After Kenneth Branagh’s “Murder on the Orient Express” made $353 million worldwide for 20th Century Fox from a $55 million budget, a sequel was understandably greenlit with Branagh returning as both director and leading man.
With dozens of other Hercule Poirot stories to choose from, Branagh chose “Death on the Nile” which made it into production and was far enough along that Disney opted not to scrap the project when it acquired Fox.
The property has previously been adapted once before to film in 1978 with Peter Ustinov’s Poirot and the likes of Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, David Niven and Bette Davis in supporting roles. It was again adapted for television in the early 2000s with David Suchet’s Poirot and a young Emily Blunt in a key role.
The new take boasts an all-star cast including Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Sophie Okonedo, Tom Bateman, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Jennifer Saunders, Russell Brand, Emma Mackey and Ali Fazal. The film’s first trailer is expected to arrive soon, and Branagh recently told the Fourth Wall podcast (via The Playlist) that one difference with his take is that it will be more sensual, carnal and darker than people probably expect:
“Agatha Christie really believed in what she wrote. I think it was born out of personal experience being in bruising love relationships. She says in the introduction to the paperback version that she believes it has something of life in it and it really does. I think it’s universality, the recognition for anyone who’s been dangerously in love or as Poirot says in the book, in any relationship, there’s always the one that loves too much and it can hurt terribly.
Love, as he says, is not safe and it’s certainly not safe in this version. Michael Green [ the screenwriter] really has deepened the connection with the character [Poirot]. Going off of Agatha Christie’s personal treatment of it, his deepening of what Poirot goes through in relation to the story and then the power and sexiness of lust and love as it runs through the story is very strong. It’s a very dark, very sexy, unsettling kind of film.
It certainly delivers on the travel log as it takes you to big and exciting different places, but it’s very uncomfortable in ways people will really understand because it has to do with love, possession, lust, jealousy, big primal emotions that really get in people’s way.”
The film remains on track for an October 9th release, but the studio could shift that date.
