Poirot Sequel to Murder On the Orient Express in the Works

Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express was the type of stuff that holiday movie release dreams are made of. The Agatha Christie adaptation was an exciting adventure in a beautiful, sweeping, snowy landscape filled with compelling performances. The stylized camera work was fresh and interesting as it moved through the train cars without being a distraction. After only two weekends in theaters, Twentieth Century Fox has ordered the sequel Death on the Nile.

Both stories feature Christie’s most famous serial detective, Hercule Poirot. The obsessively observant detective is famous in the books for being the most successful sleuth in the world. Branagh pulled double duty in Orient Express as director and performer. Although no casting information has yet been announced, it would be difficult to believe the contemporary adaptation would change the lead.

Poirot has been portrayed by multiple actors in the years since Christie’s books were published in the 1930s. Death on the Nile was made into a 1978 film with an all-star cast including Peter Ustinov as Poirot, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, and Jane Birkin. Christie’s works tend to attract A-listers with Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Penélope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe and Dame Judi Dench appearing in this year’s Orient Express.

Death on the Nile obviously follows the world traveling detective to Egypt where a new murder mystery unfolds. A love triangle leaves a socialite dead in Cairo and Poirot must discover her killer. Christie’s works have endured for decades as the defining voice of the Whodunit genre.

The only creative talent attached to the project so far is Orient Express screenwriter, Michael Green. Hopefully Kenneth Branagh and his spectacular mustache will be back for Death on the Nile.  

Featured Image:  Kenneth Branagh stars in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”Photo Credit: Nicola Dove