Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express welcomes Willem Dafoe

As the last feature film adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" was quite the star-studded affair, with actors like Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York, and others taking part, you surely couldn't have been surprised when Kenneth Branagh became assembling his own talented cast for the upcoming remake.

Deadline reports that Willem Dafoe is the latest actor to step aboard MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS and the word is that he'll be playing undercover detective Gerhard Hardman. The ensemble cast which Dafoe will be joining includes (deep breath) Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Michael Pena, Leslie Odom Jr., Lucy Boynton as well as Kenneth Branagh himself in the role of famed detective Hercule Poirot. Phew, that's quite the group. MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS follows Poirot as he investigates the murder of an American business tycoon on a train, only to find that there are a number of passengers who could potentially be the murderer. Dun dun dun. Production on the Kenneth Branagh directed flick got underway late last year and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is currently set for a November 22, 2017 release.

As for Willem Dafoe, he's got several big projects on the horizon including appearing as Nuidis Vulko in Zack Snyder's JUSTICE LEAGUE, voicing Ryuk for Adam Wingard's DEATH NOTE and reprising the role of Vulko for James Wan's AQUAMAN.