EXCLUSIVE: Author Don Winslow might not be the retiring type, after all.
The prolific bestselling crime novelist “paused” his retirement to write a new collection of short novels titled The Final Score. The deal was made quietly a few months ago, and it is now up for pre-orders on Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble. Harper Collins/William Morrow will release the book on September 16.
“I don’t know if I am back for one more book or more,” Winslow told Deadline. “One day I just started writing again and I couldn’t stop. I wrote all of these stories in secret and for the first time in decades without a deadline. It felt good and I feel that two of these stories, Collision and The Final Score, are among the best work I’ve ever done.” Those will be the ones shopped for film and TV deals.
Harper Collins, Winslow’s longtime publisher, was brought the book by The Story Factory’s Shane Salerno, and they immediately picked it up. Jennifer Brehl who edited The Border, Broken and The City on Fire trilogy edited the book.
Winslow had more here to reveal to Deadline. He spent the past year of retirement reacquiring his backlist from various studios and streamers on adaptations of his film-friendly crime fiction projects that languished. That includes his Cartel book trilogy, the Godfather-like tale of the drug trade told in the global bestsellers The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border. The trilogy has had numerous attachments, including at one point Leonardo DiCaprio starring for director Ridley Scott. Winslow has also reacquired The Winter of Frankie Machine from Paramount, initially acquired for Martin Scorsese to direct and Robert De Niro to star, before that duo instead made The Irishman instead with De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. It was then developed with Michael Mann and De Niro and most recently by The Bear creator Nic Storer, all at Paramount. Winslow also recaptured the rights to his five book Neal Carey series which Rian Johnson was developing, and also Boone Daniels, which was at Netflix. Winslow is also reacquiring The Force from 20th and Disney. That crooked cop drama had Matt Damon set to star for director James Mangold from a screenplay by Scott Frank.
Crime 101, the Bart Layton-directed Working Title film that Amazon acquired, just wrapped with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Monica Barbaro, Barry Keoghan, Jenifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte starring. Amazon MGM will release theatrically President’s Day weekend in February 2026. This after the studio debuted footage at CinemaCon. Winslow’s most recent book series, the City on Fire trilogy, is being developed at Sony with Austin Butler starring and Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic) directing. David Heyman and Shane Salerno are producing for 3000/Sony.
Winslow is repped by The Story Factory.
The post Crime Novelist Don Winslow Unretires For ‘The Final Score’ appeared first on Deadline.
