Fans of Richard Osman’s book The Thursday Murder Club will be overexcited to hear an adaptation of the best-selling novel is coming, and it sounds so brilliant.
The book, which was first published in 2020, follows four unlikely friends who live in a retirement home in a peaceful English village, who meet up every week to investigate unsolved murders.
Only, things take a turn when a brutal killing takes place right under their noses, and they find themselves pulled into solving the case in real life. Oh we love a murder mystery! So, what do we know about the murder adaptation?
Who’s in The Thursday Murder Club cast?
The four lead characters in Richard Osman’s book are Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, who are all pushing 80. During an episode of his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, released in April 2024, the author revealed the leads had been cast for the adaptation:
- Helen Mirren will play Elizabeth Beth
- Sir Ben Kingsley will play Ibraheem Arif
- Pierce Brosnan will play Ron Ritchie
- Celia Imrie will play Joyce Meadowcroft
Later, in June 2024, Richard then announced a whole host of recognisable faces would also be joining the roster, and wow this cast is impressive:
- Jonathan Pryce will play Elizabeth’s husband Stephen
- Naomi Ackie will play police officer Donna de Freitas
- David Tennant will play a currently undisclosed role
- Danny Mays will play a currently undisclosed role
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes will play a currently undisclosed role
“I think this is the greatest British cast assembled since the [Harry Potter] movies,” Richard Osman said of the actors taking on his characters. “There’s some great names and some more names coming as well.”
When was The Thursday Murder Club adaptation announced?
Way back in September 2020, the same time the book came out, Steven Spielberg acquired the adaptation rights, with his production company Amblin Entertainment officially at the helm.
It took over three years for any more details about the production to come out, with Netflix then revealing they were attached to the project in April 2024. “I’m so proud of this book, so it is a dream to see The Thursday Murder Club in such incredible hands,” Osman said at the time. “From Chris Columbus to Amblin to Netflix, there are geniuses everywhere I look. And what a cast. I’m pinching myself.”
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
What is The Thursday Murder Club’s expected release date?
It’s unclear when the film will be released, but in April 2024, Osman confirmed filming would take place “this summer from end of June to September, all in England,” He also revealed Chris Columbus, who directed Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies, as well as Mrs. Doubtfire, will write and direct.
Does that mean a 2025 release date? We assume so.
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Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
