



“I said, ‘Well, if we ever got the chance, we would do. He was just paying tribute to the time his actual mother became a Christie fan herself. As much as he hoped for a future stroke of luck, Branagh insists that his primary goal wasn’t to foretell his now-current project. Oddly enough, Branagh’s previous film, the semi-autobiographical Belfast, which landed him an Oscar for best original screenplay, included a Christmas Day scene in which the mother character (Caitríona Balfe) is given Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party. And instead of a more traditional Halloween party, a now-retired Poirot reluctantly attends a séance that quickly goes awry, making the film more of a supernatural thriller, unlike previous installments. So I was very pleased when they came back to us, for sure,” Branagh tells The Hollywood Reporter.Ī Haunting in Venice is based on Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, and together with Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022) screenwriter Michael Green, Branagh moved the location from the English countryside to post-World War II Venice. And then the streaming performance was really exceptional. “ theatrical release was challenged for various reasons, but it still did exceptional numbers in the circumstances. So Branagh credits word of mouth, above-average streaming numbers and his long-standing relationship with Disney and 20th Century for A Haunting in Venice’s eventual green light. Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jude Hill Join Kenneth Branagh in Agatha Christie Mystery 'A Haunting in Venice'įortunately, the film still received generally positive reviews, and the performance of Emma Mackey, in particular, was considered a highlight among the star-studded ensemble.
