If you know me in reality, you know that I absolutely loathe mystery books...except when they’re written by Agatha Christie. I read Murder on the Orient Express so I could watch the movie (read that review here), and absolutely adored it. So, when I found out Kenneth Branagh was directing and starring in a second Christie adaptation, I naturally grabbed a copy of the book and started reading. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m impatiently waiting for October 9th, 2020, when the movie is slated to come out (and preparing for its inevitable delay due to COVID-19).
Death on the Nile follows the famed detective Hercule Poirot as he tries to take a relaxing vacation in Egypt (just as he was doing in Murder on the Orient Express! Maybe he should stop trying to relax and people would stop dying) and ends up solving the murder of Linnet Ridgeway, a young, recently married American socialite. It’s a wild ride, and I cannot wait to see how Michael Green does the screenplay. He did a fantastic job with Murder on the Orient Express, and I expect him to do the same here. I hope, at least.
A few members of the cast have been announced. As mentioned earlier, in addition to directing, Kenneth Branagh is appearing as Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective tasked with solving Linnet Ridgeway’s murder. Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) is appearing as Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle, the murder victim. Her new husband, Simon, is portrayed by Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name). Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Sophie Okonedo (Christopher Robin) appear as mother and daughter duo Rosalie and Salome Otterbourne. Annette Benning (American Beauty) appears as Euphemia, which I’m assuming is Branagh’s version of Mrs. Allerton, who never actually gets a first name in the original book, now that I think about it. Alternatively, she could be Mrs. Van Schuyler, an elderly relative of Cornelia Robson. I’m not 100% sure. Ali Fazal (Furious 7) will portray Andrew Katchadouriaan, and I’m going to be completely honest here--I have no clue who this is. This character didn’t exist in the book. Maybe it’s Tim Allerton? I don’t have the slightest idea. Emma Mackey (Sex Education) is playing Jacqueline de Bellefort, a friend of Linnet’s. Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) appears as Louise, Linnet’s maid. Tom Bateman (Murder on the Orient Express) is reprising his role of Bouc, which I find interesting given that the character doesn’t actually appear in the book. I’m guessing he replaces Race, but I’m not one hundred percent certain there. Don’t quote me on that. Russell Brand, Jennifer Saunders, and Dawn French are also slated to appear, but their roles have not yet been released, and there are still a few characters (Pennington, Cornelia, Miss Bowers, Fanthorp, Richetti, and Bessner, I think are all of them) who haven’t been cast, so I’m assuming they’re filling those roles. Still, Branagh does love to change names (thank you, Pilar Estravados), so I’m assuming at least one of those is just a name change.
Given that I really enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express, I think I’m really going to enjoy Death on the Nile. Once again, the cast is a group of absolutely fantastic actors, and as long as the directing style doesn’t change too much, I think I’ll have a good time. I know the story’s going to change a little, but I’m okay with that.
Catch Death on the Nile in a theater near you on October 9th, 2020--assuming coronavirus doesn’t mess that up.