Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS was pretty much worth it purely for the all-star cast it assembled, which included Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Derek Jacobi, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, and more, and it seems that the sequel will be following suit. Just last week it was announced that Gal Gadot (WONDER WOMAN 1984) had signed on to star in DEATH ON THE NILE, and now Deadline reports that Armie Hammer (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME) has joined up as well.
There's no word on which character Armie Hammer will be playing in DEATH ON THE NILE, but Deadline says that he'll be playing the male lead. Kenneth Branagh will once again return to direct the film, and although he's expected to reprise his role of Hercule Poirot, he hasn't officially signed on as of yet. Gal Gadot is slated to play Linnet Ridgeway Doyle, a rich heiress who recently married the former fiancee of an old friend and approaches Poirot for help. The film will find the famed Belgian detective on vacation in Egypt when he becomes involved in a love-triangle gone murderously wrong. As with MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, much of the sequel will take place in one location, this time on the Karnak, a paddle steamer touring Egypt along the Nile River. Michael Green, who wrote the script for the first film, will also be penning the screenplay for the sequel. DEATH ON THE NILE is set for a December 20, 2019 release.
Who else would you like to see join up for DEATH ON THE NILE?
Armie Hammer will next be seen in ON THE BASIC OF SEX on December 25, 2018. The upcoming biopic centers around Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), who, as a young lawyer, teams up with her husband Marty (Hammer) to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.