Branagh is back — the seminal actor-director returns with A Haunting In Venice, the third 20th Century Studios outing as legendary detective Hercule Poirot — joined by an all-new, super-talented ensemble cast to play the next suspects.
This time, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jude Hill, and Kelly Reilly have all been picked up for the upcoming film — joined by Emma Laird, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Ali Khan, and Riccardo Scamarico.
Poirot’s Next Adventure
We last saw Kenneth Branagh take the reins of his iconic franchise with 2022’s Death on the Nile, which amassed mixed reviews on its release, but the acting performances were lauded nonetheless. Branagh himself is a passionate admirer of Agatha Christie’s works — making his choice of adaptation all the more important.
This time, he’s chosen to rework Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party — the 32nd novel featuring Poirot. In the book, we see a deep mystery unfold as a teenage girl who claims to have witnessed a murder as a young child, is found dead while celebrating the iconic spooky holiday. Summoned by a
friend who attended the party, Poirot shows up — discovering an ever-deepening web of betrayal.
The film, it seems, will take a few liberties with the source material. For starters, Venice is a more glamorous location than the novel’s fictional English town, and it seems that the story will play a lot
more with supernatural themes in its narrative.
The studio described the adaptation, written by Michael Green, as an “unsettling supernatural-
thriller” and shared its logline: “Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most
glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the
guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.”
Amusingly, Branagh and the team have decided to start production on 31 st October — perhaps a nod
to the original novel.
Here’s What The Audiences Had To Say:
While the entire cast is a huge knockout, it’s very exciting to see matchups we’ve never come across before. Everything Everywhere’s Michelle Yeoh in particular seems to be a delightful casting, and I can’t wait to see what Branagh has in store for all of us. Tiny Fey is also on a high off Only Murders in the Building, while Dornan, Hill, and Branagh will all reunite after working on the latter’s Oscar-
winning drama, Belfast.
“This is a fantastic development of the character Hercule Poirot, as well as the Agatha Christie franchise,” said Branagh in a statement.
“Based on a complex, little-known tale of mystery set at Halloween in a pictorially ravishing city, it is an amazing opportunity for us, as filmmakers, and we are relishing the chance to deliver something truly spine-chilling for our loyal movie audiences.”
Lead Image: 20th Century Studios
