Kenneth Branagh’s take on Agatha Christie’s classic novel Murder on the Orient Express may have only fared so-so with critics but it proved enough of a hit with audiences (making $150 million globally) to warrant a follow-up.
Those who have seen the film will know that the ending sees Hercule Poirot (played by director Branagh), having solved the case, decide to take on a new one which sees him set for Egypt.
Twentieth Century Fox’s sequel is thus an adaptation of Death on the Nile, a novel that sees Poirot solve a mystery aboard a riverboat. The movie will reportedly see Branagh return to the leading role and as director (though a deal has yet to be signed), with Michael Green, who wrote the Murder on the Orient Express film, penning the sequel.
First published in 1937, Death on the Nile is one of Christie’s most popular books. It sees Poirot investigate a murder on the north-eastern African river which occurs after a love triangle goes wrong. It has been adapted numerous times, including into a 1978 film starring Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, Angela Lansbury, and Maggie Smith.
You can see which Murder on the Orient Express character you are here or learn some trivia about the film here.
