James Pritchard is the great-grandson of the creator of Hercule Poirot and was closely involved Secret in Venice by and starring Kenneth Branagh, film also starring Kelly Reilly, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh and Tina Fey.
After “Murder on the Orient Express” in 2017 and “Death on the Nile” in 2022, Kenneth Branagh launches “Mystery in Venice,” in which Hercule Poirot is asked to investigate seemingly paranormal phenomena.
After the Second World War, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) retired, so to speak, in a Venetian palazzo. But one of his friends, the American Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), tells him about séances and persuades him to go to Rowena Drake’s (Kelly Reilly) palazzo. And when a murder is committed there, the detective takes on the task of unmasking the perpetrator again… and there is no shortage of suspects.
A Hercule Poirot 2.0?
James Pritchard, great-grandson of Agatha Christie, Chairman of Agatha Christie Limited and co-producer of Mystery in Venice. PHOTO PROVIDED BY 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
“I had discussions with Michael Green, the screenwriter, a long time ago about the possibility of using The Pumpkin Festival for a third feature film,” said James Pritchard during an interview with QMI Agency. The man is the great-grandson of Agatha Christie and, above all, also president of Agatha Christie Limited, the family business that works like a hawk to ensure that the work of the British writer, whose novels are the best-selling in the world, is respected.
At 103 years old (The Mysterious Affair of Style was published in 1920), Hercule Poirot has lost none of his appeal – oh, that mustache! – and has also been modernized somewhat for the needs of the big screen. Because in contrast to the previous two feature films, also written by Michael Green, directed by Kenneth Branagh and co-produced by Ridley Scott, the script does not exactly follow the novel on which it is based… and, moreover, was never adapted for the cinema .
“Two or three years ago, Michael, Kenneth and 20th Century Studios explained their idea to me. After two film adaptations that stayed true to two classic novels, they wanted to surprise moviegoers. And one way was to change the tone. Michael felt that using The Pumpkin Party gave him a foray into horror or the supernatural. He also wanted to break away from the novel, with the most notable change being that the film’s action takes place in Venice rather than a British village! he detailed.
“We have been working together for a long time and we trust each other. When we talked about the film and the overall vision for the franchise, I was convinced. Michael also convinced me with his screenplay. What we have created is not a literal rendition of the novel, as the title we changed suggests, but a brilliant Agatha Christie experience, and that is the goal we have set ourselves.”
James Pritchard took over from his father in 2015 and as he looks back over the past eight years, he draws a number of conclusions that make him feel confident about the future of this franchise.
“By the time Murder on the Orient Express came out, it had been a very long time since there had been a big budget crime film. Since then there’s been Knives Out, Netflix movies, TV series… I think we’re seeing a resurgence of this genre. Yes, like 20th Century Studios, I am convinced that moviegoers appreciate complicated plots and long dialogues. And I hope this is the beginning of a new era in crime movie popularity.”
Mystery in Venice hits provincial cinemas on September 15th.
And Miss Marple in all this?
Of course, with the creation of a franchise dedicated to the Belgian detective, we can wonder if the famous Miss Marple, played by Angela Landsbury in 1980’s The Mirror Broke, will one day return to the cinema.
“There is room for Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. My great-grandmother wrote 66 novels; 33 of them are dedicated to Hercule Poirot and 13 are dedicated to Miss Marple. Poirot has always fascinated readers and filmgoers and has benefited from a wider body of literature. I would love to see Miss Marple adapted again and I hope we can start something soon. She spent too much time in Poirot’s shadow and some of the Miss Marple stories are among my great-grandmother’s best works. “Yes, I would like to see it adapted for the big screen,” replied James Pritchard… who doesn’t hide his preference for the old Brit over the Belgian detective. Be continued.