Netflix has picked up the film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club, the debut novel from Richard Osman.
The House of Games and former Pointless host announced in 2020 that legendary director Steven Spielberg had acquired the rights for his novel, which followed a quartet of pensioners as they investigate the death of a property developer.
Following several updates including filming schedules and casting details, Deadline has now reported that Netflix will release the film, which is being directed by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter).
Related: Pointless' Richard Osman shares sweet throwback of the first time he met his wife
Osman, who had previously stated that filming would begin in August, announced casting details for the project earlier this week, confirming that Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan will play the roles of Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron respectively.
There will still be news to come, however, with producers yet to find a candidate for the role of Joyce. With filming set to begin in the next few months, it shouldn’t be too long before the final lead star is unveiled.
Whilst fans still have a while to wait for the film to hit screens, Osman also announced that the rights for his upcoming novel – We Solve Murders – had also been acquired by Netflix, promising that fans of his debut would enjoy his news series.
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“We Solve Murders is the name of the book. It's out in September, it's a brand new series,” he said. “Netflix have bought the rights to [it] which is great, so it could be a busy few years – unless everyone reads [it] and says, 'This is not for us'.
“In which case they'll go quiet. But I think anyone who likes Thursday Murder Club will like it. A lot of it is the same. It's British humour, there's a few tears, it's solving murders,” he added, explaining that the plot will follow a father-daughter detective duo.
There is no release date for The Thursday Murder Club.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
