Golden Possum Optioning Jane Howatt's Jigsaw Book
UK indie Golden Possum Productions has optioned Jane Howatt's memoir about 13 years working alongside LAPD detective John St. John.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Law Enforcement
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UK indie Golden Possum Productions has optioned Jane Howatt's book Jigsaw & Jane: Thirteen Years of Murder and Mayhem with Badge Number One. The book recounts Howatt's years working with LAPD detective John St. John, who served the department for 50 years.
Why it matters
The option adds a screen project to a true-crime story tied to some of Los Angeles's best-known cases, including the Freeway Killer investigation and the Black Dahlia case. It also comes as NBC's series Jigsaw John is in development, with further creative attachments to be announced.
The book rights are optioned but no production is confirmed, with further creative attachments still to be announced. The option does not indicate whether the project will proceed to a series or film.
The players
John St. John
A longtime Los Angeles Police Department detective who served for 50 years and led the Freeway Killer investigation and the Black Dahlia case.
Jane Howatt
A former suburban mother and aspiring writer with no policing or journalism background who chronicled her years working with St. John.
Golden Possum Productions
A UK independent production company run by producer Naomi Harvey that has optioned Howatt's book.
The details
In 1982, Howatt, then a 35-year-old suburban mother and aspiring writer, read about St. John receiving the LAPD's Distinguished Service Medal and phoned him to ask to write a book about him. The adaptation covers the 13-year journey she took with St. John into Los Angeles crime.
Timeline
1982: Howatt reads about St. John's Distinguished Service Medal and calls him.
Thirteen years after 1982: Howatt's work with St. John concludes.
November 6, 2026: Golden Possum's option is reported by Deadline.
Legal Context
The project follows NBC's earlier Jigsaw John, a crime procedural starring Jack Warden that drew on St. John's decades with the LAPD. Howatt's book shifts the focus from a fictionalized detective to a firsthand account from someone outside law enforcement.
The option means the book's story could eventually reach viewers as a screen production, but no platform, release date, or format has been confirmed. Readers interested in the source material should watch for announcements of the publisher and distribution plans.
The takeaway
Screen adaptations of true-crime memoirs often take years to reach audiences after an option is announced, so early reports should be read as a development step rather than a finished production. Following the attached network and creative announcements will show whether the project moves forward.
Further reading
For more on how police work is covered and portrayed, see Law Enforcement.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Deadline.
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