Christina Ricci & Hamish Linklater To Star In True Crime Series ‘Chop Shop’ Set Against Funeral Business In 1980s San Fernando Valley

Andreas Wiseman
·2-min read

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a buzzy series coming together that should get the attention of networks.

Christina Ricci, recent Golden Globe nominee for Yellowjackets, and Midnight Mass star Hamish Linklater are set to lead true crime series Chop Shop, which is set against the funeral business in 1980s San Fernando Valley.

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Inspired by the Kathy Braidhill book of the same name, the series will chart the chilling and twisted tale of the Lamb Funeral Home in 1980s Los Angeles. 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.

Linklater will play David Sconce and Ricci is attached to play a journalist inspired by Braidhill. Andy Bellin (Lovelace) is writing.

Producers are Ricci, Laura Rister (The Tale, Ferrari) and Untitled Entertainment with the team currently exploring potential directors and showrunners to round out the package.

Wednesday and Monster star Ricci is currently in production on the third season of Showtime’s hit series Yellowjackets, for which she has received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Linklater is in production on the second season of Amazon’s The Boys spinoff Gen V, and can be seen as Abraham Lincoln in the Apple TV + series Manhunt. His directorial debut Downton Owl, which he co-directed with Lily Rabe, was recently released via Sony Pictures.

Bellin is best known for movies Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard, and Trust with Clive Owen and Catherine Keener. Other active projects include The Baccarat Machine at SK Global starring Awkwafina, Think Aaron at HBO Films, and an untitled thriller starring Jared Leto at h.wood Media.

Producers Laura Rister and Untitled’s Michael Rosenberg said of the project: “Upon reading Braidhill’s book Chop Shop, we were fascinated to discover this shocking Los Angeles story that truly is stranger than fiction. Christina and Hamish naturally gravitate to complex, brave material and roles. We feel so fortunate to capture their combined magic in one show.  We also look forward to collaborating again with Andy Bellin, who shares a deep curiosity for intricate human stories.”

Ricci is represented by Untitled Entertainment, CAA and Afifi Law. Linklater is repped by Untitled Entertainment and CAA. Bellin is represented by WME and The Gotham Group.

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