Posted in: Movies | Tagged: film, HRL, murder on the orient express

Kenneth Branagh Teases Which Agatha Christie Novel He Wants To Adapt Next

Published Mon, 13 Nov 2017 10:31:50 -0600

When it comes to teases for sequels and Easter eggs, Murder on the Orient Express has an important one. By the time the murder in question is solved, Hercule Poirot walks off as he's being told that he's needed in Egypt to investigate a murder. It's a neat little call-out to another Agatha Christie novel, Death on the Nile, and director and star Kenneth Branagh spoke to Cinema Blend about what that means:

"It's a great book, you know. Michael — Michael Green, our screenwriter — wanted to feel this Poirot who never gets a holiday. You could call it, instead of Murder on the Orient Express, you could say Hercule Poirot Tries To Take A Holiday. First in Istanbul, then on the Orient Express, then at the end he gets sent to Egypt. Death on the Nile — if we did one, we'd love to. The public will decide; they come to see this in sufficient numbers we'll be there."

It's a great little tease, and one that Branagh would love the chance to explore. There are lots of little things in the movie that Branagh wants to expand on if given the chance:

"I'd love to play Poirot again and that's a very, very passionate book about obsessive love. So it's very dangerous. And given that we have a Poirot who has this mysterious relationship to Katherine. Who is she? What is she? And where does he sit when it comes to the world of romance — beyond the hint that it never goes unpunished? I think there's gold in them thar hills if we get the chance."

Murder on the Orient Express isn't going to take the weekend, but it's looking like it's got a strong start. It isn't going to break box office records, but it could turn a nice little profit over time. Maybe we'll get another Poirot tale.

Summary: A lavish train ride unfolds into a stylish, suspenseful mystery. From the novel by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells of thirteen stranded strangers & one man's race to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Kenneth Branagh, stars Branagh, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Leslie Odom, Jr., Tom Bateman, Derek Jacobi, Marwan Kenzari, Olivia Colman, Lucy Boynton, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Sergei Polunin, and Johnny Depp. It rolls into theaters on November 10th.

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