Fox Orders ‘Memory of a Killer’ Straight-to-Series for 2025–26, From Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone

Fox has given a straight-to-series order to Memory of a Killer, a thriller centered on a veteran hitman who begins to experience early-onset Alzheimer’s, the network said. The hourlong drama hails from writers Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone and is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment for the 2025–2026 broadcast season.

The series is inspired by the acclaimed 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer (La Mémoire du Tueur), which later served as the basis for the 2022 American feature Memory, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Liam Neeson. While Fox did not disclose casting, a production start, or episode count in the initial announcement, the commitment signals the network’s continued reliance on straight-to-series pickups, which bypass the traditional pilot process in favor of greenlighting full seasons after development.

Plot and Creative Team

Memory of a Killer follows a professional assassin whose meticulously controlled world begins to fray as the symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s surface, threatening both his livelihood and his identity. As his memory deteriorates, the character is forced to confront past assignments and moral compromises while navigating a criminal ecosystem that prizes flawless execution—and has little tolerance for vulnerability. The format, designed for serialized storytelling, sets up an inherently high-stakes engine: a protagonist whose greatest asset—his reliability—erodes in real time.

The series is written by Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone, a duo known for character-forward crime drama. Whitmore has been associated with grounded procedurals and limited series that combine procedural hooks with psychological depth, while Malone’s credits similarly emphasize layered mysteries and morally complicated leads. Their pairing positions Memory of a Killer to blend crime-thriller propulsion with an intimate exploration of degenerative illness and its ripple effects.

Inspired by an International Lineage

The property’s lineage spans two decades and two continents. The Belgian original, De Zaak Alzheimer, garnered strong notices for its moody tone, morally gray characters, and intricate plotting. Nearly twenty years later, Memory reinterpreted the core premise for U.S. audiences with a high-wattage cast and set pieces more typical of American action thrillers. Fox’s series order continues that evolution, translating the material into an ongoing television format—one that can deepen backstory, broaden a supporting ensemble, and slow-burn ethical dilemmas over multiple episodes.

Crucially, the change in medium invites a wider canvas: not only the hitman’s immediate assignments, but also the complex ecosystem surrounding him—handlers, law enforcement, clients, and family—each with their own stakes in his decline. The result, if executed well, can thread genre tension with a study of identity, memory, and accountability.

Network Strategy and Scheduling

The pickup arrives as Fox doubles down on straight-to-series orders, a development model that the network has leaned into in recent seasons. In tandem with today’s announcement, Fox recently ordered Best Medicine, an hourlong comedy starring Josh Charles. Together, the projects illustrate a strategy designed to accelerate promising concepts into full-season production, streamlining timelines while giving creators the runway to build out worlds without the uncertainty of the pilot gauntlet.

Positioning Memory of a Killer for the 2025–2026 season suggests the network sees the show as either a midseason chess piece—capable of slotting into a gap or launching behind sports lead-ins—or as a fall tentpole designed to anchor a night with compatible drama. The partnership with Warner Bros. TV provides the scale, infrastructure, and global distribution muscle often required for international co-productions, format adaptations, and aftermarkets.

Themes and Market Positioning

Beyond the hook of a contract killer in decline, the series arrives at a time when audiences and creators are seeking fresh spins on familiar genres. Antiheroes remain a durable TV staple, but recent hits have emphasized vulnerability, consequence, and the cost of compartmentalization. By foregrounding early-onset Alzheimer’s, Memory of a Killer has the potential to complicate the cat-and-mouse mechanics with empathetic—if unsparing—character study. That approach also introduces sensitive subject matter that will require deliberate creative choices: ensuring authenticity around diagnosis, progression, and daily realities, while balancing the demands of thriller pacing.

From a marketplace perspective, the title could appeal to viewers of crime dramas who prefer serialized arcs and character-forward storytelling. It also joins a cohort of international-to-U.S. adaptations that have found consistent audiences by marrying proven concepts with local sensibilities and star power.

What’s Next

Key details to watch for in the coming months include casting announcements, a showrunner selection if not already formalized, director attachments for the opening block, and any signals about the show’s launch window. Music, tone, and visual language will likewise shape how the series differentiates itself from both the Belgian source material and the 2022 feature reinterpretation.

For Fox, Memory of a Killer underscores an ongoing effort to pair recognizable IP and high-concept premises with creators attuned to psychological nuance. For audiences, it promises a tense, morally charged ride—one where the most dangerous adversary may be the protagonist’s own faltering mind—as the network lines up its slate for 2025–2026.