Deadline reported in an exclusive that a TV drama adaptation of author Isabella Maldonado’s 2024 novel A Forgotten Kill is in development at ABC. Maldonado is set to executive produce, alongside Diana Son (Southland, Blue Bloods), Ken Olin (Thirtysomething, Alias) and Justin Hartley (Smallville, Mistresses) of ChangeUp Productions – Son will write, Olin will direct, and Hartley is part of the project through his overall deal at 20th Television.
Based on the eponymous crime novel and its associated trilogy, the series will center on FBI Special Agent and codebreaker Daniela Vega. From Deadline:
“As part of a task force, Dani is partnered with NYPD Detective Mark Flint. Their clashing styles give them an edge in solving crimes and expose an undeniable chemistry, but Dani is haunted by a secret: a family tragedy in her past that comes back to put her career and life at risk.”
A Forgotten Kill is the second novel in the series, between 2023’s A Killer’s Game and 2025’s A Killer’s Code.
As detailed by Deadline, Maldonado is a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author known for penning numerous suspense and thriller series with a realistic edge based on her background in law enforcement. Prior to her written work, she is also a now-retired police captain and a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico. She was the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her department, spending over two decades on the force with a final position as Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. Represented by Liza Royce Associates and CAA, Maldonado’s books are sold in 53 countries and published in 26 different languages.
Son’s recent credits, per Deadline, include EP-ing for Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why, NatGeo’s Genius: Aretha, and ABC’s American Crime – for which she was recognized as part of a group Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Limited Series in 2015 and 2016. Currently, she serves as a co-executive producer on the upcoming Josh Safran series from NBC, Line of Fire. Son is repped by Yorn Levine Barnes and CAA.
Hartley can also be seen onscreen as an actor as well as in credits as a producer and director – Via Deadline, he is currently a star and EP on CBS’s hit drama series Tracker, which is considered the most-watched entertainment series on network television in its third season. The series is produced by Hartley’s ChangeUp, which is currently under an overall deal with 20th Television. His other credits include the critically acclaimed and award-winning NBC drama This Is Us, during which he made is directorial debut through the show’s fourth season. He is represented by attorneys Michael A. Auerback and Karl R. Austen and CAA.