Kenneth Branagh to Star in, Direct MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS Reboot

Variety has just confirmed earlier rumors that stage and screen star Kenneth Branagh will take on a new big screen adaptation of Agatha Cristie's iconic detective novel MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. He will also star in the film.

Michael Green pens the screenplay which follows detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of a wealthy American on a train.

Christie's detective novel, first published in 1934, was brought to the big screen in 1974. The film featured an all-star cast, including Albert Finney, Martin Balsam and George Coulouris.

Branagh most recently directed Disney's live action CINDERELLA, which delivered $532.7 million worldwide. Previous directing credits include HENRY V, JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT, MARILYN AND ME and THOR.

Branagh, who just started his own theatre company, has long been lauded as one of the great Shakespearean interpreters. His skills as a writer, director, and actor have garnered international acclaim across the disciplines of stage, film, and television, and he has been nominated in five different categories for an Academy Award. Branagh last performed Shakespeare when he played Richard III at the Sheffield Crucible in 2002. His stage performances as Edmund at The National Theatre and Ivanov for the Donmar played to great acclaim. In 2011, Branagh completed a sell-out run of the hit comedy The Painkiller at the Lyric Theatre in his native Belfast. In 2013 he received a Knighthood for his services to drama and to the community in N. Ireland.

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