The Thursday Murder Club movie: Who is in it? When is it out? Everything we know so far

Virgin Radio

22 May 2024, 08:26

Richard Osman’s much-loved debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, is being adapted for the silver screen with an all-star cast.

The first book in the series came out in 2020, and has sold by the bucketload, so it is little surprise that it is being turned into a movie. 

Keep reading for everything we know about it so far. 

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Who is in The Thursday Murder Club movie?

The four lead actors in The Thursday Murder Club were revealed by Richard Osman in April and May 2024. And there are some icons of UK cinema in the cast.

The House of Games host announced that Elizabeth Bes would be played by the one and only Helen Mirren. Meanwhile, Ron Ritchie will be portrayed by Pierce Brosnan and Ibrahim Arif is played by Sir Ben Kingsley.

He later unveiled Bridget Jones star Celia Imrie as the fourth member of the gang, Joyce Meadowcroft.

In June 2024 it was revealed David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays and Henry Lloyd-Hughes would all also have parts in the project.

Then, in early July, Osman shared a "final" casting surprise with followers on his X (formerly Twitter) account, revealing through Deadline that Richard E. Grant, Tom Ellis, Sarah Niles, Geoff Bell, Paul Freeman and his wife Ingrid Oliver would all also be involved.

Who is directing The Thursday Murder Club movie?

The movie adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club will be directed by Chris Columbus, who has previously helmed the likes of Mrs Doubtfire, Bicentennial Man, Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter films.

When is The Thursday Murder Club movie out?

At this stage, there is no official release date for the film. It is being released by Netflix, and is expected to have a cinematic run as well. 

What we do know is that filming is expected to begin soon. The creator said on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast that filming will kick-off from the “end of June through to September" in England.

What will The Thursday Murder Club movie be about?

The official logline for the movie says: “The story follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun, but find themselves caught in a real case.”

As yet, there are no specific plot details or any idea of how close the film’s plot will be to that of the book. The novel saw the group of pensioners set about solving the mystery of the murder of a property developer in the luxurious Cooper's Chase retirement village near the fictitious village of Fairhaven in Kent.

Is there a trailer for The Thursday Murder Club movie?

Given that filming is only taking place as we speak, there is no trailer at this point! Osman is sharing insights into the film's sets on his social media, however.

What is Richard Osman saying about The Thursday Murder Club movie?

Richard has talked about the casting of the film on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast with Marina Hyde. Regarding the “very exciting” inclusion of Helen Mirren, he said: “Elizabeth is going to be played by the person who people most often shout at me in the street.” 

As well as unveiling that “Ibrahim is Sir Ben Kingsley," the former Pointless star said: “Ron is going to be played by… I'm going to say the most handsome man in the world, so he's going to have to dull himself down a bit... Pierce Brosnan.”

Regarding Celia Imrie joining the cast as Joyce, the author said: “She's so mischievous.”