Kenneth Branagh to Direct and Star in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ Remake

Following reports of his potential involvement over the summer, Kenneth Branagh is officially set to helm 20th Century Fox’s remake of director Sidney Lumet’s classic Murder on the Orient Express, itself based on Agatha Christie’s famed mystery novel of the same name. Branagh will pull double duty in the remake, taking on the lead role originated by Albert Finney in the 1974 film.

Per Variety, Branagh will direct and star in Murder on the Orient Express, based on Lumet’s film and Christie’s 1934 novel. The story follows Detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates a murder on a train that’s been stopped in the midst of a snow storm. He soon discovers that every passenger on the train had a connection to the victim, making each one of them a possible suspect.

Blade Runner 2 scribe Michael Green is scripting the remake, which will be produced by Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg and Mark Gordon.

Murder on the Orient Express was the 10th novel in Christie’s prolific Poirot series, which has inspired several films, TV movies and one long-running television series. Branagh will be the fifth actor to play the famous detective on the big screen, following in the footsteps of greats like Albert Finney and Peter Ustinov.

In addition to Murder on the Orient Express, Branagh recently signed on to direct Disney’s long-developing Artemis Fowl movie based on Eoin Colfer’s popular book series.