Forget Knives Out 3, Helen Mirren & Pierce Brosnan’s The Thursday Murder Club Is the Must-See Murder Mystery of the Year

Between the already-established Knives Out franchise and the rising anticipation of The Thursday Murder Club, there is not any doubt that Netflix is the streaming service to flock to for homicide thriller. As the biggest streaming service out there as of August 2025, Netflix is aware of what its viewers enjoys and works arduous to distribute not simply in style titles, however authentic creations. Taking the temporary actually, Homicide Thriller (2019) and Homicide Thriller 2 (2023) had been positively obtained upon launch. The Stranger (2020), Our bodies (2023), and A Good Lady’s Information to Homicide (2024) are additionally a handful of in style Netflix mysteries. For followers of the style, two extra movies are set to be distributed on Netflix lower than six weeks aside.

Though it wasn’t till not too long ago that the upcoming homicide thriller captured mass consideration, The Thursday Homicide Membership was first introduced in March 2020, six months earlier than its supply materials was even revealed. Over the previous 5 years, the movie has been in growth, though the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes put a brief halt to manufacturing plans. However, The Thursday Homicide Membership is lastly on its approach and shall be launched on Netflix on August twenty eighth, though a restricted theatrical launch will premiere on August 22. Primarily based on the primary trailer for Chris Columbus’s upcoming homicide thriller, the movie must be added to everybody’s watchlist.

The Thursday Homicide Membership Has an Attention-grabbing Plot

The Thursday Homicide Membership takes newbie sleuthing to an entire new stage. Columbus’s upcoming movie (with a screenplay by Katy Model and Suzanne Heathcote) facilities round a bunch of septuagenarians residing their finest lives in a nursing house. As a substitute of taking over knitting or bingo to go their time in retirement, the chums try to casually clear up unexplained crimes at their weekly Thursday Homicide Membership conferences. When the aged, sharp-witted group stumbles upon a chilly case in real-time, nonetheless, the Thursday Homicide Membership unexpectedly discover themselves taking their pastime across the metropolis in an precise whodunit case with the police and crime investigators.

The Thursday Homicide Membership might function an authentic story, however the upcoming launch is a movie adaptation of Richard Osman’s 2020 novel of the identical title. Osman, a tv presenter-turned-novelist who created the British quiz present Pointless (2009-Current), launched The Thursday Homicide Membership as his debut novel. The ebook was an prompt success, significantly in the UK. Osman turned his debut work right into a sequence; 4 novels have been revealed between 2020 and 2023, together with The Thursday Homicide Membership: The Man Who Died Twice (2021), The Bullet That Missed (2022), and The Final Satan To Die (2023). The subsequent installment within the sequence, The Not possible Fortune, is ready to launch on September 25, 2025.

On paper, The Thursday Homicide Membership and Wake Up Useless Man have obtrusive similarities, however the former upcoming movie from Netflix already carries a slight edge. The Knives Out anthology franchise was born out of a totally authentic idea, however the three movies cater extra to trendy audiences with youthful forged members and dozens of popular culture references. The Thursday Homicide Membership, however, is essentially compelling as a result of its story is led by an older era that also has its wit and allure. Contemplating that the upcoming adaptation of Osman’s first Thursday Homicide Membership novel debuts on Netflix greater than two months before Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Johnson’s homicide thriller naturally has to reside as much as Columbus’s success, as a substitute of the opposite approach round.

The Thursday Homicide Membership Contains a Excellent Forged

Everybody concerned within the casting division for The Thursday Homicide Membership undoubtedly deserves a elevate, as, primarily based on the movie’s trailer alone, they completely stuffed each function’s sneakers. The Thursday Homicide Membership has 4 main members, every with fascinating jobs pre-retirement: Elizabeth Greatest, a spy (Helen Mirren), Ron Ritchie, a union chief (Pierce Brosnan), Joyce Meadowcroft, a nurse (Celia Imrie), and Ibrahim Arif, a psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley). Whereas all the primary actors are extremely revered and acclaimed in their very own proper, there is not any doubt that Mirren and Brosnan will steal the show. The 2 have already confirmed themselves as actors with improbable vitality and highly effective chemistry. In spite of everything, in early 2025, Mirren and Brosnan starred as married couple Maeve and Conrad Harrigan in Paramount+’s crime drama sequence, MobLand.

Whereas Mirren and Brosnan are an unstoppable duo, the remainder of the ensemble forged of The Thursday Homicide Membership may even be a sight to behold. In addition to the core group of septuagenarians, the upcoming homicide thriller movie stars David Tennant (Ian Ventham), Jonathan Pryce (Stephen Greatest), Naomi Ackie (Donna De Freitas), Daniel Mays (Chris Hudson), and Tom Ellis (Jason Ritchie). Richard E. Grant and Geoff Bell may even seem in presently undisclosed roles.

The Knives Out franchise additionally is aware of easy methods to ship a robust ensemble forged, and to be truthful, Wake Up Useless Man is not any completely different. The movie, which is able to see the return of Daniel Craig as investigator Benoit Blanc, may even star Josh O’Connor (Jud Duplenticy), Glenn Shut (Martha Delacroix), Josh Brolin (Jefferson Wicks), Mila Kunis (Geraldine Scott), Jeremy Renner (Nat Sharp), and Kerry Washington (Vera Draven). Whereas each ensemble casts are stuffed with Hollywood legends and prolific performers, The Thursday Homicide Membership has an edge, particularly for the reason that plot of Johnson’s upcoming homicide thriller is, just like the precise movie, mysterious.

The In depth Legacies of Chris Columbus and Rian Johnson

The cast of The Thursday Murder Club with author Richard-1 — Picture through Netflix

Whereas Chris Columbus shares his full title with the well-known Italian explorer who by chance stumbled upon North America, the acclaimed director has extra in common with Rian Johnson (though the 2 have distinct filmmaking kinds). Columbus, who has directed, written, and/or produced dozens of movies since 1984, is probably finest identified for steering Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and techniques. With most of his movies specializing in comedy, dysfunctional household relationships, and difficult traditions, a few of Columbus’s different acclaimed movies embody Dwelling Alone (1990), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Hire (2005), and Pixels (2015).

Johnson has no affiliation with the Harry Potter franchise, however his resume continues to be fairly intensive and praiseworthy. Though Johnson grew to become a family title when he directed Star Wars: The Final Jedi (2017), the triple-threat director, producer, and screenwriter (like Columbus) has all the time felt at house within the thriller style. Outdoors of the Knives Out anthology, Johnson’s different works embody the movies Brick (2005) and Looper (2012), as well as Poker Face (2023-Current), a “case-of-the-week” comedy present on Peacock that includes Natasha Lyonne.

Columbus and Johnson are weeks away from their respective homicide mysteries hitting Netflix (and a few theaters), and The Thursday Homicide Membership and Wake Up Useless Man are each anticipated to usher in giant audiences. Primarily based on Columbus’s and Johnson’s particular person kinds, nonetheless, it is simple to see how every movie will succeed. Johnson routinely challenges the established order with revolutionary methods and camerawork, whereas Columbus has lengthy mastered the artwork of standard storytelling. Each filmmakers routinely discover character growth and nuances, however contemplating that Columbus’s murder mystery will spotlight morality and growing older with the members of the Thursday Homicide Membership, that extra layer will little question result in a extra emotional affect.

The Potential Way forward for The Thursday Homicide Membership

Helen Mirren in The Thursday Murder Club. — Picture through Netflix

If The Thursday Homicide Membership lives as much as its hype, there is not any doubt that the Mirren and Brosnan-led homicide thriller will earn one other installment. As the biggest streaming service in the meanwhile, Netflix is aware of expertise and alternative once they see it, which, in flip, results in a plethora of sequels, spin-offs, and different associated sequence (Happy Gilmore 2 was only just now released 29 years after Blissful Gilmore, as an illustration). Contemplating that Osman’s ebook sequence shall be composed of 5 thrilling tales come September, there’s loads of materials to adapt after The Thursday Homicide Membership’s launch.

Because the third installment of the Knives Out anthology, Wake Up Useless Man is Johnson’s newest work, however actually not the final. Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Wake Up Useless Man all function completely different tales and an ensemble forged, however audiences can all the time depend on Craig’s Blanc to unravel the thriller and save the day. Whereas selling the upcoming homicide mysteries over the previous couple of years, Johnson and Craig have each said that they’re serious about making extra Knives Out installments so long as they will proceed to work collectively. With that in thoughts and the all-but assured incoming success of its Netflix launch in December, Wake Up Useless Man will ultimately be adopted up by one other Johnson/Craig creation.