Branagh to play Poirot!

The novel sees Poirot stranded on the Orient Express during a awful snowstorm.

As expected, Kenneth Branagh will direct 20th Century Fox’s new film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express. The all-star cast of suspects included Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Colin Blakely, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Michael York.

Audiences may be more familiar with Branagh’s recent blockbuster work for Marvel and Paramount with the Thor and Jack Ryan franchise beginnings, with the latter being a less than stellar attempt to reboot the Tom Clancy character on the big screen, forcing Paramount to take Jack Ryan to TV at Amazon instead.

Poirot was played by Albert Finney in the 1974 film version, earning him an Oscar nomination.

Branagh is also now in development of Disneys adaptation of Irish author Eoin Colfers best-selling novel ‘Artemis Fowl, which he will direct and produce. The script is being penned by Michael Green, who has most recently written the screenplay for the upcoming Blade Runner sequel.

James Prichard, Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd. and Christie’s great grandson, said, “The extraordinary thing about my great grandmother’s stories is just how timeless they are and how perfectly they lend themselves to the cinematic experience”. Kenneth Branagh was in talks to sit in the director’s chair, and we were wondering who he might choose to play detective Hercule Poirot if he did go ahead with the idea.