Murder on the Orient Express sequel Death on the Nile announced

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express has proven a smash, dominating at the UK box-office.

Unsurprisingly, Twentieth Century Fox has announced a follow up: an adaptation of Death on the Nile, a novel that sees Hercule Poirot solve a mystery aboard a riverboat.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Branagh is expected to return (although hasn’t signed anything yet) as both leading actor and director, while Michael Green — who scripted Orient Express — will pen the sequel.

Death on the Nile, one of Christie’s most popular books, has been adapted multiple times before, the most notable version being the 1978 film starring Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, Angela Lansbury, and Maggie Smith.

First published in 1937, the story sees the famous mustachioed Belgian detective on holiday in Egypt when a murder takes place on the Nile after a love triangle goes wrong.

Branagh’s Orient Express featured a stellar cast, including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Colman, and Daisy Ridley. The film has made almost $150 million globally.