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Murder at the Embassy Director on Challenges, Cast, Franchise Future

Director Stephen Shimek (Nocturne) spoke to us about challenges in "Murder at the Embassy", cast, murder-mystery franchise's future & more.

Director Stephen Shimek has come a long way since his start in 2009's Dragon Hunter, diving into multiple genres from science fiction, family, horror, adventure, and fantasy with projects like Dudes & Dragons (2015), The Adventure of A.R.I.: My Robot Friend (2020), and Nocturne (2016). Given his variety of choices, it seems peculiar that his latest undertaking is a murder-mystery franchise in the vein of Agatha Christie in Miranda Green with Mischa Barton playing the role since 2023's Invitation to a Murder. Shimek spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest Green adventure, Murder at the Embassy, the challenges of filming in Egypt, the ensemble cast, and what he can say about the untitled third film in the trilogy. The film follows the private investigator as she embarks on her journey to investigate a murder perpetrated in the British Embassy in Cairo, where a top-secret document was stolen, risking jeopardizing both Buckingham Palace and the peace of the world.

Murder at the Embassy: Director Stephen Shimek on Battling the Heat, Casting, and Miranda Green Trilogy

Did you have any difficulty shooting on location with the weather?

The thing toughest for me, but you power through it on day one and you're okay, it was the heat in Egypt. My gosh! There was rarely a cloud in the sky, and it's funny, because the very first day on location was overwhelming, both in terms of not only the climate, but also the atmosphere of where we were. We shot at the pyramids, day one, and it was gorgeous, but there was nowhere to go in terms of getting shade. We're in the middle of the desert, but there's so much wind that you're getting this breeze that's helping with that. We're like, "Okay, great."

The next area we went to the following day, we were in a back lot area, so we could get to know some of our more period-looking exteriors, and we had all the shade we could ever want. However, there was no breeze because of all the tall flats, so then there was a different challenge with the heat, and every day it seemed like there was a new way that we were being challenged to endure the heat of Egypt in the summertime. What a beautiful place, and boy, was it ever, because Egypt brings some magic to the screen that we never would have been able to get if we hadn't shot on location. It was well worth it.

What did you like about working with Mido [Hamada], Raha [Rahbari], Kojo [Attah], Antonia [Bernath], Nell [Barlow], and Richard [Dillane], and the way they came together as an ensemble with Mischa?

Consummate professionals, and they all had a unique approach to their art form, as everyone does, but then you get them into a room together and watch them bring all that work that they've put into their characters. You get to see the dynamics you've been reading on a page for so long, really spark, and it's always exciting to watch a very talented cast come together and create the energy you've always believed was there on the page.

When you get to work with them and bring it to life on screen, there's something magical about that. The casting process was surprisingly smooth, given that we were casting across multiple continents and trying to make sure we could bring it all together, but then it was like, so many choices that were just like absolutely 100 percent, "Yes! This person. That person," and then we get them in the room together, and it works. It's like this great ensemble of contrasting personalities who are going to struggle being stuck together, while everyone's being suspicious of everyone else, and they were phenomenal. It's a great cast.

What's next for you? Is there another Miranda Green adventure in the cards to make this a trilogy?

Yes, it's funny you ask, we are literally amid a pre-production for number three, and I don't think I'm allowed to say very much about it, but Miranda continues onward. She keeps trotting the globe and keeps learning more about herself, about mysteries, murders, all of it. I'm trying to be "vague." It's an exciting script I've been working with the same writer that I worked with for Murder at the Embassy to bring that one into a place where we feel like it's got a lot of that same…I think in every single one of them, what we're trying to do is give you these different adventures, different flavors, and different experiences. As different as Murder at the Embassy is from Invitation to a Murder, I think Number Three will also be different from the two of them in a lot of fun ways, so I'm looking forward to Number Three.

Murder in the Embassy is available on digital and on demand.

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