He may not be at Sherlock Holmes' level of fame, but Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot still ranks high among the collection of fictional detectives. The mustachioed investigator is best known from the 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express, which was made into a movie in 1974 and will be tackled thematically again later this year. This time around it's Kenneth Branagh tackling Christie's beloved tale, and along with directing it, he's also starring as Poirot. There are plenty of other Poirot tales ripe for adaptation, and if given the opportunity, Branagh is game to play the investigator again in another movie. Branagh stated:
I would be thrilled, I must say. I have enjoyed it enormously, to delve into the nature of the character, to read more of the books, to understand, to admire with greater intensity what Agatha Christie's talents were. That's been really a great, great creative treat. So, I'd be absolutely delighted to do more, yeah.
Those who've read or seen Murder on the Orient Express know that it doesn't set up a traditional sequel, but given that Agatha Christie wrote 33 novels (and over 50 short stories) over her lifetime featuring the detective, it would be easy enough for Kenneth Branagh to play him in another story. However, Branagh also made it clear to EW that him reprising Poirot is contingent on the new Murder on the Orient Express movie being a box office success. Its competition on opening weekend will include Daddy's Home 2, The Star and Paddington 2, as well as folks coming in to see Thor: Ragnarok and A Bad Moms Christmas a week late. So if you want to see Branagh back wearing that ridiculous mustache and solving crimes, make sure you reflect that with your money.
While Albert Finney is the only other actor besides Kenneth Branagh to play Hercule Poirot in a Murder on the Orient Express theatrical movie, plenty of other actors have played the character over the decades, Tony Randall, Peter Ustinov and Alfred Molina. The actor who has the most experience with the character is David Suchet, who played him in the TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot from 1989 to 2013, which included a Murder on the Orient Express adaptation. Branagh, however, will have the benefit of playing Poirot in a major Hollywood production, thus introducing the character to a lot of moviegoers who'd never heard of him before.
Like the original novel and 1974 movie, the new Murder on the Orient Express will remain set in the 1930s and follow Hercule Poirot solving a mystery aboard the namesake train, requiring him to interview an assortment of colorful characters. Along with Kenneth Branagh, the main cast includes Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Olivia Colman and Lucy Boynton.
Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express arrives in theaters on November 10.
