'Monk' Officially Returning For Peacock Reunion Movie, Tony Shalhoub Confirms First Details

Our favorite obsessive-compulsive detective is officially coming back! Sitting down with Dr. Loubna Hassanieh for the most recent episode of "Unheard Stories: Stories That Inspire," Tony Shalhoub ("Men in Black," "The Marvlous Mrs. Maisel") let slip that he will be reprising the role of Adrian Monk in an upcoming feature film produced exclusively for Peacock. He also shared some light plot details, revealing that the story takes place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m not sure if I’m doing a spoiler alert here, but we’re doing a 90-minute 'Monk' movie for streaming and we’re gonna start shooting that in May,” he said. “It’s Monk post-COVID, so he’s in trouble. We’re bringing everybody back, all of the characters, and it’ll be a 90-minute streaming thing for Peacock.”

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Peacock later double-confirmed the news via a press release, revealing the movie's title: "Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie."

Stars Ted Levine ("On Becoming a God in Central Florida," "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"), Traylor Howard ("MONK," "Boston Common"), Jason Gray-Stanford ("Percy Jackson and The Olympians," "The Painter"), Melora Hardin ("The Office," "Transparent") and Hector Elizondo ("Pretty Woman," "Chicago Hope") will reunite with Shalhoub (also an executive producer), per the press release. The movie will also come from the original creative team, including creator, executive producer and writer Andy Breckman, executive producer David Hoberman, executive producer/director Randy Zisk. The studio behind the movie is UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.   

“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,” said Michael Sluchan, EVP, Movies, Kids, Daytime, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming in the release. "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,” said Beatrice Springborn, President, UCP. “We can’t wait for Peacock viewers to experience this fresh, fun and imaginative film.”

Shalhoub famously earned three Prime Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the titular character across eight seasons of the USA Network series that ran from 2002 to 2009. Throughout its 125-episode lifetime, Monk took home a total of eight Emmys, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe. A number of high-profile guest stars — including Stanley Tucci, Sarah Silverman, Jon Favreau, Jason Alexander, and even Willie Nelson — popped up over the years.

“Before I wrote it, I did talk to some professionals just to make sure I wasn’t completely off base,” creator Andy Breckman said in an interview with WHYY around the show’s premiere. “But the cluster of symptoms that we gave this character — and when I say ‘we,’ I mean the writers and Tony, who’s been contributing more than his share — I don’t think [they] really exist in the real world. He’s obsessed with orderliness. If a picture on the wall is a little crooked, Monk will not be able to question the suspect until the picture on the wall has been straightened out.”

Breckman later added that he and the writers couldn’t go too overboard with the protagonist’s OCD, lest it impede the storytelling. “Once you give a character in a pilot a character quirk … you’re locked in it. So we’re very careful. If somebody comes up with an idea that involves Monk not wanting to handle money or cash, that might be funny in this episode, but then we have to ask ourselves, ‘If the show goes for five or six or seven years, we have a character who can’t take out a wallet and buy something. So, we had to be very, very careful. We don’t want to put him in a straitjacket, we want to have fun with him.”

Peacock has yet to announce a premiere date for the film.

All eight seasons of "Monk" are now streaming on Peacock.