Murder on the Orient Express, director Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s acclaimed murder mystery – in which Branagh also pulled double-duty in front of the camera as Christie’s iconic detective Hercule Poirot – was a very solid throwback to the heydays of whodunnits. While it had its flaws, much like Sidney Lumet’s beloved 1974 version of Christie’s 1934 novel it made up for them by being deliciously twisty and packed to the rafters with acting star power. So when the film turned a $55 million budget into a $352.8 million box office haul, there was no mystery as to what was going to happen next: a sequel.
Now we have our first proper look at that follow-up, with Branagh again behind and in front of the camera – and under that glorious moustache! – for Death on the Nile. And just like before, he’s brought a cavalcade of high profile talent with him, with this cast of would-be suspects in yet another head-scratching homicide boasting the likes of Gal Gadot, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright.
Even you knew absolutely nothing about Christie’s classic masterpiece of a murder mystery novel, those names alone should be enough to get you excited. If not though, not to worry, because we also have an intriguing first trailer that lets us know that murder was just the beginning. Check it out below!
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this tale of unbridled passion and incapacitating jealousy features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers, and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have read Christie’s original Death on the Nile while actually taking a boat cruise down the Nile. While my trip was rather uneventful besides for being made cocktails by the local barman that contained enough potent alcohol to knock out one of the crocodiles we saw lazily roasting on the sun-soaked banks of the famed Egyptian waterway, the book was the perfect bit of escapism. As such, I’ve been hyped for this movie from the moment it was first announced. And after that trailer, the hype is very much still real.
Death on the Nile was scripted by Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049, Logan, Heroes) and is currently scheduled for release on 23 October.
Last Updated: August 20, 2020
