The Thursday Murder Club (film)

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The Thursday Murder Club
The Thursday Murder Club (film).jpg
Release poster
Directed by Chris Columbus
Screenplay by
Based on The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Don Burgess
Edited by Dan Zimmerman
Music by Thomas Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • August 21, 2025 (2025-08-21)(Leicester Square)
  • August 28, 2025 (2025-08-28)(Netflix)
Running time
118 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States [2]
LanguageEnglish

The Thursday Murder Club is a 2025 American crime comedy film directed by Chris Columbus from a screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote, based on the 2020 novel by Richard Osman. The film stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie with David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Richard E. Grant, Tom Ellis, Geoff Bell, Paul Freeman, and Ingrid Oliver in supporting roles. Its plot follows a group of elderly amateur sleuths who attempt to solve a murder.

Contents

The Thursday Murder Club premiered in Leicester Square in London on August 21, 2025. The film was released in select theaters in the United Kingdom on August 22, ahead of its streaming debut on Netflix on August 28. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Its soundtrack was released by Netflix Music.

Plot

At the Coopers Chase retirement village, psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif, former trade union leader Ron Ritchie, and mysterious Elizabeth Best are members of the Thursday Murder Club (TMC), which meets weekly to discuss cold cases. They are soon joined by Joyce, a retired nurse and new resident, whose medical knowledge proves useful. The group is inspired by a case once handled by Detective Inspector Penny Gray in 1973, now comatose in Cooper Chase's hospice, involving the unsolved murder of Angela Hughes. Police Constable Donna De Freitas, recently transferred from London, visits the village and strikes up a friendship with the TMC. She confides that her work feels tedious, so the club eagerly draws her into their investigations.

Meanwhile, conflict brews over plans to redevelop Coopers Chase into luxury flats. One of the owners, Ian Ventham, pushes the project forward, while his partner Tony Curran opposes it, promising the residents that he will block the sale. Shortly afterwards, Tony is murdered in his own home, his house ransacked and the weapon missing.

The TMC resolve to investigate. With Donna's help, they learn that local crime boss Bobby Tanner is secretly involved in the business but has long been thought to be dead after disappearing a few years earlier, and that Ron's son Jason once worked with Tony. Suspicion briefly falls on Ian, but he is soon ruled out. During a residents' protest, Ian himself collapses and dies from a fentanyl overdose, leaving Tanner the sole owner. Jason is arrested, though the evidence against him proves weak.

Elizabeth develops a cautious friendship with Bogdan, a Polish handyman employed at the village. He discovers a grave containing a skeleton on top of the coffin, later identified as Peter Mercer, the man who witnessed Angela's death decades earlier. Elizabeth also begins receiving threats, warning her to leave the matter alone.

When Jason provides an alibi (an affair with Ian's estranged wife Gemma), the TMC turn their attention back to Tanner. Elizabeth and Donna discover that he has been trafficking migrants and seizing their passports, and, to their shock, Tony was his partner. Elizabeth confronts him and strikes a bargain: he is to keep Coopers Chase intact in return for her silence. She then realises that Bogdan was responsible for Tony's death. At the same time, Bogdan, while playing chess with Elizabeth's husband Stephen, confesses, after being pressed, that he killed Tony under pressure but unintentionally. His confession is secretly, and accidentally, recorded by Stephen, and he is arrested. He reveals he merely wanted his passport back so he could return to Poland to his sick mother.

The truth about Angela's murder also emerges. The TMC deduce that Mercer killed her, but that Penny secretly took justice into her own hands by killing Mercer and concealing his body. As Ian's plans to redevelop Coopers Chase might have revealed Mercer's body, thereby implicating Penny, her husband John murdered him to protect her. Both Penny and John die soon after in hospice care (implied to be a murder–suicide from fentanyl overdosing).

At their funeral, Elizabeth presents Penny's club necklace to Joyce, formally welcoming her as a full member of the TMC. With Coopers Chase once more up for sale, Joyce's daughter Joanna considers buying it. Life in the village quietly resumes, with friendships renewed and the club ready for whatever mystery may come next.

Cast

Production

Development

In March 2020, it was announced that Ol Parker would write and direct a film adaptation of Richard Osman's debut novel The Thursday Murder Club for Amblin Entertainment, after Amblin acquired the worldwide rights to the project, with Jennifer Todd serving as producer and Osman serving as executive producer. [3] [4] In March 2023, Osman said filming was set to begin in September 2023 with Steven Spielberg as producer. [5] In November 2023, it was reported that filming was scheduled to begin in March 2024. [6] However, in February 2024, Osman said he was hopeful filming would commence in August 2024 after delays during the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. [7] In April 2024, Chris Columbus was announced to replace Parker as writer, co-producer and director. [4] A few days later, it was announced that the project had been acquired by Netflix. [8] Katy Brand announced on Instagram that she had written the final screenplay for the film on June 18, 2024. [9]

Casting

In May 2024, Celia Imrie joined the cast as Joyce, with Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley also part of the main cast. [10] In June 2024, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays and Henry Lloyd-Hughes joined the cast. [11] In July 2024, Richard E. Grant, Ingrid Oliver and Tom Ellis were among those added to the cast. [12]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 27, 2024, at Shepperton Studios. [13] [14] Filming also took place in Beaconsfield in July 2024. [15] Englefield House in Englefield, Berkshire, served as the exterior of Coopers Chase. [16] [17] In September 2024, Osman appeared on The Chris Moyles Show and revealed that filming would wrap the same day. [18]

Release

The Thursday Murder Club premiered in Leicester Square in London on August 21, 2025. [19] The film was released in approximately 50 theaters in the United Kingdom for two weeks on August 22, ahead of its streaming debut on Netflix on August 28. [20] [21] [22]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 77% of 137 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Cozy as an undemanding beach reach and just as slight, this starry murder mystery leverages its terrific troupe of actors to nostalgic effect." [23] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [24]

Kat Halstead of Common Sense Media awarded the film four stars out of five, and wrote, "It lags slightly in places, and at two hours is a little overlong, but this is a successful jump from page to screen that leaves a promising door open for future adaptations from the series." [25] Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com wrote, "The Thursday Murder Club is engaging and often amusing. The plot contains enough surprises that the "whodunit" generates real suspense. The characters aren't particularly well-developed, but neither are they stereotypes. The film feels more like a television pilot than a stand-alone film, which may be exactly what Netflix is looking for. [26]

In a negative review, Laura Venning of Empire gave the film two stars out of five, while stating, "Maybe this would hit the spot for a Sunday-night sofa slump but it's more patronising than perceptive when it comes to portraying ageing. As disappointing as a stale scone." [27]

References

  1. "The Thursday Murder Club (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  2. "The Thursday Murder Club". British Film Institute . Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  3. Kroll, Justin (March 5, 2020). "'Mamma Mia 2' Director Ol Parker to Helm Adaptation of Richard Osman's Novel for Amblin (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Stephan, Katcy (April 18, 2024). "Amblin's 'Thursday Murder Club' Film Lands Director Chris Columbus and Eyes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley". Variety . Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. Sarrubba, Stefania (March 31, 2023). "Richard Osman shares exciting Thursday Murder Club movie update". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  6. Heath, Nicola (November 14, 2023). "Richard Osman, author of The Thursday Murder Club series, visits Australia to promote his new book". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  7. Sandwell, Ian; Mullor, Mier. "The Thursday Murder Club potential release date, cast and all you need to know". Digital Spy . Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  8. Whittock, Jesse (April 25, 2024). "Netflix Joins 'The Thursday Murder Club', Chris Columbus & Amblin Entertainment's Feature Adaptation Of Big-Selling Richard Osman Novel". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  9. Brand, Katy [@katybrandofficial]; (June 18, 2024). "I am now allowed to tell you what I have been up to! Yes, it has been my great pleasure and thrill to write the screenplay for Richard Osman's brilliant The Thursday Murder Club! Amazing director, amazing cast, amazing crew. Cannot WAIT for you all to see it! 🎉💫" . Retrieved July 4, 2024 via Instagram.
  10. Sarrubbia, Stefania (May 21, 2024). "Richard Osman confirms who's playing Joyce in The Thursday Murder Club movie". Digital Spy . Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  11. Wiseman, Andreas (June 17, 2024). "David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays & Henry Lloyd-Hughes Join Netflix & Amblin's Richard Osman Adaptation 'The Thursday Murder Club'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  12. Wiseman, Andreas (July 8, 2024). "Richard E. Grant & Tom Ellis Among Latest Cast To Join Netflix & Amblin's Star-Studded Richard Osman Adaptation 'The Thursday Murder Club'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  13. Whittock, Jesse (April 23, 2024). "Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan & Ben Kingsley Cast In 'The Thursday Murder Club', Chris Columbus Set To Direct". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  14. Calnan, Ellie (June 28, 2024). "UK filming cranks up as 'The Thursday Murder Club', 'The Magic Faraway Tree' start shooting" . Screen Daily . Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  15. "Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club films in Beaconsfield". Bucks Free Press . July 24, 2024. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  16. Burack, Emily (August 30, 2025). "How The Thursday Murder Club Brought Luxury Retirement Home Coopers Chase to Life". Town & Country . Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  17. "Englefield House is setting for Netflix's new film The Thursday Murder Club". Englefield Estate . Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  18. Tinson, Emma (September 17, 2024). "Netflix reveals new Thursday Murder Club set photo as filming wraps". Digital Spy . Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  19. France, Anthony (August 22, 2025). "Dame Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan on the red carpet in Leicester Square for Thursday Murder Club premiere". Evening Standard . Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  20. Rufo, Yasmin (August 24, 2025). "Pierce Brosnan felt 'huge responsibility' towards Thursday Murder Club fans". BBC News . Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  21. Gant, Charles (August 29, 2025). "Is Netflix eyeing a theatrical strategy shift?" . Screen Daily . Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  22. Giardina, Carolyn (April 24, 2025). "'The Thursday Murder Club,' Whodunit Starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie, Sets Release Date on Netflix". Variety . Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  23. "The Thursday Murder Club". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 9, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  24. "The Thursday Murder Club". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  25. Halstead, Kat. "The Thursday Murder Club Movie Review". Common Sense Media . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  26. O'Malley, Sheila (August 28, 2025). "The Thursday Murder Club movie review (2025)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  27. Venning, Laura (August 22, 2025). "The Thursday Murder Club review: Netflix film is as disappointing as a stale scone". Empire . Retrieved August 29, 2025.