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Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot in Death on The Nile, the latest big-screen remake of the classic Agatha Christie mystery, and Disney has just released their new trailer for the upcoming blockbuster. Arriving in February, the film has garnered a response from many but not with outcries of another Hollywood remake, but more for the inclusion of actor Armie Hammer in the cast. Hammer has been facing allegations of mental abuse, manipulation and rape from a series of women, which led to him being dropped from many upcoming projects including Paramount’s The Godfather series and Jennifer Lopez’s movie Shotgun Wedding, as well as losing his agent.
However, with the movie already being shot and edited prior to those allegations, Disney was left with a choice of attempting to find some way of replacing him in a movie already complete or going ahead with the hope that the merits of the movie will outshine that controversy. While it was reported that a full reshoot had been considered — something that producer Ridley Scott did on his 2017 movie All The Money in The World after the assault accusations against Kevin Spacey meant he was replaced in the film by Christopher Plummer — it seems that Disney has made the decision to go ahead and release the film as it was filmed, mainly due to the mountainous task that it would be to take any other route.
Death on the Nile sees a huge ensemble cast take on one of Christie’s most loved and best-known stories, so it is therefore not surprising that it has had two previous outings. The 1937 novel was first notably adapted for the 1978 feature film starring Peter Ustinov as the Belgian detective, who himself led a cast of big names such as Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Mia Farrow and David Niven. In 2004, it was translated to the small screen as part of the Herculean run of David Suchet as the detective that saw him film every Poirot story written by the author, and once again included a well-known cast with the likes of Emily Blunt, Edward Fox and David Soul joining in the mystery.
The latest adaptation is essentially a sequel to Branagh’s first run out as the detective in 2017’s Murder On The Orient Express. Produced by Ridley Scott and Branagh among others, the film sees the return of Tom Bateman from the previous film and throws in a spectacular cast that almost defies its relatively moderate budget of $90 million including Gal Gadot, Dawn French, Russell Brand, Jennifer Saunders, Emma Mackey, Letitia Wright and Armie Hammer. With Murder on the Orient Express previously pulling in $350 million at the box office, Disney will be hoping that this new Poirot adventure, which was inherited as part of the Fox merger in 2019.
In a statement released with the trailer, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said: “Ken’s sweeping, elegant vision for this classic story deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. We’re so proud of this film, our brilliant cast and the stellar work that went into bringing Death on the Nile to screen. We know that audiences can’t wait to experience Hercule Poirot’s next adventure, and we’re thrilled to continue working with Ken as he lends his masterful storytelling vision to the newest film in this celebrated franchise.”
Hopefully, the list of big-name stars will be enough to give Disney the hit they will be hoping for, although there will be those who choose to avoid the film because of Hammer’s continued inclusion. After this week’s revelations about And Just Like That star Chris Noth, Hammer’s appearance in the trailer for Death on the Nile couldn’t have came at a worse time.
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