Third Agatha Christie Movie From Kenneth Branagh in Development at 20th Century
Though the recent release Death On The Nile had a lot working against it thanks to controversies with some cast members, 20th Century Fox is already working on a follow-up to the Agatha Christie adaptation. Speaking in a huge interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell confirmed that a third film starring Kenneth Branagh as detective Hercule Poirot was in the works and that a script has already been written for the film. Asbell confirmed that not only will Branagh return as the star of the film but also the director, teasing that the next movie will be one of hte "lesser-known novels" in the series and that it will have a shift in tone from the other films.
"We have the Poirot franchise, we have other Christie stories," Asbell said. "I love these films, I love Ken [Branagh, who plays detective Hercule Poirot and directed Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile]. We have a third script written, by Michael Green, that is a pretty daring shift in genre and in tone. It's post-war Venice and an adaptation of one of the lesser-known novels. So I think you'll see the mustache again." When asked if Branagh will also direct, he added, "Yes. Ken is Poirot, but Ken is also the series."
This surprise franchise began with 2017's hit mystery film Murder on the Orient Express. The film would set the blueprint for those that followed with Branagh leading a huge ensemble cast full of suspects. Stars appearing in that film including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe as Cyrus Bethman, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, and Olivia Colman. Murder on the Orient Express went on to gross over $350 million at the global box office, leading to the Death on the Nile adaptation released last year.
The latest film assembled a new ensemble which included Russell Brand, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Sophie Okonedo, and Letitia Wright. The sequel didn't have the same box office success, bringing in just north of $100 million globally, but was previously delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and also caught heat for multiple controversies with some cast members (which were unrelated to the film itself).
Who do you think should join the cast of the next Poirot movie? Sound off below, because it frankly could happen.