David Tennant Joins All-Star Cast of Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club'

If decades of Masterpiece dramas and three seasons of Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building have taught us anything, it's that literally anyone can solve crimes. Are you a restaurant owner? A parish priest? A book publicist? You, too, could be out there doing your bit to help the local police department better manage their workload. Such is the premise behind The Thursday Murder Club, an upcoming Netflix film about a group of friends in a charming English retirement home who spice up their days as so many of us do — with a dash of true crime.

The film is based on the eponymous first installment in Richard Osman's bestselling series of novels. It follows a group of elderly retirees who investigate unsolved crimes and cold cases for fun. However, things take an unexpected turn when a brutal killing occurs right under their noses, and the group finds itself embroiled in a real-life murder investigation. The primary quartet of crime solvers will feature Helen Mirren (1923) as ex-spy Elizabeth, Ben Kingsley (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) as ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim, Pierce Brosnan (The Great Lillian Hall) as former union activist Ron, and Celia Imrie (Better Things) as ex-nurse Joyce. But they're hardly the only buzzy names attached to the project. 

The latest round of big-name cast additions includes familiar faces such as David Tennant (Good Omens), Jonathan Pryce (The Crown), Naomi Ackle (Small Axe), Daniel Mays (The Long Shadow), and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (We Were the Lucky Ones). Pryce is reportedly set to play the husband of Mirren's character, while Ackle will play a policewoman, but everyone else's roles remain firmly under wraps.

Here's the film's logline. 

The story follows a group of geriatric friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun, but find themselves caught in a real case.

“There’s some great names and some more names coming as well,” Osman said on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment. “I think this is the greatest British cast assembled since the [Harry Potter] movies."

Chris Columbus, best known for helming the first two Harry Potter films, is writing and directing the crime caper and will also serve as a producer alongside Jennifer Todd. Executive producers include Holly Bario, Jeb Brody, Eleanor Columbus, and Jo Burn. The film is based on the first in Osman's series of novels, which includes The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Man to Die. Given the level of talent involved with this production, one has to assume Netflix is already planning to adapt the remainder of the books in the series should this first installment prove to be a hit. 

Filming for The Thursday Murder Club is slated to take place in the summer of 2024 in England, likely with a 2025 release date in mind.