The Thursday Murder Club: David Tennant, Naomi Ackie & more cast in Pierce Brosnan mystery

Back in 2020, it was announced that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again director Ol Parker would be following that film up by taking the helm of The Thursday Murder Club, an adaptation of the debut novel by Richard Osman (creator and co-presenter of the BBC quiz show Pointless), for Amblin. Given that Parker’s involvement was announced just days before the pandemic lockdowns, it’s not surprising to hear that iteration of the project didn’t hold together… but The Thursday Murder Club is still moving forward. A couple months ago, word came out that Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye), Helen Mirren (The Queen), and Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) were being eyed for lead roles in the film, which is now coming our way from Home Alone and Harry Potter director Chris Columbus. Now Deadline confirms that Brosnan, Mirren, and Kingsley are on board to star in the film alongside Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Naomi Ackie (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), Daniel Mays (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget), and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Killing Eve).

James Bond fans will probably be quick to point out that Jonathan Pryce played the villain in the Pierce Brosnan Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, so this is a fun reunion for those two. While we’re at it, Brosnan previously shared the screen with Celia Imrie in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and The Love Punch, and Mirren starred in the 1980 film The Long Good Friday, where Brosnan made his big screen debut as “1st Irishman.”

The Thursday Murder Club will tell the story of four septuagenarian friends who live in a retirement community and solve cold cases for fun. When a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime.

The book became popular months before it was ever published, with Amblin beating thirteen other companies to come out the winner in an intense bidding war over the film rights. The Thursday Murder Club then became a New York Times bestseller, spawning three sequels: The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil to Die. The fifth book in the series is expected to arrive sometime in 2025. Meanwhile, Amblin is teaming up with Netflix to bring the film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club into the world. Filming begins later this month.

Have you read The Thursday Murder Club or any of its sequels? Let us know by leaving a comment below, and share your thoughts on the cast that’s being assembled for the movie.