Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated actor and the podcast’s Executive Producer Sienna Miller brings Daphne's writing to life in this 10-part series, which debuts on September 25 in advance of the 7th anniversary of the Maltese journalist’s death
Listen to the official trailer now here
NEW YORK — September 18, 2024 — iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally, Topic Studios, and Vespucci today announced Crooks Everywhere, a new true crime podcast that delves into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist who spent her life fighting for truth, justice and decency in a country overrun by corruption.
A 10-part series, Crooks Everywhere will be released weekly starting on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Listeners can follow the podcast and listen to the trailer now on the iHeartRadio app and wherever you get your podcasts, and the show will also be available one week early and ad free on the iHeart True Crime + Channel, exclusively on Apple podcasts. The show is hosted by John Sweeney and Manuel Delia, and executive produced by Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turcan at Vespucci; Christy Gressman at Topic Studios; Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore at iHeartPodcasts; and Sienna Miller.
During her lifetime, Daphne fought for democracy and the rule of law through her blog, Running Commentary, which was read not only on her home island but around the world. In Crooks Everywhere, this blog is used as a throughline and commentary to provide insight into Daphne’s life and the corruption occurring all around her.
“Daphne was a brilliant journalist whose writing was at times shocking, moving, and hilarious,” said Sienna Miller, who voices Daphne on Crooks Everywhere. “But while she was a prolific writer, she sadly left behind few audio or video interviews. This is why I am honored to bring her story to life through her sensational writing and proud to be part of a show that amplifies a voice that so many in power wanted to be silenced.”
While Crooks Everywhere is a crime podcast at its core, in true investigative journalist fashion, the show goes much deeper than solving a murder. Co-hosts Sweeney and Delia also expose the dangerous intermingling of politics, dark money, and organized crime in Malta.
“When a proper journalist like Daphne is rubbed out, the killers are betting that everyone will be too afraid to do something about it.” said Sweeney, an award-winning former BBC journalist, host of the podcast Hunting Ghislaine, and author of 14 books.
Delia, a former political operative turned writer and civil society activist who won the 2019 Prize for Courage in Journalism, said, “Daphne’s killing was a loss of innocence for my country. We now live and work in a place where a journalist has been killed for doing her job. You don’t have to be a journalist to be worried by that. I want to tell Daphne’s story because that’s the only way I can fight back. Crooks never rest. Neither should we.”
The project began several weeks after Daphne’s death in the fall of 2017 when Vespucci commissioned a book from Sweeney, Delia, and Carlo Bonini that would become Murder on the Malta Express: Who killed Daphne Caruana Galizia? (2019). The book was subsequently optioned by Topic Studios. In addition to the podcast, Topic Studios and Vespucci are developing a screen adaptation of Daphne’s story, with Sienna Miller to executive produce. “We are grateful to Manuel and John for never giving up on this story, and continuously bearing the torch that Daphne so fearlessly lit,” said Vespucci and Topic Studios in a joint statement.
“We are thrilled to partner with Topic Studios and Vespucci to bring ‘Crooks Everywhere’ to life,” said Will Pearson, President, iHeartPodcasts. “This new captivating true crime series will dive deep into the complexities of corruption and injustice, engaging our listeners like never before.”
“Crooks Everywhere” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts.
About Topic Studios
Topic Studios is an award-winning entertainment studio that develops, finances, and produces critically-acclaimed films, television series, and podcasts for demanding audiences. A trusted partner in the industry and home for creators to do their most ambitious work, Topic Studios delivers quality, compelling storytelling with an uncompromising commitment to creativity.
Upcoming film projects include Searchlight Pictures’ A Real Pain from Jesse Eisenberg, starring Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, and A24’s David Lowery-directed Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel.
Topic Studios has produced over 35 film and television projects earning 8 Academy Award® nominations (2 wins), 6 Golden Globe nominations (1 win), and 9 Emmy nominations (2 wins). Recent projects include Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool (NEON) starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, musical comedy Theatre Camp (Searchlight) directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, and the Emmy® Award-winning big wave surfing series 100 Foot Wave (HBO). Past notable projects include Lizzie Gottlieb’s Turn Every Page (Sony Pictures Classics), about literary legends Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb; Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny (Blumhouse/Amazon), winner of the 2022 Sundance U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize; Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated, three-part series documentary Nuclear Family (HBO); Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry’s Attica (Showtime), Academy Award®-nominee for Best Documentary; Pablo Larraìn’s Spencer (NEON), starring Kristen Stewart, an Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee for her performance; four-part docuseries Love Fraud (Showtime); The Mauritanian (STX Films), starring Jodie Foster, winner of the Golden Globe® for her performance and Tahar Rahim, Golden Globe®-nominated for his performance; Michael Angelo Covino’s Cannes-winning The Climb (Sony Pictures Classics); and Spotlight (Open Road Films), starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams, winner of the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture.
The studio’s pioneering podcasts include The Space Within (Audible), a thrilling sci-fi mystery starring Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, Bobby Cannavale, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Stuhlbarg, Shea Whigham, and Carmen Ejogo, which debuted at #1 on Audible’s charts and is an Audible Best of 2023; the Webby-award nominated Not Lost (Pushkin Industries, iHeartRadio), from former Dinner Party Download host Brendan Francis Newnam, which was included as one of The New York Times and Vulture’s Best Podcasts of 2022; Anthem: Homunculus (Luminary), a revolutionary musical dark comedy, written and composed by John Cameron Mitchell and Bryan Weller, starring Cynthia Erivo, Glenn Close, Nakhane and Patti LuPone; and the cultural phenomenon Missing Richard Simmons (Stitcher/Pineapple Street Media), which investigates the fitness guru’s mysterious disappearance from the public eye.
About Vespucci
Vespucci is an award-winning Film, TV, and Podcast production company that develops stories from across the globe via a consortium of journalists. This year the company has released a wide slate of podcasts, including Exposed: The Ashley Madison Hack for Audible, The Spy Who for Wondery, Una Vida Por Otra for Spotify LatAm, The Bachelor of Buckingham Palace for Wondery+, and Kid Nation for CBC. Vespucci is also preparing to debut two documentary projects this year for Amazon and Paramount+. Vespucci is repped by CAA.
