Agatha Christie Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

A bold and energetic debut, Thomas Hardiman’s “Medusa Deluxe” is what happens when you combine an Agatha Christie whodunit with a disco aesthetic. Roaming through the backstage confines of a regional hairdressing competition, the film begins after the murder and scalping of a stylist named Mosca has already happened.

Brian McCardie, the Scottish actor best known as Line of Duty crime boss Tommy Hunter, has died aged 59.

EXCLUSIVE: Industry and Rye Lane star David Jonsson is writing his first television drama series.

Television producer and director Nicky Illis, who worked on Antiques Roadshow and was the long-term director of Fake or Fortune, has sadly died of cancer aged 53. Nicky, who also worked on Alan Carr's Adventures with Agatha Christie in 2022, first came into the industry back in the 1990s and went on to produce shows such as One Foot in the Past as well as The House Detectives. She is survived by her husband Seb, whom she married in 2012, and their two children.

Dennis Harvey Film Critic “Some secrets are meant to stay buried” says the ad line for “Strictly Confidential.” But you’d need a sizable underground bunker to contain all the effortfully shocking revelations sprung in this very silly sudser, which starts out looking like an erotic thriller-mystery, then descends into a series of flashback-laden explication monologues more apt for “Dynasty” than Agatha Christie. Damian Hurley’s directorial feature, with famous mum Elizabeth top-billed and producing, provides several hardbodied younger performers opportunity to model clothes and approximate recognizable human emotions on the coastline of tax haven island nation Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Audible is launching an investigative podcast series about the origins of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic character Jay Gatsby, subject of classic novel The Great Gatsby. 

BritBox International has its new leader following BBC Studios‘ takeover of the streamer.

Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock with you in London, where the TV world has decamped this week for a series of screenings. Read on, and sign up for the newsletter here.

Emily Longeretta Candace Cameron Bure is no longer solving mysteries as Aurora Teagarden. Now, she’s Ainsley McGregor. On Tuesday, Great American Family announced they will soon launch Great American Mysteries — following closely in the footsteps of Hallmark, which also has Hallmark Movies & Mysteries under its umbrella.

Judy Parfitt, the actress known for her portrayal of Sister Monica Joan in Call the Midwife, has had a remarkable career spanning decades across stage, silver screen, and TV. Judy's talent has earned her recognition and acclaim in various productions, establishing her as a respected figure in the entertainment industry. Her journey in acting began after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1953.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon MGM Studios‘ Orion Pictures has entered production on Hedda, its reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, announcing the addition of six to its cast. Newcomers include Imogen Poots (Baltimore), Tom Bateman (Thirteen Lives), Finbar Lynch (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origins), Jamael Westman (Hamilton), and Saffron Hocking (Top Boy).

Naman Ramachandran Indian streamer SonyLIV has unveiled a slate of more than 20 new and returning shows for 2024 and is expanding its content focus. 2023 saw several hits bow on the service including “Scam 2003,” “Chamak,” Agatha Christie adaptation “Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley” and “Fauda” remake “Tanaav,” which has been renewed for a second season, besides Season 2 of Emmy-nominated series “Rocket Boys.” 2024 will see shows in the Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi and Marathi languages, in addition to Hindi.

BBC drama The Tourist returned for its second season last night in the lucrative New Year’s Day 9 p.m. GMT (1 p.m. PT) slot to just 2.2M viewers, beaten comfortably by ITV‘s post office drama.

The BBC‘s latest Agatha Christie adaptation concluded last night neck-and-neck in the ratings with ITV‘s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? from over the Easter Weekend.

The BBC announced last month that it would be releasing another new adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel this Christmas. Murder is Easy is a two-part thriller adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur which features an all-star cast including Mathew Baynton and Morfydd Clark. The drama begins in 1954 when Fitzwilliam (David Jonnson) meets Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) on the train to London.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from “Chapter 7: Retreat,” the finale of “A Murder at the End of the World,” now streaming on Hulu. Like an Agatha Christie novel rebooted for the age of ChatGPT, at the end of “A Murder at the End of the World,” the AI butler did it. The revelation that Ray (Edoardo Ballerini), the Siri-style digital assistant to billionaire Andy (Clive Owen) has been masterminding the deaths at their snowbound retreat was only one of the startling conclusions of FX’s series, which concluded Dec.

Agatha Christie would have approved of modern-day revisions to her written works, says her great-grandson James Pritchard.

He's well-known for his role as Jimmy Perez in Shetland but after his shock exit last year, Douglas Henshall has moved on to a new job.The actor appeared in Who is Erin Carter? on Netflix earlier this year and he'll soon be back on the BBC in an adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder is Easy. Douglas is taking on the role of Major Horton and will star alongside David Jonsson as Fitzwilliam and Penelope Wilton as Miss Pinkerton.The series takes place in England, 1954, where on a train to London, Fitzwilliam meets Miss Pinkerton, who tells him that a killer is on the loose in the sleepy English village of Wychwood under Ashe.The villagers believe the deaths are mere accidents, but Miss Pinkerton knows otherwise – and when she's later found dead on her way to Scotland Yard, Fitzwilliam feels he must find the killer before they can strike again.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “A Haunting in Venice” is getting a digital release just in time for Halloween. Kenneth Branagh‘s third Agatha Christie adaptation, which hit theaters in September, will debut on digital retailers and Hulu on Oct.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Arts has unveiled two new shows exploring the rich legacy of author Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes. Doyle came to hate Holmes and killed him off in print only to be forced to revive him upon public demand. In documentary series “Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle” (3 x 60′), historian Lucy Worsley investigates the love-hate relationship in a parallel biography of Holmes and the man who created him.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Bikeriders,” a drama starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy and directed by Jeff Nichols, has been delayed amid the ongoing actors’ strike. Disney and 20th Century were scheduled to open the film on Dec. 1 but it’s been taken off the calendar for now.

K.J. Yossman “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” is based on Holly Jackson’s bestselling book-series about 17-year-old Pip, who finds herself drawn into a murder investigation when she begins to suspect the police have got the wrong man. Moonage Pictures are now adapting the book alongside the BBC (who own a minority stake in Moonage) and German co-producers ZDF, with “Wednesday” star Emma Myers cast as Pip.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” stayed atop the U.K. and Ireland box office for the second successive weekend with £1.4 million ($1.8 million), per numbers from Comscore. The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, where he plays detective Hercule Poirot, now has a total of £4.9 million after two weekends in release.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.“The Nun II” is the ninth installment in the “The Conjuring” franchise, the highest grossing horror franchise of all time. Collider called the latest flick “an effective, gory, and impressively scary addition to the “Conjuringuniverse” that also stands as a solidly on its own.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” has been rattling North American theaters for a week now, signaling the start to spooky season with a packed ensemble cast featuring the likes of Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and “Yellowstone” star Kelly Reilly. Branagh’s players (and the director himself) weren’t able speak on behalf of the moody chamber piece due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Variety caught up with veteran producer Judy Hofflund (who made the first two Poirot films with Branagh, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile”) to discuss Fey’s journey to leading lady status in a film from this era, as well as the future of Branagh’s mustachioed sleuth.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief ‘Expendables 4’ narrowly took top place at the mainland China box office on a quiet weekend preceding the National Day holiday season at the end of the month. “A Haunting in Venice” opened outside the top five. Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “Expendables 4” earning $10.9 million (RMB78.6 million) over its debut weekend.

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros/New Line’s The Nun II continued to conjure strong business around the globe this weekend, taking the top spot again worldwide and overseas. The sophomore session of $30.1M in 72 offshore markets brings the international box office cume to $102.3M and worldwide to $158.8M so far.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter It’s another close race at the box office. The Warner Bros. thriller “The Nun II” is projected to ever-so-slightly outpace the competition with $14.7 million in its second weekend.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The supernatural mystery, which The Post called a “surefooted film with strong performances and a luxurious-yet-frightful tone,” is based on a 1969 Agatha Christie novel.“The Nun II,” which was in first place last week, moved down a notch to the No. 2 spot, with earnings of $4.4 million.

J. Kim Murphy Hercule Poirot is back on the case this weekend, with Kenneth Branagh’s “A Haunting in Venice” hoping to best a very quiet box office in its opening. The horror-tinged whodunnit scored$5.5 million from 3,305 theaters on its opening day, a figure that includes $1.2 million in Thursday previews.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Hildur Guðnadóttir grew up on Agatha Christie mysteries. “I totally lived for those novels,” the composer says. Ever since then, she has wanted to sink her teeth into story by the famous author.