Since becoming a major player in Hollywood developing originals, Netflix has extended into all aspects of the modern film industry, and that obviously includes developing franchises. Between titles like Enola Holmes,The Kissing Booth, To All The Boys, Extraction, The Old Guard, and more, many sequel swings have been taken in the last decade. Is it possible that The Thursday Murder Club will be the next popular movie to go that route?
The new feature, which is now available to stream for those with a Netflix subscription, features a talented cast, has gotten a warm reception from critics, and has fertile source material – as the original novel by author Richard Osman was followed by three sequel books. All of that obviously paves a road forward, but another key aspect in the mix is that the talent behind the film is excited to do more. In a piece by Entertainment Weekly, director Chris Columbus and stars of Thursday Murder Club share excitement about potentially making more movies – with Columbus noting that he has some exciting personal history when it comes to adapting multiple stories in a literary series:
If the audience falls in love with these characters, I would prefer to do nothing else over the next three or four years than to make one or two more of these films. Because honestly, since [Harry] Potter, this was the best experience in my filmmaking life. I just love working with these four actors. I would come back in a heartbeat for the second and the third films.
In the new Netflix movie, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie play a collection of elderly professionals who are able to pool their individual skills to try and solve a murder case. The book on which its based, which became a best-seller after it was released in late 2020, spawned annual sequels for three straight years: The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil To Die.
For Mirren, who plays retired spy Elizabeth Best, the joy of making a follow-up wouldn’t just be returning to the character or telling another exciting story, but being back together with who co-stars, who were apparently quite supportive during the making of the film:
We would all love to do another one. We had such a good time together. We created a real ensemble. We took great joy in each other’s performances and each other’s personalities. So, we would love to do a reunion.
Making a sequel to The Midnight Murder Club wouldn’t be a difficult choice for Pierce Brosnan either. He’s obviously had plenty of his own experience in movie franchises, so why not continue to play former union leader Ron Ritchie? The ex-007 told EW:
If they want me to come back, I would be more than happy.
Celia Imire, who plays Joyce Meadowcroft in the 2025 Netflix movie, had a more superstitious take on the question, and seemingly doesn’t want to jinx the opportunity to make a sequel. That being said, she couldn’t come up with a reason why she would say no to adapting The Man Who Died Twice or any of the other books:
I don’t want to spook things, but if there was a second film, why not?
Also featuring the great talents of Ben Kingsley, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Tom Ellis and Richard E. Grant, The Thursday Murder Club is now streaming, and while its future as a franchise starter is unclear for now, it’s good to know that so much of the principal talent would be excited to be involved in a sequel.
