Several months ago it seemed that Angelina Jolie was close to signing up for Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express", but now Variety reports that she has since passed on the project. Jolie was up for the role of Mrs. Harriet Hubbard, the role played by Lauren Bacall in the 1974 film, and now that she's officially moved on, 20th Century Fox is currently looking at a number of big name stars, including Charlize Theron, to take her place.
Kenneth Branagh is attached to both direct and star in the film as Hercule Poirot, the famed detective who 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. The last feature film adaptation of "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. Fox seems to be set on making sure that their adaption is equally star-studded, so it will be interesting to see just who will be filling out the rest of the cast. The latest screenplay comes from Michael Green (BLADE RUNNER 2) and production on the film is expecting to kick off this November.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is set for a November 22, 2017 release.