news

“We don’t compromise Parker’s code” - An Exclusive Interview with Shane Black

10/08/2025

A week after the highly-anticipated release of Play Dirty, Tough Business had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat on all things Parker with acclaimed director Shane Black. Best known for neo-noir hits like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys, Shane spoke about his new film, his thoughts on Parker and Grofield's dynamic, and a glimpse behind-the-scenes of this latest Richard Stark adaptation.

Play Dirty: The Story So Far

09/10/2025

If you’re a fan of Richard Stark’s Parker, you’ve probably heard of Play Dirty (2025) by now. The latest Parker adaptation has been in the works for a good number of years, and though it’s gone through a few changes since it was first announced as a Robert Downey Jr. vehicle all the way back in 2022, it’s now emerged as a straight-to-streaming flick from director Shane Black. The film stars Mark Wahlberg as Parker and LaKeith Stanfield as Grofield, and as more details come to light, it appears to have grown into a surprisingly accurate adaptation despite the modern setting.

“No filler, just action and thrills” - An Exclusive Interview with Sarah Weinman

08/23/2025

Tough Business recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Weinman, journalist, author and crime fiction authority. Sarah wrote the foreword for the University of Chicago Press editions of the four spin-off Grofield novels, and she kindly took the time to chat with us and dig a little deeper into Parker's most memorable partner-in-crime, her introduction to Donald Westlake's work, and the low-down on what makes Stark stand out from his contemporaries.

“All about cold hard practicality” - An Exclusive Interview with Dennis Lehane

08/23/2025

Some pretty prestigious writers, critics, and well-known figures in the world of crime fiction have been involved with the University of Chicago Press editions of Parker, and Tough Business has been lucky enough to interview a good number of them. It's our pleasure to announce that our next guest is Dennis Lehane, award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, including Mystic River and Shutter Island, which have been adapted to film by Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese respectively.

Dennis talked about Richard Stark's influence on his writing, his first time meeting Donald Westlake, and much more!

“He’s not a machine” - An Exclusive Interview with Charles Ardai

08/13/2025

If you're familiar with crime fiction, odds are you're familiar with Hard Case Crime. The imprint has been absolutely vital in preserving Donald Westlake's work for modern audiences for over twenty years now, with titles ranging from Lemons Never Lie to the never-before-published Memory appearing in their catalogue. Tough Business recently had the honor of interviewing Charles Ardai, co-founder and editor of Hard Case, and longtime Parker enthusiast.

Charles shared some of his memories of Mr. Westlake, a behind-the-scenes look at the reprinting process over at Hard Case, his thoughts on the incomparable Richard Stark novels, and much more!

“The fans help you do the work” - An Exclusive Interview with Levi Stahl

08/05/2025

Tough Business recently had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Levi Stahl, marketing director of the University of Chicago Press and the editor of The Getaway Car: A Donald E. Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany. To longtime Parker fans, Levi's name is a familiar one, both as a constant champion of Richard Stark's legacy and as the man who effectively got the novels back in print.

Levi revealed the story behind the University of Chicago Press editions, his thoughts on Parker's enduring appeal, his interpretation of the character, and much more!

"We’re the first people allowed to do an original Parker story" - An Exclusive Interview with Sean Phillips

07/03/2025

Tough Business recently had the amazing opportunity to interview Eisner Award-winning comic book artist Sean Phillips about his contributions to Parker's world. Best-known for his work on the Criminal series with writer Ed Brubaker, Sean stopped by for a short chat on production design, Darwyn Cooke's legacy, and collaborating on the first original Parker story allowed by Donald Westlake's estate.

Sean also kindly shared some of the original never-before-seen artwork for the Alan Grofield story appearing in Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition - Last Call, the second volume collecting Darwyn Cooke's Parker comics, presented below in digital format for the first time.

Parker 1969 - La Proie: An Efficient Take on Richard Stark’s Most Complex Novel

03/22/2025

The long-awaited French-language adaptation of The Sour Lemon Score has finally hit the stands and after our chat with the creative team earlier this month, we couldn’t be more excited to dive into the pages of the first Dupuis graphic novel released under the Aire Noire imprint. La Proie is as blunt, purposeful, direct and efficient as its protagonist – sometimes losing the finer touches of Stark’s original novel but never its edge.

Visually inspired by Darwyn Cooke’s hit graphic novel adaptations published by IDW, the book stands well on its own with writer/translator Doug Headline and artist Kieran at the helm. Once Cooke had established the visual language of what many would still consider the quintessential portrayal of Parker’s violent world, the real task of any follow-up is that of constructing its own identity. To that end, La Proie succeeds where others might have failed. Kieran’s use of texture – the fingerprints smudged all over in Parker’s wake – is innovative and downright thrilling, his stylized line art an homage to Cooke but never an imitation.

"In my family, everyone was a fan of Westlake": An Exclusive Interview with the Creative Team Behind Parker 1969 - La Proie

03/03/2025

With the first of a whole new series of Parker graphic novel adaptations just around the corner, Tough Business had the distinct pleasure of conducting an exclusive interview with Doug Headline, Kieran, and Olivier Jalabert – the passionate and talented creative team behind Parker 1969 - La Proie.

You'll find below an extensive look at the hard work going on behind the scenes of the upcoming book, its origins and a surprising connection to Donald Westlake himself.

From Hunter to Prey: Richard Stark's Parker Returns to Comics

01/24/2025

Richard Stark's anti-hero returns to comic books in the pages of a new French-language adaptation of The Sour Lemon Score. Announced early this month ahead of its March 2025 release, Parker: La Proie is a 112-page graphic novel adapted and illustrated by Kieran and translated by Doug Headline with editor Olivier Jalabert at the helm.

La Proie will be published by Dupuis under their new Aire Noire label, seemingly the first of many other crime fiction titles to come -- including a second yet-to-be-announced Parker adaptation. Translated from French, the summary from the publisher's website reads: