RICHARD OSMAN CONFIRMS THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB CAST

Richard Osman has delivered on his promise of "amazing casting news" for The Thursday Murder Club's movie adaptation.

Leading stars for the first film have been announced, with the former Pointless host confirming who are going to take on the roles of Elizabeth Best, Ron Ritchie and Ibrahim Arif, three of the four crime-solving pensioners at the Coopers Chase Retirement Village in Kent.

Speaking on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment with Marina Hyde, Osman revealed Elizabeth will be played by Helen Mirren, adding she was the number one choice for most fans of the book series.

"I'm now allowed to officially announce three of the four members of the Thursday Murder Club," he said.

"Elizabeth is going to be played by the person who people most often shout at me in the street as them wanting them to play Elizabeth... Helen Mirren, which is very exciting."

The roles of Ibrahim and Ron are also locked and will be portrayed by Sir Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan respectively, leaving Joyce Meadowcroft the only main character yet to be cast.

"Ibrahim is Sir Ben Kingsley," Osman shared, adding: "Ron is going to be played by – I'm going to say the most handsome man in the world, so he's going to have to dull himself down a bit... Pierce Brosnan."

Speaking in February this year, Osman teased big developments for his film adaptation, dropping a hint about Mirren and saying that "one of the cast is someone who people always say to me, 'Is so-and-so going to be in this film?'".

Filming on the Thursday Murder Club adaptation is taking place "this summer from end of June to September, all in England," Osman confirmed, sharing that Chris Columbus, who helmed Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies, is attached to direct.

The Thursday Murder Club is yet to confirm a cinema release date. The book and its sequels are available to buy on Amazon.

2024-04-23T10:38:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd