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Summary
- Kenneth Branagh is in discussions to return for Poirot 4, and there's excitement over what Agatha Christie story will be adapted next.
- While Poirot 4 hasn't been officially confirmed, it is expected due to the success of the franchise and Kenneth Branagh's interest.
Kenneth Branagh returning for Poirot 4 is already being discussed despite A Haunting in Venice’s theatrical run not yet being over, and there’s plenty to digest and speculate over for when Hercule Poirot returns. Starting with 2017’s A Murder on the Orient Express, the Kenneth Branagh Hercule Poirot movies adapt various novels by Agatha Christie, one of the most successful crime novelists of all time. Kenneth Branagh stars as Hercule Poirot, the fictional French detective who seems to stumble onto a new case to sleuth his way through wherever he goes.
The most recent movie in the franchise, 2023's A Haunting in Venice, adapted one of Agatha Christie’s later and less known works Hallowe’en Party, and boasted a cast that included Michelle Yeoh and Tina Fey alongside Branagh himself. Since the 20th Century Studios Agatha Christie franchise seems to be picking and choosing the timeline it creates for Branagh’s Poirot from the author's previous works, there’s no guarantee what’s to come in Poirot 4 — which means speculation over when and how Poirot will return is more intense than ever.
Most Recent Kenneth Branagh Poirot 4 News
While A Haunting in Venice is still enjoying its commendable theatrical run, news on the next Kenneth Branagh Poirot movie is already circulating thanks to producer James Prichard. Prichard, who served as producer on A Haunting in Venice as well as 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express and 2022’s Death on the Nile, revealed that there are no plans to end the highly successful Agatha Christie movie franchise just yet.
When asked about the prospect of Poirot 4 in an interview with Total Film in August 2023 (via GamesRadar), Prichard was candid about there being more Poirot films to come so long as Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green were still interested in making them. "If Ken wants to do more, and Michael wants to write more, we'll certainly do another.” Prichard explained, before adding, “There's a lot of material still to go, so we're not going to run out of inspiration."
The 4th Kenneth Branagh Poirot Movie Isn’t Confirmed (Yet)
There’s already speculation around it, but Poirot 4 isn’t confirmed. While the fourth movie in the $490m Poirot franchise is expected, it hasn’t actually been greenlit just yet. However, since the only obstacle seems to be whether Kenneth Branagh wants to continue (he’s given no indication that he doesn’t) the next Poirot movie after A Haunting in Venice could be confirmed soon. The ending of A Haunting in Venice deliberately set up a sequel tease for Poirot 4, so it seems the intent has never been to keep the franchise as a trilogy.
Who’s Joining Kenneth Branagh In The Poirot 4 Cast
The cast of Poirot 4 will of course see Kenneth Branagh return as Hercule Poirot. Branagh also directs the franchise of Agatha Christie adaptations, and since the prospect of Poirot 4 apparently hinges in his willingness to make it, it can be taken as a guarantee there are no plans to recast him. Kenneth Branagh is a multiaward winning British actor with a long career stretching back to the 1980s, with his most recent non-Poirot appearances including playing Niels Bohr in the cast of Oppenheimer.
It’s unknown who will join Branagh for Poirot 4. Each of the previous movies has featured an ensemble cast playing a range of Agatha Christie characters, with many of the cast members being A-listers such as Gal Gadot, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, and a host of others. At this stage, the only guarantee that comes with the cast of the next Poirot movie is that it will be a major talking point once it’s confirmed.
What Will Kenneth Branagh’s Next Poirot Story Be
The key question for Kenneth Branagh’s next turn as Poirot is which Agatha Christie story Poirot 4 will adapt. The third movie in the franchise, A Haunting in Venice, defied expectations by adapting Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party, one of the authors lesser know works. This means that guessing the next Agatha Christie book to be adapted by Kenneth Branagh is difficult, as he’s clearly prepared to keep longtime Christie fans guessing.
Two Agatha Christie Poirot stories that could be made into Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot 4 are the 1938 story Appointment with Death, or 1941’s Evil Under the Sun. Both received successful film adaptations in the 80s, and since both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile were also previously made into movies, some suspect Branagh could look to them next for Poirot 4.
There are plenty of Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot stories though, with some calls for Christie’s 1926 masterpiece The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to be given the Kenneth Branagh treatment next. One thing that’s for certain is that, whichever of Christie’s works it ends up being, Poirot 4 will be another thrilling interpretation of Hercule Poirot from Kenneth Branagh.