Yahoo Movies Who is starring in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club movie?
The former Pointless host-turned-author is bringing his debut novel to screens
Richard Osman’s hugely popular novel series The Thursday Murder Club will soon be making the leap to the big screen with the help of some Hollywood heavyweights.
Seemingly not content with conquering TV via hosting stints on shows like Pointless and House of Games, Osman turned his attention to writing a few years back, releasing his debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, in the autumn of 2020.
To say it was a hit is a bit of an understatement. Selling thousands in its first few days of release, Osman’s debut quickly shot to the number one slot on the Sunday Times bestseller list. By the time the dust had settled, The Thursday Murder Club had become the fastest-selling debut novel of all time.
Sequels were quickly announced and released and before long, chatter about a big-screen adaptation started up too — but what’s happening with The Thursday Murder Club movie?
Read on for all the key details we have so far.
Who is starring in The Thursday Murder Club?
Helen Mirren, Sir Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan will star as the OAP sleuths in The Thursday Murder Club. Harry Potter and Mrs Doubtfire filmmaker Chris Columbus is set to direct and pen the script.
Speaking on his podcast The Rest is Entertainment in April 2023, Osman said: “I’m now allowed to officially announce three of the four members of the cast, Elizabeth is going to be played by the person people most often shout at me on the street saying they want to play Elizabeth. So Elizabeth is going to be played by Helen Mirren.
“Ibrahim is Sir Ben Kingsley, and then for Ron — and for those who haven’t read the book, Ron in the book is sort of this left wing bruiser, ex-trade union official — Ron is going to be played by I’m going to say the most handsome man in the world so he’s going to have to dull himself down a bit. Ron is going to be played by Pierce Brosnan.”
Osman confirmed that the actor potentially taking on the role of Joyce was “still in negotiations”. But he teased: “Again the name is who people most shout at me on the street.”
When will the The Thursday Murder Club be released?
The release date for The Thursday Murder Club movie is not currently known but we do know that it is being released by Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin in partnership with Netflix’s film arm.
This suggests that the movie could eventually find its way onto the streaming giant, although this has yet to be officially confirmed.
Cameras were set to begin rolling in 2023, but filming was delayed until June 2024 due to the various Hollywood acting and writing strikes. Filming is due to wrap in September 2024.
“It was supposed to be filming now, and of course, it's not because of the strikes,” Osman told radio host Chris Evans in September 2023.
In a separate chat on Loose Women, Osman said: “[Spielberg] is producing it, we're putting the cast together at the minute. I spend my life having people shouting out the names of people they'd like in it at me.”
What is the plot of the Thursday Murder Club?
Set in the fictional town of Fairhaven in Kent, The Thursday Murder Club tells a detective story set in a sleepy yet luxurious retirement community.
It follows four pensioners — Joyce Meadowcroft, Ron Ritchie, Elizabeth Best and Ibrahim Arif — who band together to crack a murder case when a property developer is killed under mysterious circumstances.
The novel has so far spawned a number of sequels, including 2021’s follow-up The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed in 2022 and The Last Devil To Die which was released in September 2023.
After this latest release, Osman has said he’ll be taking some time away from the series to start some new books but has assured fans that the adventures of Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce and Ibrahim will continue after he’s given them a bit of a breather.
Who is directing The Thursday Murder Club?
The Thursday Murder Club will be directed by Chris Columbus, the director who has given us numerous iconic hits such as Home Alone, Mrs Doubtire and the first two Harry Potter movies.
After receiving a BBC Radio 4 adaptation, news of a movie version of Osman’s story started bubbling away shortly after the first book in the series was released. Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg later won a bidding war for the film’s global rights via his production company Amblin.
Back in March 2020, Mamma Mia! 2 director Ol Parker was confirmed to helm the project but its subsequent delays led to a behind-the-scenes shuffle.
In November 2023, Osman confirmed that the project now had an “American director, but an American director who has worked a lot in England”. Speculation continued until April 2024, when we finally got the news that Columbus would be bringing the book to screens.
Is there a trailer for The Thursday Murder Club movie?
Unfortunately, there’s no trailer for The Thursday Murder Club just yet but as soon as production starts, we’re sure we’ll start to see something soon.
The Thursday Murder Club movie is coming soon.
