Kenneth Branagh has donned the 'tache and started the cameras cranking for his second stab at adapting an Agatha Christie murder mystery with Death On The Nile. And we now know the full extent of the cast, as Rose Leslie, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are among the newer additions.
Adapted once again by Michael Green, Nile will find Branagh's master detective and food snob Hercule Poirot aboard a luxury Egyptian river steamer. But as ever, his attempts to enjoy the pleasant cruise are interrupted by death, obsessive love and a mystery to be solved. The cast for the film also includes Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Ali Fazal, Sophie Okonedo, Tom Bateman (back as Bouc), Emma Mackey and Russell Brand.
"Crimes of passion are dangerously sexy," Branagh says in a statement. "Agatha Christie has written a riveting story of emotional chaos and violent criminality and Michael Green has once again written a screenplay to match. With a cherished group of long-time artistic collaborators and a brilliant international cast, it is truly a pleasure to join Disney, Fox and Agatha Christie, Ltd. in bringing this daring thriller to the big screen. There are significant new twists, an awe-inspiring desert landscape and a chance to celebrate big screen entertainment in glorious 65 millimetre celluloid!"
He'll be shooting at Longcross Studios in Surrey and on location in Egypt. Death On The Nile is slated for release on 9 October next year. Is it too much to hope that French and Saunders use some of their set downtime to film a parody of the movie for a new Christmas special? We can but hope...