Summary

• A stellar British cast, including Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley, is set to star in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel The Thursday Murder Club.
• Chris Columbus will direct the project. Spielberg's production company is behind the movie.
• Richard Osman, known for quiz shows and Taskmaster, sold the rights to his book series to Spielberg.

An all-star British and Irish cast, including Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and Pierce Brosnan, are set to star in a feature film adaptation of the best-selling novel The Thursday Murder Club. The book series, written by Richard Osman, follows four friends in an English retirement village who meet up once a week to try and solve mysterious murders.

The news came directly from Osman's entertainment podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, which reported that Chris Columbus is set to direct the project. Columbus has previously directed acclaimed movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Bicentennial Man, and the first two installments in the iconic Harry Potter franchise. Osman revealed that Helen Mirren will play Elizabeth Best (an ex-spy), Ben Kingsley will portray Ibrahim Arif (an ex-psychiatrist), and Pierce Brosnan will play Ron Ritchie (a former union activist and leader).

The fourth member of the group, Joyce Meadowcroft, has not been cast yet. During the announcement, Osman did tease that Joyce's casting has something to do with the name "that people most shout at me in the street." Osman went on to say, "Lots more casting to come in the following weeks."

Richard Osman sold the rights to his best-selling book series to Steven Spielberg in 2020. Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment, is producing the movie, with filming scheduled to begin at the end of June in the UK.

Richard Osman published the first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, in 2020, which quickly went on to become a New York Times bestseller. There are currently four books in the series, with Osman's debut followed by The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil to Die. A fifth book in the series is due to be published in 2025.

Who Is Richard Osman?

To UK audiences, Richard Osman needs little introduction. The TV producer turned presenter and author is well known for hosting quiz shows like Pointless (which he co-hosted alongside Alexander Armstrong) and Richard Osman's House of Games, as well as his appearances on panel/chat shows like The Last Leg, Have I Got News for You, and The One Show. International audiences will likely know Osman best for his appearance on the acclaimed comedy challenge series Taskmaster. Osman competed in the show's second season in 2016, coming third against Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Doc Brown, and Katherine Ryan (who won the series).

Before appearing in front of the camera, Richard Osman was a high-level TV executive, producing hit British series like 8 Out of 10 Cats, Deal or No Deal, and Whose Line Is It Anyway?. As well as his presenting work, Richard Osman currently hosts the aforementioned podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, in which Osman and his co-host, Marina Hyde, dispel myths and answer viewers' questions about the process of making and marketing TV shows and movies.

No official release date has been revealed. But with shooting beginning in June, The Thursday Murder Club movie is expected to release sometime in 2025/2026.