Richard Osman defends casting Pierce Brosnan in Netflix Thursday Murder Club adaptation
Fans were surprised when Pierce Brosnan was cast as Ron in The Thursday Murder Club, but author Richard Osman has defended the decision
Behind the scenes of Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' adaptation.
(Image: Netflix © 2024 / Giles Keyte )
With just over a month to go before Netflix unveils its adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club, anticipation is mounting among fans who are keen to see the books brought to life. They are also eager to see how Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie will become the characters they know and love.
However, fans are concerned about the casting decision of Pierce Brosnan, as he isn't how they imagined the character Ron, a neck-tattooed ex-trade unionist who isn't quite your James Bond.
Richard Osman, the novel's author who has played a significant role in the screen version, has spoken out in support of choosing the actor for the role. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
He told Empire magazine, "you have to do something unusual and different and interesting."
The former Pointless host continued: "Here's the key thing about Pierce Brosnan playing Ron: Pierce Brosnan is who Ron would choose to play Ron.
"In the next book, I've got a scene with Ron and Ibrahim discussing who the best Bond is, and Ron is very much a Pierce Brosnan man. And Ibrahim is Timothy Dalton. For me, that's the joy."
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Mr Brosnan himself reacted to the author's remarks with enthusiasm, saying: "That's bloody great. I love it. Timothy Dalton was a fantastic Bond. Brosnan wasn't half bad either."
Ben Kingsley, who plays Ibrahim in the film, shared his thoughts on collaborating with Pierce. He said: "My working relationship with Pierce is one of the best working relationships I've ever had in my career.
"We shared a trust that means we could go into a Laurel and Hardy riff at a moment's notice, because we understood each other's working rhythm."
Sir Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim Arif, Pierce Brosnan as Ron Ritchie, Helen Mirren as Elizabeth Best and Celia Imrie as Joyce Meadowcroft.
The film has been directed by Chris Columbus, who is no stranger to a high profile movie having directed films like Home Alone and several of the Harry Potter franchise.
Netflix's Thursday Murder Club will host a star studded cast not only including the four lead characters. Joining them in the stellar line-up for the upcoming film are Naomi Ackie, Sir Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Daniel Mays, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Geoff Bell, Richard E Grant, Tom Ellis amongst others.
The official synopsis hints: "When an unexplained death occurs on their own doorstep, their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn as they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands."
The film is based on the first book in Osman's highly popular series, which currently comprises four novels, with a fifth set to be released this coming September called The Impossible Fortune.
The eagerly anticipated The Thursday Murder Club hits cinema screens on 22nd August followed by its Netflix debut on 28th August 2025, which quite fittingly happens to be a Thursday. You can watch the trailer here.
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