The 2022 crime thriller was a hit with critics.
The Big Picture
-
Emily the Criminal,
an acclaimed thriller, is being adapted for TV with Aubrey Plaza as executive producer, but not starring. - Critics praised Plaza’s dramatic performance in the film, which holds a 94% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- The TV series is in development with no release date set yet; Plaza will produce alongside original film producers.
The acclaimed 2022 thriller Emily the Criminal is being adapted for TV. Aubrey Plaza, who starred in the film, will executive produce the series, but will not star in it. Deadline reports that Legendary Television has the series in development after acquiring the rights to the original film.
In the film, Emily (Plaza) is an underemployed young woman who struggles with student debt and a criminal record. She falls in with Youcef (Theo Rossi, Sons of Anarchy), who gets her involved with a credit card theft ring. Finally able to make a decent living, she descends deeper and deeper into the world of crime, even as she pursues a dangerous romance with Youcef. The film also starred Megalyn Echikunwoke (Almost Family), Gina Gershon (Borderlands), and John Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise). Emily the Criminal was director John Patton Ford‘s first feature; he will return to direct and executive produce the new series.
What Did the Critics Say About ‘Emily the Criminal’?
Although Emily the Criminal didn’t set the box office on fire, barely making back its $2 million USD budget, it was hailed by critics, especially for Plaza’s dramatic turn from her more familiar comedic roles. It currently holds a 94% “Fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Collider’s Ross Bonaimepraised the film as an “effective and claustrophobic thriller”, and called it Plaza’s “best performance so far”. Collider’s Quinn Clarke saw the film as a critique of capitalism via character study; through Emily, it depicts capitalism as “a system that pushes people towards the darkness of human nature instead of what their brains are telling them is moral”. In a 2023 re-examination of the film, Collider’s Andrew McGowan saw it as a prototype for a new kind of crime movie; unlike more conventionally moralistic crime films, Emily the Criminal “seems to suggest that crime does pay—or, even if it doesn’t, then neither does the non-criminal world”.
Plaza will exec produce the series via her Evil Hag Productions. Low Spark’s Tyler Davidson and Drew Sykes, who produced the original film, will also produce. The Emily the Criminal TV series is in development; no release date or cast has yet been set. The original film can currently be streamed on Netflix.
Emily the Criminal
Down on her luck and saddled with debt, Emily gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, ultimately leading to deadly consequences.
- Release Date
- August 12, 2022
- Director
- John Patton Ford
- Cast
- Aubrey Plaza , Theo Rossi , John Billingsley , Bernardo Badillo
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
