Kenneth Branagh sets starry cast for next Agatha Christie mystery movie

Kenneth Branagh's next Agatha Christie mystery movie, titled A Haunting in Venice, is set to have an all-star cast. Branagh will once again play the moustached detective Hercule Poirot and will return to the director's chair too, per Deadline. 

The film will reunite him with Belfast stars Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill, while the rest of the cast includes Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Kyle Allen (West Side Story), Ali Khan (The School for Good and Evil), Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown), Camille Cottin (Killing Eve), Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone), and Riccardo Scamarcio (John Wick 2). 

A Haunting in Venice is based on Christie's novel Hallowe'en Party. As you might have guessed from the title, the movie is set in Venice, specifically post-World War 2 Venice on Halloween night. Poirot has retired and is living in the city, but, naturally, there's soon a murder to investigate – when Poirot goes to a séance at a haunted palazzo, a guest is killed and Poirot finds himself in a shadowy, sinister world full of secrets. The script was adapted by Michael Green and production on the film has begun. 

"This is a fantastic development of the character Hercule Poirot, as well as the Agatha Christie franchise," Branagh said in a statement. "Based on a complex, little known tale of mystery set at Halloween in a pictorially ravishing city, it is an amazing opportunity for us, as filmmakers, and we are relishing the chance to deliver something truly spine-chilling for our loyal movie audiences."

"We are enormously privileged to continue our long collaboration with the incomparable Sir Kenneth Branagh and couldn't be more excited by the bold new creative direction Ken, Michael, and the rest of the filmmaking team have taken with this latest film," added Steve Asbell, President of 20th Century Studios. "We also remain grateful to James Prichard and the rest of our friends at Agatha Christie, Ltd., for their partnership and for once again entrusting us with, as Poirot modestly calls himself, 'probably the greatest detective in the world.'" 

A Haunting in Venice marks the third Poriot movie of the Branagh-verse, following Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. There's no release date for the movie yet, but with cameras rolling, we can expect more updates sooner rather than later. In the meantime, see our guide to all the upcoming major movie release dates to get planning those theater trips.