Belgian detective Hercule Poirot will be returning to the screen. Happy with the success that the recently released Murder On The Orient Express has been met with, Fox is starting up development on a followup adapting another of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit murder mysteries featuring the epicurean inspector Poirot, Death On The Nile.
The Hollywood Reporter states that although director and star Kenneth Branagh is not signed for a sequel, the five-time Oscar nominee is expected to return. Screenwriter Michael Green, who adapted Murder, is already set to work on the sequel. The film ended on a note that saw Branagh’s Poirot being summoned to Egypt in a nod to the Christie book, another of the more famous titles in the Poirot canon.
After only ten days in release Murder On The Orient Express has earned just shy of $150 million at the worldwide box office. Since it was produced for a very economical $55 million – every cent of which must be on screen – the film is close to being in the black already, with further ticket receipts being profit for the studio.
In an era where most studios are building their business plans on the success of expensive blockbusters and all the risk that those large, concentrated investments carry, it is nice to see smaller mid-range films still being made and finding success. Fox has done this before with Deadpool, also made for around $58 million and which went on to gross $783 million worldwide. While Murder On The Orient Express isn’t on track to make that kind of a profit, it will still give Fox a healthy return. And with another 30 some novels and 50 short stories still available to adapt, it looks like a Poirot franchise could be a nice moneymaker for the studio for some time to come.
Maybe Kenneth Branagh should actually try making some of the poirot novels that have not been made into feature films , instead of remaking the ones that were
To launch a franchise like this you start with the marquee value names. Should a studio go chronologically and start with the virtually unknown “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”?
Technically yes
On this Thanksgiving I am thankful that you don’t run a studio. :P
The other is just as “virtually unknown.” After “Orient” and they consider it successful enough for a sequel, it’s the continuing brand that matters.
At the same time don’t think it matters that they go in order.
“Death On The Nile” is unknown?
Technically it does not matter the order they’re done in. Except for the fact that you get a little bit more of Poriot’s history in a few of the earlier stories. Death on the Nile is far from unknown it’s easily one of her top 10 most famous novels possibly even in the top five. But I believe it’s the character that sells not necessarily the name of the novel. After all when they did the Miss Marple films in the late 60s they changed two Hercule Poirot stories to Jane Marple stories and changed the titles. Not to say… Read more »
I think you overestimate the average public’s awareness of Poirot.
As for getting Poirot’s background, I think Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green did a good job of that. I dare say better than the 1974 version’s screenplay did.
His background isn’t a part of murder on the Orient Express it happens in some earlier books and some of the novels which include inspector Hastings.
I think the people who will see if I’m like murder on the Orient Express are extremely familiar with Hercule Poirot. These films aren’t designed to be for the average film goer who goes to see Adam Sandler or Bruce Willis movies
In this case it will be the cast and the fact that it’s a sequel to what they deem a successful start. What about a AHS anthology style where all the same actors reappear?
Actually getting an All-Star cast was always a main attraction of the Agatha Christie movies in the 70s and early 80s that may be what Branagh is thinking of doing.