Mon. Aug 25th, 2025
Pierce Brosnan Acknowledges “Huge Responsibility” to Thursday Murder Club Fans

Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club” book series has become a publishing phenomenon in recent years, with over 10 million copies sold. All four books have achieved record-breaking sales in the UK, and the highly anticipated fifth installment is slated for release this autumn.

Given the series’ widespread popularity, it’s understandable that the star-studded cast of the film adaptation are feeling the pressure to deliver a movie that resonates with fans.

Speaking with the BBC, Pierce Brosnan expressed his mounting apprehension. “It’s a huge responsibility when you have an audience and the world waiting to see these characters,” he stated.

In the upcoming Netflix film, Brosnan sheds his typically polished image to portray Ron, a gregarious former trade union leader turned unlikely amateur sleuth. The movie is based on the first book in the series.

Brosnan confessed that his initial thoughts upon reading the script involved another actor entirely.

“I never asked Chris why he cast me,” Brosnan admitted. “I thought: ‘this is Ray Winstone, bro.'” He kept his doubts to himself, however, recalling his internal monologue: “‘Don’t say anything Pierce, just keep going.'”

Dame Helen Mirren plays Elizabeth, Celia Imrie embodies Joyce, and Sir Ben Kingsley takes on the role of Ibrahim, completing the quartet who unite to solve murders, schedules permitting.

The narrative unfolds with the mystery-solving group residing in Coopers Chase, an otherwise idyllic retirement village.

Brosnan noted that his co-stars helped to alleviate his anxieties, and the cast “had a great time” on set.

The 72-year-old actor has apparently formed a particularly close bond with Sir Ben, 81, with the pair sharing with the BBC their enjoyment of getting to know each other.

“We’d stand around and chat about things we liked, and we discovered we both love Laurel and Hardy,” Brosnan recounted, prompting Sir Ben to launch into a rendition of “Trail of the Lonesome Pine,” which Brosnan enthusiastically joined.

The fast-paced, two-hour adventure boasts Steven Spielberg’s involvement through his production company, Amblin, and is directed by Chris Columbus, known for his work on “Harry Potter” and “Home Alone.”

Sir Ben revealed that Spielberg’s involvement initially sparked his interest, with the script ultimately sealing the deal.

“It’s a beautiful script, and it is so idiosyncratically English – it’s a new old English movie.”

Dame Helen, 80, a popular fan choice to portray the enigmatic group leader Elizabeth, admitted to having the same thought upon first reading the novel.

“Embarrassingly, I did. When you read that book, you think immediately this could be a movie, and then, if it is, I wonder if they’ll ever approach me to play that role, because I’d love to play it. It was sort of a bit of a miracle for me when they did.”

Imrie, 73, who plays former nurse Joyce, took a different approach, refraining from reading the book until after she was cast.

“Dear friends of mine occasionally said: ‘You know, you’d be awfully good for this, but I’m quite superstitious,'” Imrie recalled. “I didn’t want to spook things. The minute I was cast I ran down to the bookshop.”

The film has garnered mixed reactions from critics. Robbie Collin of The Telegraph, in a two-star review, described it as a “nefariously lazy” adaptation, amounting to little more than a “half-hearted parody of a whodunnit.”

Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent similarly awarded the film two stars, arguing that it failed to capitalize on its stellar cast and “is so flimsy and digestible, it barely exists,” with “each clue presented plainly, legibly, and without even a hint of enigma.”

A more favorable review came from Kevin Maher of The Times, who, while acknowledging “a lot of heavy exposition,” awarded the film four stars, adding: “Camp and quietly sad, a franchise is born.”

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian offered a middling three-star review, noting “much to enjoy” and “the club sometimes resembling a kind of senior-citizen X-Men group whose collective superpower is invisibility.”

The cosy-crime movie will have a limited cinematic release for one week before becoming available for streaming on Netflix.

Its theatrical release is somewhat restricted, showing in only 30 cinemas, a decision Dame Helen deems “disappointing.”

“I think it would have done well in the cinema, and I wish it was staying for a little longer,” she stated, adding that she has “no idea” why the release is so limited.

Osman, however, acknowledges the current challenges in getting films commissioned and expresses gratitude to Netflix for its support.

The first day of filming for the quartet involved an emotional scene set in a hospice, which Imrie felt encapsulated a broader theme for the film.

“It was full of what hangs over the story, not in a morbid way, but we are around the bed of someone that is dying, and we’re all of an age where that is going to happen,” she explained.

“It was the starting point, I think it gives the film some ballast,” added Sir Ben. “It’s not a little comedy. It has some layers to it… a base note that runs through it.”

Dame Helen concurred: “That’s the great success of the books, isn’t it, the way Richard combines real sadness, the reality that life involves death always… but at the same time, there is this great, natural humane comedy bubbling up all the time.”

When asked whether they would return to Coopers Chase in the near future, Dame Helen and Brosnan responded enthusiastically. “Yes, absolutely,” they said in unison. It seems that this A-list ensemble’s adventures may have only just begun.

The Thursday Murder Club will be available to stream on Netflix starting Thursday, August 28.

Additional reporting by George Bowden.

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