The film boasts stars from Black Panther, American Beauty and Game of Thrones
Kenneth Branagh(Image: Handout)
A ‘lavish’ Kenneth Branagh murder mystery film has been added to Netflix as fans issued a major demand.
The 65-year-old will next be seen joining forces with Ryan Reynolds in Apple TV’s comedy film Mayday. He will play the role of a Russian man who becomes obsessed with Reynold’s army pilot who crash lands near his home.
While it’s quite the role for a fan from Belfast to be taking on, Branagh’s career has been full of risks. After all, he is a man with an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award.
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Most people know Branagh, who was knighted in 2012, for appearing in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare’s plays. He’s shined in big screen takes on Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Hamlet, and As You Like It.
What makes the actor such a delight is that he always knows the right people to work with. From directing the first MCU Thor film to appearing in three Christopher Nolan flicks, he has his finger on the film industry’s pulse.
One of Branagh’s biggest achievements is surely working hard to make Hercule Poirot a man who modern audiences can relate to. Created by Agatha Christie, Poirot was played by four actors in movies prior to Branagh taking him on.
Released and directed by Branagh in 2017, Murder on the Orient Express was a staggering success. It grossed a whopping $353 million at a time where adult dramas were struggling at the box office.
(Image: Handout)
With the series wrapping up with A Haunting in Venice in 2023, it’s the second of Branagh’s Poirot movies that might just be the best. After all, it is based on one of Christie’s most popular novels!
Released in 2022, Death on the Nile is based on the 1937 novel of the same name and the second big screen adaptation of Christie’s novel, following the 1978 film. It sees Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.
The stacked cast boasts Da Vinci’s Demons’ Tom Bateman, American Beauty’s Annette Bening, Furious 7’s Ali Fazal, The Vicar of Dibley’s Dawn French, Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot, Call Me By You Name’s Armie Hammer, Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie, Sex Education’s Emma Mackey, Hotel Rwanda’s Sophie Okonedo, Absolutely Fabolous’Jennifer Saunders and Black Panther’s Letitia Wright.
Sadly, the film kept being delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that many weren’t aware of its release, grossing over $200 million less than Branagh’s first Poirot flick.
It’s time to right a wrong, with Netflix adding it on Wednesday (July 15). Those who have seen the film have taken to Letterboxd to explain why Death on the Nile is worth watching and why they’d love to get more adventures with Brannagh’s Poirot.
@AuroryBorealis Man said: “What an improvement. I felt the mystery and the cast was more grounded and although you can infer the answer since the very beginning, I still found myself enjoying how the threads leading to the real culprit began unfold.”
@AmazingHonora wrote: “I really don’t get why these movies didn’t do well. I think it’s a great trilogy and I wish we got more. The franchise feels like the serious version of knives out. I actually wish we somehow got a crossover with both detectives working a case together.”
@mathea commented: “I honestly don’t understand how people don’t like this movie. I love it.” @eleanor posted: “Kenneth Branagh is the real star, I could never imagine the role of Hercule Poirot in the hands of any other actor that is not him. He really brings light to the character, 25 minutes in and he already saved the FMC from a snake, goat.”
