20th Century Studios is giving us a friendly reminder this morning that one of their long-delayed films is still set to hit the big screen. A new trailer and poster has been released for Death on the Nile, which reunites us with Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot who is the case for a new mystery.
Based on the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie, “Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this dramatic tale of love gone wrong features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.” The film also stars Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, and Letitia Wright.
Death on the Nile has been hit with numerous setbacks heading towards its release, mostly due to delays because of the global pandemic. The film has been completed for more than a year and was originally set to hit the big screen in 2020. While the pandemic was one hurdle, the movie was dealt another problematic blow when one of its stars, Armie Hammer, was accused by multiple women of emotional abuse, manipulation, and coercion. The allegations led to Hammer losing several high-profile jobs, including a co-starring role with Jennifer Lopez in Shotgun Wedding and a series about the making of The Godfather on Paramount+. The conundrum with Death on the Nile is that the film was already completed before the allegations went public and getting around him being in the movie would be a difficult task. According to “The Hollywood Reporter“, options on the table for the studio were to reshoot the movie with a new star who could replace Hammer but that ultimately wasn’t feasible due to the scale of the film and gathering the ensemble cast back for the project would’ve been near-impossible at the time due to the pandemic.
Another option explored was to use digital technology to edit or alter the film but that would also be challenging because of the size of the cast and its intricate storyline. At the end of the day, the studio decided to move ahead with an exclusive theatrical release instead of shelving the film or selling it to a streamer because they felt it would be a disservice to the rest of the ensemble cast. There is also the case of franchise potential. 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, also based on a Christie novel and featuring Branagh alongside another sprawling cast, grossed nearly $353 million globally. The hope is that Death on the Nile will repeat that business.
As for the new trailer, they’re not hiding Armie Hammer in it and it looks like they’re going with displaying him because there is more to this film than just him. The movie stars a slew of familiar faces that are also featured prominently in the trailer in the hopes that they will generate interest beyond the Armie Hammer problem.
Did YOU like the trailer? Death on the Nile hits screens on February 11, 2022. You can check out the new poster for the film below!
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Gal Gadot's mysterious femme fatale Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle is the center of murderous attention in the official Death on the Nile poster.
Gal Gadot's mysterious femme fatale Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle is the center of murderous attention in the official Death on the Nile poster. Gadot is one of the multiple A-list stars joining Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie franchise alongside Annette Bening, Russel Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright. Branagh also returns to lead the cast of Death on the Nile as iconic private detective Hercule Poirot and Tom Bateman as his friend Bouc from Murder on the Orient Express.
Based on Christie's 1937 novel of the same name, Death on the Nile follows Poirot on what was intended to be a peaceful vacation down the titular Egyptian river aboard the luxury steamer, the S.S. Karnak, with picture-perfect newlyweds Simon and Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle. However, the tranquility is interrupted when one of the passengers is found murdered, requiring the renowned Belgian detective to once again utilize his investigative skills to get to the bottom of the mystery. With production having been wrapped on Death on the Nile for the past two years, the film is finally gearing up to hit theaters early next year.
On the heels of debuting the trailer for the film, 20th Century Studios has released the official Death on the Nile poster. The key art sees Gal Gadot as the center of attention for the ensemble murder mystery cast aboard the luxury steamer. Check out the new poster below:
Much like the trailer released this week, the Death on the Nile poster is sure to draw curiosity from audiences over the inclusion of Armie Hammer in the project following the wave of rape allegations leveled against him last year. With production having been concluded since late 2019 and his role being a major one for the story, the studio elected not to recast the role with reshoots but leave Hammer attached. Interestingly, it marks the second major acting controversy the new Christie adaptations have faced in the lead up to their release, with Murder on the Orient Express similarly seeing division amongst audiences for Johnny Depp's appearance amidst his heated divorce proceedings with Amber Heard.
Regardless of the casting controversy, the new Death on the Nile poster should create some excitement amongst audiences eager for another ensemble murder mystery. Kenneth Branagh's sequel comes at a time in which the murder mystery genre is enjoying a surge in popularity on both the big and small screens alongside Rian Johnson's Knives Out franchise and Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. The wait for Death on the Nile is nearly over as the film is set to hit theaters on February 11.
More: Why The ABC Murders Is Kenneth Branagh's Best Death On The Nile Sequel