'Monk' Revived for New Movie
Tony Shalhoub will be back as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective, Adrian Monk, in a new Peacock movie. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie will also bring back many of Shalhoub's original co-stars to join Monk on a new case. Monk creator Andy Breckman is involved, alongside original executive producers David Hoberman and Rancy Sizk.
In Mr. Monk's Last Case, Monk takes on a very personal case that involves his step-daughter Molly, a journalist preparing to get married. Molly was only seen in the series finale, "Mr. Monk and the End – Part II," and is the daughter of Trudy Monk. Alona Tal, who now stars in Paramount+'s SEAL Team played Molly. Stellina Rusich played Trudy in the first two seasons of Monk before Melora Hardin took over the part from Season 3 onward. Hardin is coming back for Mr. Monk's Last Case, but it's unclear if Tal will.
Ted Levine (Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer), Taylor Howard (Natalie Teeger), Jason Gray-Stanford (Lt. Randall "Randy" Disher) and Hector Elizondo (Dr. Neven Bell) are also returning. Bitty Schram, who starred as Monk's first nurse and assistant, was not mentioned in Peacock's announcement. Shalhoub has also signed on as an executive producer. Universal Studio Group's UCP is the studio behind the scenes.
"When creator Andy Breckman came to us with a new Monk case set in present day, we immediately fell in love with this story all over again," Michael Sluchan, EVP of Movies, Kids, Daytime, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement. "The movie has the heart and humor of the original series with a contemporary relevance, and we're overjoyed to work with the original creative team, including Andy, David Hoberman, Randy Zisk, the unparalleled Tony Shalhoub, and our partners at UCP, for what is sure to be a must-see movie event for Peacock audiences."
"New and returning fans of Monk will love how this creative team was able to preserve all that we admire about Adrian Monk while bringing him into the present," UCP President Beatrice Springborn added. "We can't wait for Peacock viewers to experience this fresh, fun, and imaginative film."
Monk ran eight seasons between 2002 and 2009 and was one of the most popular shows on cable television in the years before The Walking Dead debuted. The series was also USA Network's most beloved, winning eight Emmys and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. All episodes of Monk are streaming on Peacock.
Since Monk ended, Shalhoub continued working in television and movies, and on the stage, most notably in Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In May 2020, Shalhoub and his co-stars reunited for Peacock's The At-Home Variety Show to show fans how their characters were handling the pandemic. In February 2022, Shalhoub told PopCulture.com there was a "good chance" that a full Monk reunion would happen after the cast's virtual reunion went so well.