Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment is enlisting some serious star power for its film adaptation of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.
Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and Pierce Brosnan will star in the movie, Deadline reports. This is the first casting news for the film, which will be based on Osman’s bestselling cozy mystery.
Osman’s novel, published in 2020 by Pamela Dorman/Viking, follows four retired people in Kent, England, who band together to solve the mystery of the murder of a real estate developer. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the book, “A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.”
The novel became a huge bestseller for Osman, the British television host known for his work on series including Pointless, House of Games, and Two Tribes. It has spawned three sequels—The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil To Die—with another scheduled for next year.
Mirren, Kingsley, and Brosnan will play three of the four pensioners in the film; the fourth character, Joyce, is yet to be cast. The film will be directed by Chris Columbus, known for helming Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and the first two Harry Potter films. Columbus replaces Ol Parker, who was originally announced as the director in 2020.
Osman shared the casting news on Instagram, writing, “Been dying to tell you this news for SO long! Joyce reveal coming soon too, and it’s another belter!”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
