Between the cast and the source material, the Netflix adaptation ofThe Thursday Murder Clubby Richard Osman is without a doubt the most exciting upcoming movie. Manyhighly anticipated films will come out in 2025, giving viewers a wide selection of choices. While Knives Out 3 is the biggest name mystery film coming out in 2025, another film deserves just as much excitement, if not more —The Thursday Murder Club.
The book by Osman came out early into the COVID-19 lockdown and became an instant hit because of its clever mystery and exciting characters. It easily ranks among thebest modern mystery books. In 2022, word broke that the book would become a movie, raising excitement for fans. The film adaptation ofThe Thursday Murder Clubwrapped filming in September 2024, and Netflix set the release timeframe for 2025. Looking at the information available about the film,The Thursday Morning Clubdeserves immense excitement, as it could be one of the best modern mystery movies.
6Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club Has A Brilliant Cast
The 2025 Netflix Film Is Packed With Award-Winning Actors
Potential viewers who haven’t heard of or readThe Thursday Murder Clubby Richard Osman still have a great reason to feel excited about the upcoming Netflix adaptation. The Netflix film is packed with big-name actors who have proven themselves among the best.The four main characters are played by Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie.
Dame Helen Mirren’s career has spanned 60 years, with some of her most notable projects beingCaligula(1979),The Queen(2006),Red(2010), andBarbie(2023). Pierce Brosnan might be best-known for playing James Bond from 1995 to 2002, but he’s also appeared in hits likeMrs. Doubtfire(1993) andMamma Mia!(2008). Ben Kingsley has had a prolific onscreen career as well, appearing in films likeGandhi(1982),Schindler’s List(1993), andIron Man 3(2013). Celia Imrie has also shone inImagine Me & You(2005),The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel(Madge Hardcastle), andThe Diplomat(2023-Present).
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That’s just the impressive background for the four main characters. Supporting roles inThe Thursday Murder Clubwill be filled by beloved actors David Tennant, Naomi Ackie, Tom Ellis, Richard E. Grant, and Daniel Mays – to name a few. While actors are far from the only thing that determines the success of a project, the stars who will appear inThe Thursday Murder Clubpoint to the Netflix film being fantastic. With such star power, it would take terrible writing or directing for the movie to flop, which doesn’t seem likely considering the notable behind-the-scenes individuals attached to the project.
5The Thursday Murder Club Is Based On A Best-Selling Book With Accolades
The Thursday Murder Club Has Remained Popular With Book Readers
One reason to feel excited about Netflix’s upcoming filmThe Thursday Murder Clubis the fact that it’s based on a best-selling book with rave reviews from fans. Many of thebest mystery film franchisesare adaptations of superbly written books. After its 2020 release,The Thursday Murder Clubhit the bestseller list for both the New York Times and Sunday Times, reaching the platinum rank reserved for books that sell over one million copies in the UK.
Since then, the book has maintained moderate to high ratings, holding a 3.9 rating on Goodreads (based on 605,507 reviews) and a 4.3 rating on Amazing (based on 161,508 reviews). Additionally, the source material for Netflix’sThe Thursday Murder Clubis so compelling that writer Richard Osman received the Author of the Year award at the 2021 British Book Awards forThe Thursday Murder Club.
The hype and praise for the original book sets the Netflix mystery film up for success. Hopefully, writers Chris Columbus and Katy Brand rely on the excellent story that already exists rather than completely changing the story for the onscreen version.
4There Are Four More Books To Adapt If The Thursday Murder Club Movie Is Successful
The Thursday Murder Club Doesn’t Have To Be a One-Off Film
When audiences become attached to characters and settings, it’s natural to want to see them on screen again. Unfortunately, adaptations of standalone books struggle because, to create a sequel, they must craft an entirely new story that feels authentic to the existing world. This isn’t an issue thatThe Thursday Murder Clubwill encounter. If the film is successful and Netflix chooses to produce a sequel, the creative team has multiple books to work with.
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Richard Osman has written three released sequels toThe Thursday Murder Club, all of which quickly became bestsellers upon their release, with the third book attaining platinum bestseller status as well. A fifth book is coming out this year. In December 2024,Mushens Entertainmentalso announced that Richard Osman’sThe Thursday Murder Clubseries will soon see a sixth book released in 2027, with the company publishing the book in the US and Pamela Dorman Books handling the US release. Ultimately, the ongoing expansion of the book series makes the Netflix adaptation even more exciting.
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The robust number of books means that viewers can get invested in the Netflix adaptation, knowing they likely won’t have to say goodbye to the rambunctious main characters anytime soon (unless the streaming giant continues its ridiculous trend ofcanceling great Netflix original TV showsand film franchises too soon). They can also look forward to sequels without concern about the story. They can develop an emotional connection to Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim, knowing that they can continue to revisit their favorite characters in book format even if Netflix chooses to keepThe Thursday Murder Cluba one-off film.
3Director And Co-Writer Chris Columbus Has A Great Track Record
The Thursday Murder Club Is In Great Hands With Chris Columbus
Filmmaker Chris Columbus directed and co-wrote the screenplay forThe Thursday Murder Club, which is a great sign based on his past track record. Most of the films Columbus has directed are book adaptations, so he has experience creating a vision based on a book. Some of his most successful book adaptations include Bicentennial Man, the first two Harry Potter movies, and Mrs. Doubtfire. He also served as a producer on the award-nominated adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. If Columbus puts as much time and attention intoThe Thursday Murder Clubas he has in the past, the Netflix film will undoubtedly succeed.
Chris Columbus’s directing style also will mesh well with Richard Osman’s story. The director is known for a very cozy and Earthy visual aesthetic with memorable sets, which perfectly fit the retirement village of Cooper’s Chase. He also frequently leans into dramatic moments, giving them the time and space they need to breathe. Although the story is a mystery, Richard Osman’s book is surprisingly poignant, offering many emotional moments and themes that will need the space that Columbus provides.
If this isn’t enough of a reason to believe that Chris Columbus will do great withThe Thursday Murder Club, it’s worth acknowledging that the filmmaker wrote the script for the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes booksare some of the most challenging works to adapt for the big screen because the characters are so iconic. If Columbus can handle the pressure of adapting Sherlock Holmes, he will be able to handleThe Thursday Murder Club. Plus, his experience working with mystery novels will undoubtedly help with the Netflix film.
2Shows And Movies Like The Thursday Murder Club Have Found Success On Netflix
Netflix Murder Mysteries Have Performed Well With Critics And Audiences
The Thursday Murder Club is being created as a Netflix original show, with Amblin Entertainment and Netflix co-producing the film. This is actually good news for the mystery film that should build excitement among fans. When Netflix produces an original show rather than acquiring it, the streaming giant has an immense amount of control over the show. Luckily, Netflix has a history of creating entertaining and successful mystery shows and movies likeThe Thursday Murder Club.
Some of the most recent examples includeA Man On the InsideandA Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, both of which are renewed for a second season. The 2024 comedy series A Man On the Inside is a comedy mystery with older main characters, which matches the genre and main characters ofThe Thursday Murder Club.A Good Girl’s Guide to Murderincludes an ordinary person who gets sucked into a murder plot, like the foursome in the upcoming Netflix film.
Older Netflix mysteries that prove the streaming giant’s ability to handle the genre include High Seas and Glass Onion. The Netflix seriesHigh Seasdemonstrates that they can create a great mystery that’s contained in a limited space. Even Netflix’sGlass Onionbodes well forThe Thursday Murder Clubsince it balances a mystery filled with plot twists and comedy. If Netflix gives the upcoming murder mystery movie the same amount of attention to detail and quality control as these previous projects,The Thursday Murder Clubcould rivalWake Up Dead Manfor the best Netflix original mystery of 2025.
1Author Richard Osman Is Excited About The Thursday Murder Club Movie
The Author Of The Thursday Murder Club Can’t Wait To See The Film
The author of the original story is the one person who has the right to be the most skeptical and critical of any onscreen adaptation. After all, they wrote the original story. However, author Richard Osman isn’t concerned about the upcoming Netflix film. In fact,he’s excited about the movie version of The Thursday Murder Club.
Osman is in a unique position with the upcoming murder mystery. Authors often retain creative control or at least a strong influence over the film adaptations of their stories. However, Osman decided not to write the screenplay for the film because he wanted to spend his time writing another book instead of getting involved in the film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club (viaCollider). However, he does have insight into the film that the audience isn’t privy to because he has gone to the set of the film sometimes. He toldGood Housekeepingthis:
“I’m nothing to do with it, so I’m as interested as anyone else to see what it’s going to be, how it’s going to turn out. But the cast is wonderful, the director, Chris Columbus is wonderful, and the producer, Steven Spielberg is wonderful. So I feel like it’s in good hands. But yeah, I go down occasionally and just sit and watch in awe at these actors. I have no idea what’s going to come out the other side of it, but I’m very, very excited to see.”
Since he’s been on set for some of the filming but isn’t directly involved in the film, Osman is the best person to look to to gauge whetherThe Thursday Morning Clubis worth the hype. The fact that he’s pumped to see the film after watching the creative team at work proves that potential viewers should get excited about the upcoming 2025 Netflix film.
