Netflix Debuts The Whisper Man: De Niro, Adam Scott, and a Serial Killer Who Lures Children by Voice
Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, and Michelle Monaghan star in The Whisper Man, a crime thriller that arrived on Netflix on 28 August 2026. The film relocates the story from the sleepy English village of its source novel to small-town New Jersey.
De Niro plays Pete Willis, a retired detective who years ago caught a serial child predator named Frank Carter. Carter, nicknamed The Whisper Man, lured young victims with soft, barely audible invitations. When a new predator begins modelling tactics on Carter's old methods, Willis is pulled back into the case.
Adam Scott plays Tom Kennedy, a bestselling crime writer, a widower, and Willis's estranged son. When Tom's pre-teen son Jake — played by Acston Luca Porto — vanishes after speaking to unseen figures outside their home, the investigation turns personal. Michelle Monaghan is Amanda Beck, the lead detective who turns to Willis for help. The cast and their roles were confirmed by Variety on the film's release date.
James Ashcroft directs. The screenplay comes from Ben Jacoby, whose credits include The First Omen, and Chase Palmer, known for It. The script was adapted from a novel by British crime writer Steve Mosby, who has published four books since 2019 under the pen name Alex North — including The Whisper Man, the book that gives the film its title and premise.
Netflix confirmed an August release window in July, then set the premiere for 28 August, with a trailer arriving on the platform's Tudum site on 14 July. Monaghan and Scott's casting alongside De Niro was first announced by Netflix's newsroom in March 2025.
For a streaming audience, the draw is straightforward: De Niro in a detective role, a father-son estrangement layered over a missing-child mystery, and a killer whose method — whispering — turns the most ordinary sound into a threat.
