Netflix’s ever-growing slate of feature films will be welcoming one more: Deadly Desires, a romance thriller starring Charmed‘s Alyssa Milano. Originally titled Brazen Virtue, the story will adapt Nora Roberts’ award-winning novel called of the same name. Deadly Desires will be directed by Monika Mitchell, who directed movies such as The Knight Before Christmas, Night Deposit, and John Apple Jack.
The script for Deadly Desires was penned by Suzette Couture (Emma Fielding Mysteries), Donald Martin (Milton’s Secret) and Edithe Swensen (Charmed). Stephanie Germain (Firefly Lane, The Day After Tomorrow) will produce along with Peter Strauss and Peter Guber from Mandalay Pictures (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Donnie Brasco). Milano will act as an executive producer with Harvey Kahn.
What is the plot of Deadly Desires?
Netflix’s Deadly Desires is an adaptation of author Nora Roberts’ novel called Brazen Virtue, published in 1988. The book won a Golden Medallion award in 1989 in the category Best Suspense.
Here is the official logline for Netflix’s Deadly Desires:
“After a demanding book tour, superstar mystery novelist Grace McCabe (Alyssa Milano) decides to visit her sister, Kathleen, who’s embroiled in a custody battle after a bitter divorce. Arriving in D.C., Grace is shocked to find Kathleen living in a run-down neighborhood and, hoping to afford a hotshot lawyer, supplementing her meager teacher’s salary by moonlighting as a phone sex operator. According to Kathleen, Fantasy, Inc., guarantees its employees ironclad anonymity. But Grace has her doubts—which are confirmed one horrifying cherry-blossom-scented night when one of Fantasy, Inc.’s operators is murdered. As Grace is drawn to help solve the crime, her life turns into a scene from one of her own books. Yet as one of her biggest fans, investigator Ed Jackson, warns her: This isn’t fiction. Real people die—and Grace could be next. For she’s setting a trap for a killer more twisted than anything she could imagine. And not even Ed may be able to protect her from a rendezvous with lust and death.”
Who is cast in Deadly Desires?
It was announced in January 2021 that the Charmed star Alyssa Milano would lead the cast of Netflix’s Deadly Desires as Grace McCabe, a prominent mystery writer and crime expert. The casting choice caused a small controversy over Milano’s degree of openness about her progressive political views. Author Nora Roberts defended Milano in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
“I’m delighted Ms. Milano’s been cast in the adaptation of Brazen Virtue for Netflix. To say I was stunned and appalled by some of the comments regarding the announcement on my Facebook page is a wild understatement. I spoke my piece, posted it publicly, and stand by it and Ms. Milano. To those who state they’ll never read my work again due to differing political viewpoints and opinions, or because a talented, experienced actor will play a role, I can only say that’s their choice. I believe Ms. Milano and I will survive it.”
What’s the production status on Deadly Desires?
Neetflix’s Deadly Desires is currently scheduled to enter production on March 15, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada and wrap on April 23, 2021 according to issue 1234 of Production Weekly. Naturally, in the world of Covid, production schedules aren’t rock-solid and we will be sharing updates should anything change.
When will Deadly Desires be released on Netflix?
Considering the relatively short production schedule there is a chance we will see Deadly Desires by the end of 2021. If not, then the first half of 2022.
