A HAUNTING IN VENICE Producer on Franchise Entering Supernatural Territory: "We Can't Do the Same Thing Over and Over"
We are about to see a third film featuring Kenneth Branagh’s celebrated sleuth, Detective Hercule Poirot. Based on the classic murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie, Michael Green has adapted each of the screenplays for Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022), and next month’s A Haunting in Venice, and Branagh has directed each film in double duty while starring. Each film is a star-studded good time with a twisty turny story, amazing costumes and a whodunnit mystery afoot.
But while the first two movies were more straight forward murder mysteries set on a train and a boat, respectively, this next movie is a supernatural spine-tingler, and the film’s executive producer, James Prichard, explained to Total Film magazine why they went in this new direction, saying:
"If we are going to continue to make these films, we can't do the same thing over and over. A departure at this moment is possibly risky, but it also has the potential to keep it alive, bring in a different audience, and do something interesting that will hopefully surprise and delight."
In the upcoming film, Branagh is joined by Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Kyle Allen (Rosaline), Camille Cottin (Call My Agent), Jamie Dornan (Belfast), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Jude Hill (Belfast), Ali Khan (6 Underground), Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown), Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone), and Riccardo Scamarico (Caravaggio’s Shadow).
The film is set post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve. A Haunting in Venice is “a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.”
As for whether we will see another Hercule Poirot movie in the future, Prichard said:
"If Ken wants to do more, and Michael wants to write more, we'll certainly do another. There's a lot of material still to go, so we're not going to run out of inspiration."
I’d be down for a few more of these movies! They are a lot of fun, and this next one looks like it’s going to be a scary and wild ride! A Haunting in Venice opens in theaters on September 15th.