Lifted from the pages of Agatha Christie’s timeless masterclass, 20th Century Fox and writer-director Kenneth Branagh recently brought us a new and modern take on the iconic thriller that is Murder on the Orient Express, which saw Branagh assume the lead role of Hercule Poirot.
While aboard the titular, serpentine vessel, the brilliant detective found himself in the thick of a widespread conspiracy after learning that businessman Samuel Edward Ratchett (Johnny Depp) had been murdered in one of the cabins. From there, we were thrust into a whodunnit of epic proportions, but unfortunately, the film’s enviable cast couldn’t quite save it.
Most critics walked away unsatisfied, with our own Matt Donato calling it “an antique mystery that chugs along at 5-miles an hour without any turns that might jolt viewers in the slightest.” Ouch! Still, that didn’t deter Fox and not too long ago, the studio announced sequel plans.
This time, they’ll be adapting Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel, Death on the Nile, which finds the brilliant investigator “tasked with another murder mystery while on vacation in Egypt.” Kenneth Branagh will return to both direct and reprise the lead role, while screenwriter Michael Green, who wrote the first outing, will be back on scripting duties.
But that’s not all, as casting’s now heating up and Deadline brings word that none other than Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, has climbed on board in the role of Linnet Ridgeway Doyle, “a rich heiress and socialite who does not believe in girl code since she marries Simon, her best friend’s fiancé.” Details beyond that haven’t been revealed, but snagging such a high profile actress is surely a good sign.
Clearly, Fox is hoping for another A-list cast to lead the Murder on the Orient Express sequel and might even have plans to spawn a whole Agatha Christie cinematic universe. At least, Branagh is certainly hoping for one. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if this next film performs as well financially as its predecessor did before learning what else the future holds for the author’s classic stories.