Will there be a third movie for Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot?
The studio boss behind the recent Poirot movies has revealed his future plans for the franchise.
Kenneth Branagh made his debut as Hercule Poirot in 2017’s hit adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
The 61-year-old British filmmaker returned to the role last month in Death on the Nile, which he also directed.
The long-awaited sequel has received mostly positive reviews.
However, Branagh’s second Poirot movie hasn’t performed quite as well at the box office as the first film.
Murder on the Orient Express raked in $352.8 million worldwide, and cost significantly less to make at $55 million.
With a reported budget of $90 million, Death on the Nile has so far grossed only $33 in the US and $102 million worldwide, but this is still a very reasonably figure in the pandemic era.
Death on the Nile hasn’t yet completed its run in cinemas, and it looks like the numbers are positive enough for the studio to be talking about a follow-up already.
20th Century Pictures president Steve Asbell has revealed that screenwriter Michael Green has completed the script for another sequel.
Green previously wrote the scripts for both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.
Asbell told THR in a new interview: “We have the Poirot franchise, we have other Christie stories. I love these films, I love Ken [Branagh].”
He revealed: “We have a third script written, by Michael Green, that is a pretty daring shift in genre and in tone. It’s post-war Venice and an adaptation of one of the lesser-known novels.”
We’re intrigued to find out which Agatha Christie story they’ve chosen to adapt next!
Steve Abell concluded optimistically: “I think you’ll see the mustache again.”
He also confirmed that Kenneth Branagh would return to direct and star as Poirot.
Kenneth Branagh’s acclaimed new movie Belfast has an incredible seven nominations for this year’s Academy Awards.
Set in late 1960s Northern Ireland, the film stars Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey), and Dame Judi Dench (Skyfall).
Belfast is up for Best Picture, Best Director, Actor in a Supporting Role, Actress in a Supporting Role, and more at the Oscars ceremony later this month.
Murder on the Orient Express is available on DVD on Amazon.