‘Death on the Nile’ Start Super Bowl Weekend Run
Two movies are opening nationwide this weekend in advance of Valentine’s Day.
Branagh directed the mystery thriller film from a script by Michael Green, based on the 1937 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.
It was produced by Branagh, Ridley Scott, Judy Hofflund, and Kevin J. Walsh.
The film is a sequel to Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and again stars Branagh as Hercule Poirot.
The ensemble cast includes Tom Bateman (also returning from the first film), Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, and Letitia Wright.
The film is the third screen version of Christie’s novel, after the 1978 film and an episode of TV series Agatha Christie’s Poirot broadcast in 2004.
Death on the Nile was first released in several international markets on February 9, 2022, and in the UK and US on February 11, following several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premise:
In World War I, the young Hercule Poirot devises a strategy to help the Allied forces reclaim land against the Central Powers, however he is unable to stop his captain’s death from a booby trap, which mutilates Poirot’s face. He is tended to by his lover, nurse Catherine, who encourages him to grow his mustache to hide his scars.
In 1937, Poirot enters a club where jazz singer Salome Otterbourne is performing. He witnesses Jacqueline “Jackie” de Bellefort introduce her fiancé Simon Doyle to her childhood friend, heiress Linnet Ridgeway, to offer him employment. Linnet hires Simon on the spot, and sparks fly between the two to Jackie’s discomfort.
Cast
Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a world-renowned private detective and former policeman
Tom Bateman as Bouc, Poirot’s friend and confidant and Euphemia’s son
Annette Bening as Euphemia, renowned painter and Bouc’s mother
Russell Brand as Linus Windlesham, aristocratic doctor and Linnet’s former fiancé
Ali Fazal as Andrew Katchadourian, Linnet’s cousin and lawyer
Dawn French as Mrs. Bowers, Marie Van Schuyler’s nurse and companion
Gal Gadot as Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle, Simon’s wife and Jacqueline’s former friend
Armie Hammer as Simon Doyle, Linnet’s husband and Jacqueline’s former lover
Rose Leslie as Louise Bourget, Linnet’s lady’s maid
Emma Mackey as Jacqueline “Jackie” de Bellefort, Linnet’s jealous former friend and Simoon’s former lover
Sophie Okonedo as Salome Otterbourne, jazz singer and Rosalie’s aunt
Jennifer Saunders as Marie Van Schuyler, Linnet’s godmother and socialite-turned-Communist
Letitia Wright as Rosalie Otterbourne, Salome’s niece and business manager, and Linnet’s old classmate
Ann Turkel as Meredith Wilson
In 2015, Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard, chair of Agatha Christie Limited, expressed enthusiasm for sequels, citing positive collaboration with Branagh and the production team.
Competition in Marketplace:
The Jennifer Lopez-Owen Wilson romantic comedy, Marry Me, started with $525,000 in Thursday night previews from 2,700 theaters at the domestic box office.
