‘The ABC Murders’: John Malkovich To Don The Mustache Of Hercule Poirot In New Agatha Christie Adaptation
By Ben Pearson/May 27, 2018 1:00 pm EST
Deadline says Malkovich will play the role of the famous detective in The ABC Murders, a three-part miniseries TV adaptation of Christie’s 1936 novel for BBC One. Rupert Grint, who played the goofy and good-natured Ron Weasley in Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter film franchise, will star opposite Malkovich, playing the character of Inspector Crome, who initially doubts Poirot’s abilities. Here’s the plot synopsis:
The story was previously adapted into a movie called The Alphabet Murders in 1965, starring Tony Randall in the lead role.
In the books and previous movie adaptations, Hercule Poirot is Belgian. I’ve never heard Malkovich attempt a Belgian accent before, but my personal hope is that he dusts off whatever the bizarre accent he created for the 1998 poker movie Rounders and uses that as Poirot’s voice here:
The rest of the cast includes Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks) as Cust, a suspect in the case; and Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch), Tara Fitzgerald (Game of Thrones), Bronwyn James (Harlots), and Freya Mavor (The Sense of an Ending) as people who are related to the murder victims either by blood or employment.
Meanwhile, Branagh is set to reprise the role of Poirot on the big screen and direct Death on the Nile, a big-screen sequel to Murder on the Orient Express that’s set to arrive in theaters on November 8, 2019.
