The Thursday Murder Club Film: Cast, Release Date, Where to Watch

Netflix’s adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling novel turns a quartet of British acting legends into amateur sleuths for a star-studded feature film. The Thursday Murder Club brings Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie together under Chris Columbus’s direction for a limited theatrical run followed by global streaming. Here’s everything confirmed about the film before it hits screens this summer.

Director: Chris Columbus · Platform: Netflix · Theatrical Release: August 22, 2025 · Streaming Release: August 28, 2025 · Based On: Richard Osman’s novel

The key production details below compile confirmed information from multiple industry sources including Wikipedia and entertainment publications.

Is The Thursday Murder Club going to be a movie or a series?

The Thursday Murder Club is a feature film, not a television series. Production wrapped in September 2024 following a summer shoot, and Netflix has confirmed it will debut as a single film rather than a multi-episode adaptation.

Production details

Chris Columbus — best known for directing the first two Harry Potter films and Home Alone — signed on to direct, bringing experience with ensemble casts to a project that gathers four acting legends in one frame. Filming commenced in June 2024 and wrapped in September, giving post-production roughly eleven months before the planned August 2025 release.

Format confirmation

The screenplay was written by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote, adapting Richard Osman’s 2020 debut novel. While Osman has since published several Thursday Murder Club sequels, this initial film adapts only the first book. There are no confirmed plans for additional films as of mid-2025.

Where can I watch The Thursday Murder Club?

The Thursday Murder Club arrives on Netflix globally on August 28, 2025. Viewers in the United Kingdom have the option of catching it in cinemas first, with a limited theatrical run starting August 22, 2025.

Theatrical release

The UK gets a six-day theatrical window before the Netflix debut. This strategy — a brief cinema run followed by streaming — has become common for Netflix originals that want to generate buzz and awards consideration while maintaining the platform’s subscriber-focused release model.

Streaming options

Once the film hits Netflix on August 28, it will be available immediately to subscribers worldwide in all regions where Netflix operates. There are no announcements of premium add-on tiers or extended theatrical exclusivity windows.

Will the Thursday Murder Club film be in cinemas?

Yes — but only in the United Kingdom, and only for a limited run. The six-day gap between the UK theatrical release on August 22, 2025, and the Netflix premiere on August 28, 2025, gives British audiences a brief window to see it on the big screen.

Release schedule

The Thursday Murder Club had its first public preview at the British Library in early 2025, with Richard Osman, Chris Columbus, and several cast members in attendance. This event served as both a marketing tool and a signal that the production was confident enough in the finished film to show it to audiences ahead of the official release.

Distribution details

The limited UK cinema release mirrors Netflix’s approach with other star-driven originals — generating critical reviews and word-of-mouth during a brief theatrical window before the streaming debut drives subscriber sign-ups. There’s no confirmation of US theatrical plans or releases in other international markets.

Is there a sequel to The Thursday Murder Club?

The film is based on Richard Osman’s first novel, The Man Who Died Twice — the title of the original 2020 bestseller. While Osman has continued the book series, Netflix has not officially announced a second film as of mid-2025.

Book series context

The Thursday Murder Club franchise now includes multiple sequels, with Osman publishing new entries in the series regularly. The first book’s adaptation status means that any future film installments would need Netflix to commission them separately and reassemble the ensemble cast.

Film plans

No sequel announcements have been made, and the film’s performance — both in its brief UK theatrical run and on Netflix starting August 28 — will likely determine whether Netflix moves forward with additional adaptations. The star power of the cast suggests there’s audience appetite, but viewership numbers will ultimately drive the decision.

Who is playing Bogdan in The Thursday Murder Club?

Henry Lloyd-Hughes plays Bogdan, the Polish handyman who becomes involved with the Thursday Murder Club’s investigations. Lloyd-Hughes joins the ensemble as a character who brings a different perspective to the group of retirees solving crimes in their community.

Full cast overview

The main cast includes Helen Mirren as Elizabeth Best, Pierce Brosnan as Ron Ritchie, Ben Kingsley as Professor Ibrahim Arif, and Celia Imrie as Joyce Meadowcroft — four retirees whose weekly murder-solving hobby becomes serious when a real body turns up. Supporting roles include Naomi Ackie as Police Constable Donna De Freitas, Daniel Mays as DCI Chris Hudson, David Tennant as businessman Ian Ventham, and Jonathan Pryce as Stephen Best.

Key roles

Additional cast members include Richard E. Grant as the criminal Bobby Tanner, Tom Ellis as Jason Ritchie (Ron’s son), and Ingrid Oliver and Joseph Marcell in supporting roles. The ensemble rounds out with smaller appearances by Geoff Bell, Paul Freeman, Ruth Sheen, and Susan Kirkby. Richard Osman, the author, also serves as a producer alongside Jennifer Todd and Chris Columbus.

The Thursday Murder Club sits in an unusual position — a star-heavy adaptation of a beloved bestseller that chooses a limited UK theatrical run over a full global cinema rollout. For British audiences, the August 22 cinema date offers a chance to see Mirren, Brosnan, Kingsley, and Imrie on the big screen before the Netflix floodgates open six days later. For everyone else, the wait ends on August 28. Whether this film launches a franchise or remains a standalone curio depends entirely on those first-week streaming numbers.