Kenneth Branagh is set to begin production on a new Hercule Poirot mystery. This time Agatha Christie's beloved detective will be getting to the bottom of A Haunting in Venice, with another all-star cast.

This will be the third film that two-time Oscar winner Kenneth Branagh (Belfast) adapts from Agatha Christie's beloved Hercule Poirot mystery novels, after Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. Branagh had first hinted that there might be a third film back in 2017, while he was still working on Death on the Nile. Because Christie had written a total of 66 books and stories, Branagh commented at the time that they could make an entire cinematic universe of Christie adaptations, and now it seems like they might be pursuing that goal after all.

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Production on A Haunting in Venice is scheduled to start on Halloween day, October 31, and will take place at Pinewood Studios near London and on location in Venice. It will take place in post-World War II Venice, where the retired detective Hercule Poirot is reluctantly dragged to a good old-fashioned Halloween séance at a haunted mansion. Of course, one of the guests is murdered, and Poirot must unravel the sinister mystery.

kenneth branagh death on the nile
20th Century Studios

As with the previous installments, Branagh directs and stars in the film as Poirot. Also, Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049) writes the screenplay, and an impressive ensemble cast performs. The film will star Branagh, Kyle Allen (West Side Story), Camille Cottin (Call My Agent), Jamie Dornan (Belfast), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Jude Hill (Belfast), Ali Khan (6 Underground), Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown), Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone), Riccardo Scamarcio (John Wick: Chapter 2), and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

It's no surprise that another sequel is in the works, given the massive success of Branagh's first Agatha Christie adaptation with 20th Century Studios, Murder on the Orient Express. With a moderate budget of $55 million, the film grossed an impressive $353 million worldwide. The sequel, however, performed far worse. Death on the Nile was made on a $90 million budget and grossed only $137 million, meaning a loss of tens of millions of dollars once marketing costs are factored in. Given such a failure, it's surprising that 20th Century Studios has moved forward with a third film. However, there could be a number of reasons for this.

Death on the Nile only came out less than a year ago, meaning A Haunting in Venice was likely already in pre-production when the previous installment flopped. At least some of the former film's under-performance could be blamed on a COVID box office slump, though this was only three months before the billion-dollar success of Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, 20th Century is probably still praying that the third film, with a clearer and more enticing mystery, will be more attractive to audiences. And of course, the studio is likely not ready to give up on Branagh, whose Belfast won an Academy Award and gathered six other nominations earlier this year.

A Haunting in Venice will begin production on October 31, 2022, and is set to release in theaters in 2023.

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