Vishal Bhardwaj partners with Agatha Christie Limited to bring a series of the Queen of Crime’s books to India. Renowned for his cult classic Shakespearean Trilogy- Maqbool, Omkara and Haider, Vishal now brings the mystery of Agatha Christie to India.
Agatha Christie is famous for her creation of iconic characters like Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Tommy & Tuppence which the Indian writer-director plans to develop a series of big screen adaptions for Indian audiences. Vishal Bhardwaj revealed that the first film will introduce a young heroine who is thrown into solving a murder, and teams up with an unlikely companion to unravel the case. Future films will follow the duo as they continue to investigate multiple murder mysteries.
The script is currently in development, but which of the Queen of Crime’s books Vishal Bhardwaj, the Indian writer director will adapt first is being kept strictly under wraps.
Agatha Christie, the world’s most famous mystery writer has a massive fan following within the Indian subcontinent. Her books have sold over two billion copies across the globe in English and translations.
Speaking about their first collaboration in India, James Prichard, the great grandson of the iconic writer and Chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited said, “I am truly excited at the prospect of developing a new Agatha Christie film franchise in India and am delighted to be partnering with Vishal Bharadwaj who is a multi-talented 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.”
While the cast of the film is still being locked, the seven-time National award winner Vishal Bhardwaj said “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.”
Basi Akpabio and Leo Dezoysawill serve as executive producers for Agatha Christie Limited on the new films. The first film in the franchise is scheduled to shoot from early 2021.
Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) has been managing the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie’s works around the world since 1955. Collaborating with the very best global talents in film, television, publishing, stage and on digital platforms ACL ensures that Christie’s work continues to reach new audiences in innovative ways and to the highest standard. The company is managed by Christie’s great grandson James Prichard.
