Less than a year after the second installment hit theaters, a new Kenneth Branagh-led Hercule Poirot movie has been confirmed with A Haunting in Venice. Branagh first brought his take on Agatha Christie's beloved private detective to the screen with 2017's Murder on the Orient Express, which scored generally mixed reviews but was a box office smash. He would reprise his role as star and director earlier this year with Death on the Nile, which scored similarly mixed-to-positive reviews and was a modest box office success, grossing over $137 million against its $90 million production budget during the pandemic.
Though Death on the Nile saw lower box office returns, it was still considered by many to be a success in spite of various controversies working against it, namely troubling reports regarding sexual misconduct from star Armie Hammer and Letitia Wright's alleged anti-vaccination beliefs. Around the film's release, Branagh had confirmed that he was in discussions with 20th Century Studios for another installment, with studio head Steve Asbell teasing the third movie had already been written, despite no greenlight be given to the project. Now, those who have fallen in love with Branagh's Agatha Christie franchise are getting an exciting update on its prospective future.
20th Century Studios has brought word that a third Kenneth Branagh Hercule Poirot movie is officially in the works with A Haunting in Venice, with Branagh once again returning to direct and Michael Green to write the script. Branagh has also assembled another star-studded ensemble cast for the film, which will include Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, and Riccardo Scamarico. Production on A Haunting in Venice is set to commence in November with plans for an undated 2023 theatrical release.
How New Poirot Movie Could Change Franchise
Though once again based on an Agatha Christie novel, the new Hercule Poirot movie will mark an interesting change in direction with the supernatural-skewing A Haunting in Venice. Set in post-World War II Venice on Halloween, the story centers on Poirot as he attends a séance at a supposedly haunted palazzo where a guest ends up murdered. This does inherently follow a similar whodunnit format as that of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, though by offering up a potential supernatural element, it could feature a far darker and more unsettling tone than that of its predecessors, and thus help avoid franchise fatigue.
Of the large ensemble cast included in the film, it is interesting to note that Kenneth Branagh's new Hercule Poirot movie A Haunting in Venice marks Tina Fey's latest dive in the murder mystery genre after her turn in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. Though only a supporting player in Steve Martin and John Hoffman's hit comedy series, she did become a memorable one with season 2, in which her true crime podcaster Cinda Canning actually became a suspect in the season's latest mystery, which should make her return to the fold an interesting tease of what audiences can expect from her role in the film. While audiences await further details on A Haunting in Venice, they can catch up with Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express streaming on Freevee and Death on the Nile streaming on both Hulu and HBO Max.