Vishal Bhardwaj to Adapt Agatha Christie Mysteries!

 Director Vishal Bhardwaj to develop film franchise based Agatha Christie’s works

20 OCTOBER 2020 13:16 IST

UPDATED: 20 OCTOBER 2020 13:16 IST

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is set to adapt renowned British mystery writer Agatha Christie’s works into a film franchise for Indian audiences. Christie’s crime stories centred on fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, but Bhardwaj will be introducing a new pair of lead investigators taking inspiration from one of the Queen of Crime’s famous stories.

According to a press release issued by the makers, the script is currently in development, but details of which Christie novel is being adapted for the first film have not been revealed yet.

The filmmaker-composer, best known for his acclaimed Shakespeare trilogy Maqbool, (Macbeth) Omkara (Othello) and Haider (Hamlet), is producing the franchise through his banner Vishal Bhardwaj Films in collaboration with Agatha Christie Limited (ACL), headed by Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard.

Bhardwaj said he is excited to embark on this journey and explore the turmoil and emotional chaos of Christie’s characters.

“Agatha Christie had a tremendous skill of defining emotional chaos, dysfunctional relationships and the turmoil in her characters while engaging us in a riveting mystery. It is an honour to create an Indian franchise of a pair of young investigators looking to take over the world with their intelligence and charm. ACL have been such amazing partners and we are all excited to be on this journey,” the director said in a statement.

The first film, scheduled to go on floors early next year, will introduce a young heroine who is thrown into solving a murder, and teams up with an unlikely companion to unravel the case. The cast is currently being finalised.

Future films will follow the duo as they continue to investigate multiple murder mysteries.

Prichard said he is looking forward to Bhardwaj’s take on his grandmother’s writings.

“I’m truly excited at the prospect of developing a new Agatha Christie film franchise in India, and am delighted to be partnering with Vishal, who is a multitalented and visionary filmmaker with a terrific track record for adapting works to create memorable pieces of cinema.”

“He has also demonstrated a real passion and understanding of my great grandmother’s characters and stories and I very much look forward to seeing where this project takes us,” he said.

Basi Akpabio and Leo Dezoysa will serve as executive producers for ACL on the new films.

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/director-vishal-bhardwaj-to-develop-film-franchise-based-agatha-christies-works/article32899134.ece

Miss marple books are boring. Only Hercule poirot books were interesting.

Even in hercule poirot books, the plot and twists were intriguing but not the characters. Only Poirot was superb in all the books.

Originally posted by: sidnilove

Miss marple books are boring. Only Hercule poirot books were interesting.

Even in hercule poirot books, the plot and twists were intriguing but not the characters. Only Poirot was superb in all the books.

Well, I don't quite agree with you as I am a big Christie enthusiast. But, to each his own I guess. In Christie's best books the characters and their inner dynamics are closely integrated with the mystery plot, in my opinion.

“Bhardwaj will be introducing a new pair of lead investigators taking inspiration from one of the Queen of Crime’s famous stories.”

Who? And the new pair of investigators will be Indians? 

Played by Vidya Balan or Tabu I am guessing...

Speaking of which what happened to Byomkesh Bakshi

Originally posted by: BettyA1

“Bhardwaj will be introducing a new pair of lead investigators taking inspiration from one of the Queen of Crime’s famous stories.”

Who? And the new pair of investigators will be Indians? 

Played by Vidya Balan or Tabu I am guessing...

These are going to be Indian adaptations, so the lead characters will be Indians too, presumably. According to this article these are going to a young boy and a girl. So, not VB or Tabu.

Originally posted by: BettyA1

Speaking of which what happened to Byomkesh Bakshi

Was VB supposed to do any Byomkesh adaptation?

Originally posted by: sub_rosa

Was VB supposed to do any Byomkesh adaptation?

No  I meant BB is an Indian detective character

Is that series going to be revived or BW is only going to rely on western detectives (nothing wrong with that)

Originally posted by: sidnilove

Miss marple books are boring. Only Hercule poirot books were interesting.

Even in hercule poirot books, the plot and twists were intriguing but not the characters. Only Poirot was superb in all the books.

Oh I think Miss Marple was as interesting as Poirot in her own way...she was quirky, idiosyncratic and yet sharp as a nail...that was her specialty. I just love Miss Marple and Poirot both. But Miss Marple was extremely interesting because she was a gentle old lady, yet in matters of crime she could solve anything with a genuine flair, which meant she was an oxymoron. I loved her personality and the way she explored the psychological angle in the crimes she solved.

Originally posted by: BettyA1

No  I meant BB is an Indian detective character

Is that series going to be revived or BW is only going to rely on western detectives (nothing wrong with that)

Not to my knowledge, though it would be great if a director of VB's caliber adapted them.