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Mr. Monk's Last Case Plot Details Shared By Series Creator Ahead Of Peacock Premiere
The creator of Monk says the character will be in a "pretty dark place" when audiences see him again in Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie.
It’s a big week for Monk fans now that they’ve been given their first look at Tony Shalhoub and the whole cast back in character for the Peacock original Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. While it’s exciting to see everyone back together for the first time since the show ended in 2009 and they had their brief reunion in 2020, some may still have questions about where the series will find Monk after all these years.
Fortunately for them, series Andy Breckman is more than happy to answer all fans’ burning questions now that the movie has finally come together. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he confessed that the COVID-19 pandemic got the creative juices flowing for him and Adrian Monk once again. However, while fans were excited about the comedic prospect of the world’s most famous germaphobe handling a genuine, worldwide health threat, he explained that it ultimately helped him lean into a new dramatic challenge for the character.
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"The pandemic threw Monk — and me and you and everyone reading this — for a huge loop, and he was suddenly back at square one," Breckman told the outlet. "So the movie finds Monk in a pretty dark place, and he's back in a hole that he has to try to dig out of emotionally."
After all, a massive shakeup was necessary for Monk. The series finale saw him finally solve the series’ big mystery — who killed his wife, Trudy? With that case finally solved, for a Monk movie to work, Adrian needed a new challenge to motivate him out of his bubble. Breckman revealed that he finds it by way of his stepdaughter, Molly, now played by actress Caitlin McGee. When her fiance is murdered, Monk finds himself with a personal interest in a murder investigation once again.
"When people ask me what the original series was about, I always say it was about loss," Breckman explained. "It was Monk dealing with the loss of his beloved wife, Trudy. And that, of course, we solved in the series finale. But the movie presents Monk with an equally emotional challenge that he has to step up and address. We found a way to raise the stakes yet again for this poor guy."
Of course, with a new challenge to Monk comes a new antagonist. Stepping into that role is Rick Eden (James Purefoy). While it’s unclear how he’ll cross paths with Monk and the gang, Blackman revealed his character is a billionaire who, in a wink to surprisingly many real-life billionaires, has grand plans to be the first civilian to orbit the planet. However, his real character flaw is underestimating Monk.
Although Blackman was careful not to divulge any spoilers in his interview, he did put the kibosh on one thing immediately when it comes to Eden’s space plans.
"You might be interested to know that when I pitched this story to Peacock, the first thing I said in the pitch was that the rocket never takes off because I wanted to reassure them it was not going to cost $300 million,” he joked.
As for what actually happens in the Monk reunion movie? Fans will just have to tune in on December 8, 2023, and see what life has in store for everyone in the cast in Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie to find out.
Catch up on all of Monk on Peacock ahead of the premiere of Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie on December 8, 2023.
