Crime Novels series by Barbara Nadel.

The agreement, announced on Wednesday, marks the first co-production between the company and Miramax, which is controlled by beIN Media Group, since ViacomCBS acquired its stake in the studio for $375 million. …

The Turkish Detective will consist of hourlong episodes and focus on Inspector Cetin Ikmen and his partner Mehmet Süleyman who are "solving crimes and experiencing euphoric highs and tragic lows." Each crime story in the series is "heavily rooted in the rich and varied culture and history of Istanbul and set against the vibrant, dazzling and frenzied world of modern-day Turkey," the partners said.

There appears to be no word yet on who might play the series’ principal characters. But production on The Turkish Detective is already slated to begin next spring 2021 in Istanbul.

(Hat tip to The Killing Times.)