The Thursday Murder Club arrives in cinemas on Friday 22nd August and on Netflix on Thursday 28th August. Fans of Richard Osman’s novel have been anxiously waiting for the film adaptation to be released and speaking to Reach Plc on the red carpet, Dame Helen Mirren shared her hopes for another film, her highlight from the set and who she’d want to play if she wasn’t starring as ex-spy Elizabeth.
Helen said working on the film was “wonderful” and close friend Celia Imrie made her laugh the most on set as her character Joyce. The esteemed actor went on to add if she wasn’t Elizabeth, she’d have wanted to be “Joyce, with the cake”.
Helen also touched on what she thought of the move from cinema to streaming, as she shared: “Well it’s brilliant to be able to watch a movie in your home and stop for a cup of tea when you want to. But there’s nothing like watching a move with an audience. I saw Thursday Murder Club in New York with an audience of about 400 people and there was so much laughter and there’s nothing like sharing an experience with an audience.”
And, can fans expect a sequel? Author Richard has penned three other books in the The Thursday Murder Club series so there’s plenty of material to work with.
“We hope so, yes we’re hoping so,” Helen told us.
If she was to return, Helen is hoping Naomi Ackie will reprise her role PC Donna De Freitas. She explained: “I’m really hoping Naomi comes back because she’s such an important part.”
Reminiscing on filming the movie, Helen concluded by saying her highlight was “drinking gin and tonics on the bus with my friend Celia Imrie”.
The Thursday Murder Club follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case.
The film has a stellar cast with Helen and Celia as Elizabeth and Joyce, while Ben Kingsley is ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim and. Pierce Brosnan portrays ex–union activist Ron.
Also starring in the film is Daniel Mays, Henry Llloyd-Hughes, Tom Ellis, Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Richard E. Grant and Ingrid Oliver.
On how he came up with the inspiration for the Thursday Murder Club, Richard previously told Tudum: ” “You just sit and chat with these people and they’ve lived these extraordinary lives. You hear these amazing stories and gossip and wisdom.
“You think, ‘These people are so overlooked.’ The idea that these people with their wisdom and their invisibility would be the perfect people to solve [a crime] is exactly where The Thursday Murder Club comes from. Take these people who are underestimated but who have these incredible skills, put them together, and they can achieve anything.”
Thursday Murder Club is in cinemas August 22nd and on Netflix August 28th.