(Left) Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate in New Line Cinema’s action adventure ‘Black Adam,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Frank Masi. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Center) Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in ‘1923,’ streaming on Paramount+ 2022. Photo Credit: James Minchin III/Paramount+. (Right) Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Preview:
- Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley will lead ‘The Thursday Murder Club’.
- Chris Columbus is adapting the novel and directing.
- Shooting will kick off this summer.
The detective genre is an evergreen one for books, TV series and movies, but with so many out there in the world, it’s always good to find a solid new spin.
And while the concept of older people solving murders/crimes in general is far from a novel concept, especially in the UK (if you’ve never heard of the idea, ‘Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple’ would like a word), it has been turned into a hugely successful novel series by British TV executive-turned-game show host and author Richard Osman.
His novel ‘The Thursday Murder Club,’ published in 2020, has become a big hit, spawning three follow-ups to date (with a fourth on the way), and now, somewhat naturally a film adaptation is gearing up with Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley in the lead roles.
While Jeff Sneider broke the first word of the casting via his newsletter, Osman has since confirmed it on the podcast he co-hosts, ‘The Rest is Entertainment’.
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What’s the story of ‘The Thursday Murder Club’?
Helen Mirren attends the 2015 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2015 in New York City.
The books’ narrative follows a group of geriatric friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case.
Mirren will play ex-spy Elizabeth, Kingsley will play ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim and Brosnan will play former union activist Ron.
There is a fourth member of the gang, Joyce, but while a choice has apparently been made, Osman couldn’t specify since negotiations are continuing on that front.
Four septuagenarian friends who live in a retirement community and, led by a former spy, form the Thursday Murder Club to solve cold cases for fun. But when a shady… Read the Plot
Who is making ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ movie?
Osman sold the rights to Steven Spielberg’s Amblin company in 2020, shortly after the first book became a hit, and development has been quietly proceeding since then.
So, who has the company chosen to adapt a popular series of novels set in the UK it hopes will spawn a successful franchise (and has form working with Spielberg)? Step forward Chris Columbus, who helped kick off the gigantic ‘Harry Potter’ film series and will be writing and directing here.
With Osman aboard as an executive producer, production is scheduled to start at the end of June and run through September.
And though the concept might seem more niche than the adventures of a boy wizard, that casting will certainly help push the idea here and beyond.
When will ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ be in theaters?
Variety recently announced that Netflix has picked up the movie, but no release date has been set.
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in ‘Die Another Day.’