We're Getting More Branagh Poirot!
Monday, November 20, 2017 at 10:00PM 
Chris here. Has everyone caught up to Murder on the Orient Express yet? For yours truly, it was set exactly in the spot in Europe that Clueless said we might be "whelmed" and our Eric Blume felt the same. But that hasn't stopped audiences from turning it into a modest hit, resulting in a global take of over $150 million - and that's enough for Fox to officially kick off a mini-franchise.
The new Agatha Christie Poirot films are keeping in line with the adaptations of the 70s, so next up will be Death on the Nile - expect Evil Under the Sun afterwards should Nile be a success too. Branagh is expected to return as director and star, and Orient Express's screenwriter Michael Green will be back as well. Get ready for more CGI exotic locales and modes of transportation because this one is set on a steamboat in Egypt. John Guillermin's 1978 version was an Oscar winner for Costume Design (Angela Lansbury headresses!) so let's hope for repeat opulence there as well.
But most importantly it will feature another massive cast! The aforementioned screen adaptation featured Lansbury, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, David Niven, and Peter Ustinov's Poirot to name a few. It wouldn't be too confusing to have Michelle Pfeifer return, would it? What famous faces do you want to see in Branagh's next ensemble mystery?
Reader Comments (32)
Miranda Richardson
Can Branagh have someone else direct?
I personally loved Murder on the Orient Express so I'm excited to see this news. I don't know this story so I can't really say who I would love to be in this cast. Though I do wonder if one could get either Angela Lansbury or Maggie Smith to do the remake as different, but older characters. I was excited by this last cast so hopefully I will be again.
I don't know the plot of "Nile" at all, but: Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Paget Brewster, Matt Smith.
hi
a very nice article, keep up the good work. I wish someone could make a remake for this for all characters, i love these kinds of topics.
emma thompson and helena bonham carter
Emma Thompson, I want Dead Again vibe. She was the one I kept thinking of while watching Murder on the Orient Express.
I love watching 'Death on the Nile' every now and then. It's less of a film and more of a scene stealing competition between some of the finest actors ever (Angela Lansbury usually wins).
I would love to see Maggie Smith in the role played by Bette Davis in the original, actually, with Olivia Colman being a shoe-in to play the role Maggie Smith playes in the original. It's hard to think of any suitable new casting for Salome Otterbourne, though...
I'm a little sad Branagh is going to remake Death on the Nile. It's one of my favorite Christie films. Such a great cast, so beautifully photographed. But I'm willing to play recast, although I'm tempted to find another actor for Poirot.
Kenneth Branagh (Peter Ustinov), Hercule Poirot
Idris Elba (David Niven), the Colonel, Poirot's friend
The romantic triangle:
Charlize Theron (Lois Chiles), Linnet
Sally Hawkins (Mia Farrow), Jackie
Michael Shannon (Simon McCorkindale), Simon
Ellen Burstyn (Bette Davis), Marie Van Schuyler
Melissa O'Neil (Maggie Smith), Miss Bowers
Tantoo Cardinal (Angela Lansbury), Salome Otterbourne
Lily Gladstone (Olivia Hussey), Rosalie Otterbourne
Oscar Isaac (Jon Finch), James Ferguson
Christopher Plummer (George Kennedy), Andrew Pennington
Carmen Egojo (Jack Warden), Dr. Bessner
Charlotte Gainsbourg (Jane Birkin), Louise Bourget (Charlotte in the role her mother Jane played).
Why do exactly the same films though? I know Death on the Nile is one of her more famous works but she has such a catalogue of potential films that could be tackled - why remake the same ones?
(But yes, to Maggie Smith as Bette's character :D)
@morganb - agreed - so many great titles they could adapt. I wouldn't mind a big screen Tommy & Tuppence adventure.
Sidenote- Simon McCorkindale was gorgeous in Death on the Nile - gone too soon...
I'd like more movie franchises of this kind. Cast...
Carey Mulligan ... Linnet
Lea Seydoux ... Jacqueline
Billy Magnussen ... Simon
Glenn Close ... Marie Van Schuyler
Christina Hendricks ... Miss Bower
Viola Davis ... Salome Otterbourne
Zoë Kravitz ... Rosalie Otterbourne
Ralph Fiennes ... The Colonel
Chadwick Boseman ... Dr. Bessner
Michael Stuhlbarg ... Andrew Pennington
Edgar Ramírez ... James Ferguson
Eva Green ... Louise Bourget
Sadly no one can score movies today the exquisite way Nino Rota did.
And please, will somebody bring Jacqueline Bisset out of that semi-retirement?
I can't see anyOne pulling off Lansbury's Salome Otterbourne,please Ken fill it with STARS!!! not hip people or non stars,use Pfeiffer as your barometer.
I wouldn't mind seeing Thompson and Winslet in the Davis and Smith roles,Cotillard as the maid to Lois Chiles who'll probably played by Margot Robbie.
One thing I am unsure about is at the end of KB'S MOTOE the murder seems to have occured already,wasn't he on the nile when Lynette is murdured.
My first thought was Armie Hammer as Doyle.
But I'm only in for this if they cut Branagh's CG budget by 3/4.
Linnet = Kate Beckinsale or Gong Li
Jacqueline = Carey Mulligan
Simon = Armie Hammer
Marie Van Schuyler = Vanessa Redgrave
Miss Bower = Julie Andrews
Salome Otterbourne = Gillian Anderson or Kate Winslet
Rosalie Otterbourne = Saoirse Ronan
The Colonel = Idris Elba or Ken Watanabe
Dr. Bessner = Laurence Fishburne
Andrew Pennington = Ralph Fiennes
James Ferguson = Chris Hemsworth or Riz Ahmed
Louise Bourget = Tilda Swinton
If we have a franchise, four movies wih EVIL UNDER THE SUN and APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH, I hope they cast
Cate Blanchett
Oscar Isaac
Marwan Kenzari
Jessica Chastain
Charlize Theron
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Albert Finney
Morgan Freeman
Tom Hardy
Benedict Cumberbatch
Jude Law
Jon Hamn
Christina Hendricks
Lena Headey
markgordonuk: My thought exactly. I didn't think that reference at the end of MOTOE made sense.
If they are going to remake Death oin the Nile, I don't much mind which actors they get, as anyone can be good in an Agatha Christie film - but please, we need better use of clues, better interviews with suspects, we need everyone to have their moment in the spotlight.
anjelica hounston
Vanessa Redgrave in Davis's role and Sarah Paulson in Maggie Smith's. Keira Knightley in Farrow's and Laura Dern in Lansbury's.
Oscar Isaac
The most important thing should be replacing Branagh entirely - he's a terrible/ridiculous Poirot, and his direction of Murder on the Orient Express - oof. Sadly, that's unlikely to happen.
But as to who'd be fun in the cast: Either Riley Keogh and Juno Temple or Andrea Riseborough and Natalie Dormer as Linnet and Jacqueline (depending on the age you'd want them to be). Nic Hoult, Sam Claflin, or Alden Ehrenreich for Simon. Frances de la Tour was a hoot in the Suchet version of this, so bring her back - with maybe Alia Shawkat as her daughter. And as far as who could have some fun with Mrs. Van Schuyler, is Joanna Lumley too on the nose? Any chance of getting Julie Christie in front of a camera again?
SHARON STONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Scott C: I love your suggestions for a younger cast for the romantic triangle. (I also liked V.'s suggestion of Lea Seydoux).
I can see Saoirse Ronan as Jackie. She's got the range, lonely to lethal, and the soulfulness and intelligence that Poirot would respect.
The character of Linnet in that age range is a little more tricky. Sultry self-satisfied rich girl. Riley Keogh is a great suggestion. I wonder if Branagh might want to work with a younger cast that he's worked with before and is sure of, like Lucy Boynton (barely seen in MOTOE) and Emma Watson.
NOOOOOOOOO TO EMMA WATSON IN ANYTHING.NO CHARISMA NO CHOPS.
Haven't seen the 1978 movie (shame!) but have read the book multiple times. I wonder if Branagh is going to stick closer to the book? As I understand, the 1978 movie eliminated some of the characters or collapsed them into composites.
I love the idea of Idris Elba as Col. Race.
Linnet and Jackie are supposed to be in their twenties, right? When I was much younger I always saw someone like Gwyneth Paltrow as Linnet - that blond patrician look. As for today, well...perhaps Elizabeth Debicki. Or maybe Dianna Agron (got her on the mind since "Novitiate")
Jackie: This is a GREAT role and should go to someone with chops and presence. I could see Emma Stone or Alicia Vikander doing it. Or Gugu Mbawtha-Raw or Lupita Nyong'o (even though they might both be a little too old - ditto Anne Hathaway).
Simon - Chris or Liam Hemsworth
Miss Van Schuyler - fun way to bring back Maggie Smith?
Salome Otterbourne - Emma Thompson! (Er, assuming she and Branagh are friends now)
Rosalie Otterbourne - Brie Larson? Tessa Thompson?
Ferguson - If his secret's the same as in the book, then maybe Tom Hiddleston?
Andrew Pennington - Any WASPy American dude will do; I'm sorta envisoning someone like Richard Gere
Why remake??? Re release the great originals!
No real opinion on this, but just popping in to say...isn't the "whelmed" joke from 10 Things I Hate About You, not Clueless?
I don't really care about those sequels as i didn't see Orient Express yet (it only opens in mid-December here in France) but what i'm reallllly excited about is the Crooked House adaptation with a muuuuch juicier cast (in my opinion). The only person i really want to watch in Orient Express is Pfeiffer because i know her part is gold (at least Baccall deserved an Oscar as much as Bergman back then) and because... it's Pfeiffer !
But in Crooked House you have all these extraordinary actors we don't get to see enough on a silver screen : Close ! Anderson ! Hendricks ! Stamp !
I'm really intrigued and as it got a release date in December i'm curious to see if anyone of these screen geniuses can get enough traction to get an Oscar nom (or a win for Close pleaaaaase)
I think Michelle Williams would be perfect in the character that Mia Farrow did in the 1978 version.
And instead of looking for the obvious ones because not to give a role to the excellent Dame Eileen Atkins.