The Thursday Murder Club, one of the many upcoming book-to-screen adaptations on the way, will bring one of the most charming, engaging, and hilarious mystery novels of the past decade to Netflix. But before the star-studded murder mystery about a group of retirees who find themselves at the center of a life-or-death situation debuts for anyone with a Netflix subscription, there are a few things we’ll need to discuss about the highly-anticipated project.
That being said, we have gone through all the evidence and come up with a list of everything we 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 movie 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 had just recently gotten underway (more on that later) at the time of this writing, in July 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 theatrical release just before the streaming debut. Expect to hear more about both of these issues in the coming weeks and months.
The Thursday Murder Club Cast
The Thursday Murder Club cast will consist of some legendary and talented actors who will surely bring the movie to life when it eventually premieres. As Netflix has announced, the upcoming mystery will feature the talents of Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as its core group, but that’s just part of the cast. Here’s who appearing and 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 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 well 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
Ben Kingsley will 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.
Celia Imrie as Joyce
Rounding out the core group of The Thursday Murder Club is Celia Imrie, who’ll be taking on the role of Joyce, a former nurse and dedicated amateur sleuth. The star of such films as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Nanny McPhee, and the Bridget Jones movies, Imrie brings an impressive amount of experience to the cast.
But these are just the main quartet of the upcoming crime flick, as Netflix has also announced that the following actors have also joined the Thursday Murder Club cast:
- David Tennant
- Jonathan Pryce
- Naomi Ackie
- Daniel Mays
- Richard E. Grant
- Tom Ellis
- Geoff Bell
- Paul Freeman
- Sarah Niles
- Ingrid Oliver
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes
What Is The Thursday Murder Club About?
When The Thursday Murder Club lands on Netflix, it will tell the story of a group of friends living in a retirement home who pass the time by discussing and trying to solve cold-case 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 recent 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 from a retirement home who are put to the task of solving a brutal murder.
The novel would go on to spawn a series of successful page-turner sequels 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.
Osman is also preparing to release We Solve Murders, the first novel in a new series of murder mysteries, which is slated to be published by Penguin Random House in September 2024. And who knows, maybe we’ll be talking about a film or TV adaptation of that series soon enough.
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.
The Thursday Murder Club Entered Production In June 2024
We may not know when The Thursday Murder Club will land on Netflix, but we do know that cameras are rolling on the highly-anticipated project. On June 27, 2024, Richard Osman took to Twitter to announce that it was the first day of filming before wishing everyone involved good luck. The author also said he’d have pictures at some point in the future, but didn’t wait all that long, as he shared Helen Hirren’s on-set chair in another tweet just a few days later.
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.
