There is a seemingly never-ending flow of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations these days, and Netflix, one of the biggest contributors to this trend, is cooking up a great mystery with The Thursday Murder Club. Before long, anyone with a Netflix subscription could possibly have another reason to consider the platform one of the best streaming services money can buy when this star-studded murder mystery about a group of retirees who find themselves at the center of a life-or-death situation debuts.
Before we get all carried away, there are some things you’ll probably want to know about the upcoming Netflix movie, including its cast, details concerning its story, and the creative team pulling it all together. Here’s what we know about The Thursday Murder Club so far…
What Is The Thursday Murder Club Release Date?
As much as we would love to share the Thursday Murder Club release date and reveal its spot on the 2024 movie schedule, Netflix has yet to announce when the movie will land on the popular platform or if it will happen before the end of the year. Considering production hadn’t yet gotten underway at the time of this writing, in May 2024, it will probably be some time before we hear anything about the release date.
On top of that, Netflix hasn’t yet announced if The Thursday Murder Club will be exclusive to the platform or if it will receive some kind of limited release just before the streaming debut. Expect to hear more about both of these issues in the coming weeks and months.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, And Ben Kingsley Lead The Thursday Murder Club Cast
The Thursday Murder Club cast, which was to include Meryl Streep and Viola Davis at one point, per The Guardian, will consist of three talented actors who will surely bring the movie to life when it eventually premieres. As Netflix announced in April 2024, the upcoming mystery will feature the talents of Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley. Here’s who they’ll be playing:
Helen Mirren as Elizabeth
Helen Mirren, an actress who just keeps on thriving, will take on the role of Elizabeth, the founder of the Thursday Murder Club and a former spy with a knack for solving mysteries. Mirren, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, has scores of iconic film roles to her name.
Pierce Brosnan as Ron
Pierce Brosnan, who’s mostly recognized for his take on James Bond throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, will play Ron, a headstrong retired union activist and core member of the club.
Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim
Rounding out the main portion of the Thursday Murder Club cast is Ben Kingsley, who’ll be playing Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist and member of the titular group. With an Oscar for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and decorated roles in Bugsy, Shutter Island, and Iron Man 3, Kingsley’s done it all.
The Thursday Murder Club Follows A Group Of Retirees And Amateur Sleuths Who Get Caught In A Real Case
When The Thursday Murder Club premieres at some point down the road, it will tell the story of a group of friends living in a retirement home who pass the time by solving murders for fun. However, as announced by Netflix, the group of would-be detectives will find themselves in a rather delicate situation when they become caught up in a real-life murder case that will require their particular set of skills and ingenuity to solve.
Essentially, the short synopsis makes The Thursday Murder Club sound like a perfect option for fans of classic mystery films as well as awesome whodunnit TV shows like Only Murders in the Building.
The Thursday Murder Club Is Based On Richard Osman’s 2020 Novel Of The Same Name
If The Thursday Murder Club sounds familiar, it could have something to do with the fact that the upcoming movie is based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel of the same name, which was also the Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games author’s debut novel. Osman’s book follows a group of four unlikely friends (we still don’t know who’ll play the fourth member) from a retirement home who are put to the task of solving a brutal murder, per Penguin Random House
The novel would go on to spawn a series of successful page-turners from Osman like The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil to Die. In February 2024, The Guardian reported that Osman was planning to publish the fifth, and yet-to-be-titled, book in the series at some point in 2025 but no additional details were provided.
Chris Columbus Is Set To Direct The Thursday Murder Club
When Netflix announced in April 2024 that it was making The Thursday Murder Club into a reality, it was also announced that Chris Columbus was writing and directing the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation.
Best known for directing some of the best ‘90s movies like Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire, and helping get the Harry Potter film franchise off the ground with The Sorcerer’s Stone, Columbus has done a little bit of everything over the years. Before making his directorial debut with 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting, Columbus wrote Gremlins, The Goonies, and several others.
Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment Has Been Developing The Thursday Murder Club Since 2020
As has been the case countless times over the years, a film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club was in the works well before the novel landed on bookshelves. In March 2020, Variety reported that Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment secured the worldwide rights to the film more than six months before Richard Osman’s debut novel was published.
At the time, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel director Oli Parker was attached to helm the project, but considering Chris Columbus is now at the reins, those plans ultimately fizzled out.
The Thursday Murder Club Was Previously Adapted Into A BBC Radio Drama In 2021
The upcoming Netflix movie isn’t the first time The Thursday Murder Club has been adapted, as the BBC produced a radio drama based on Richard Osman’s novel a few months after it was first published. Over a couple of weeks in early 2021, BBC 4 Radio broadcast a 10-episode abridged version of Osman’s debut book read by Haydn Gwynne.
Expect to hear much more about The Thursday Murder Club in the coming weeks and months. But while we wait, it’s never a bad time to check out some of the best movies on Netflix.