Vishal Bhardwaj to adapt Agatha Christie stories as film franchise

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is developing a film franchise based on the works of famed author Agatha Christie. The series will feature a new pair as the lead investigators.

Bhardwaj has partnered with Agatha Christie Limited to develop the big screen franchise for the Indian audience. Some of Christie's iconic characters include Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Tommy and Tuppence, but with his franchise Bhardwaj will create an entirely new pair of investigators, drawing inspiration from Christie's timeless mysteries.

Talking about the collaboration, James Prichard, great grandson of Agatha Christie, and Chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, said: "I'm truly excited at the prospect of developing a new Agatha Christie film franchise in India, and am delighted to be partnering with Vishal, who is a multitalented and visionary filmmaker with a terrific track record for adapting works to create memorable pieces of cinema. He has also demonstrated a real passion and understanding of my great grandmother's characters and stories and I very much look forward to seeing where this project takes us."

Bhardwaj added: "Agatha Christie had a tremendous skill of defining emotional chaos, dysfunctional relationships and the turmoil in her characters while engaging us in a riveting mystery. It is an honour to create an Indian franchise of a pair of young investigators looking to take over the world with their intelligence and charm. ACL have been such amazing partners and we are all excited to be on this journey."

The first film will introduce a young heroine who is thrown into solving a murder, and for the case she teams up with an unlikely companion to unravel the case. The future films will follow the duo as they continue to investigate multiple murder mysteries.

The script is currently in development, and which of Christie's books will be adapted is still under wraps.

While the cast of the film is still to be locked, the National award winning filmmaker is excited to dive into the project.

The first film in the franchise is scheduled to shoot from early 2021, with Basi Akpabio and Leo Dezoysa serving as executive producers for Agatha Christie Limited on the new films. Bhardwaj will also co-produce through his production house.