The Thursday Murder Club, a new mystery movie starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie, is coming to Netflix on August 28, 2025. The film is based on the bestselling book by Richard Osman and follows a group of retirees who turn into detectives to solve a real murder.
Directed by Chris Columbus, known for Harry Potter and the Sorcererโs Stone, the movie mixes humor, suspense, and heart. It will first release in UK theaters on August 22, 2025, before streaming worldwide on Netflix.
What Is The Thursday Murder Club About?
The story is set in a retirement home where four friends meet every Thursday to solve old murder cases for fun. But things get serious when a real murder happens near them. The group includes:
- Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), a former spy
- Ron (Pierce Brosnan), an ex-union leader
- Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), a retired psychiatrist
- Joyce (Celia Imrie), a former nurse
Their investigation leads to danger, laughs, and unexpected twists. Chris Columbus says the film balances comedy and emotion while keeping a strong mystery at its core.
“Thereโs a wonderful mystery at its core, so mystery fans will be very happy,” Columbus told Netflix. “But thematically itโs interesting that weโve got four elderly people who are living in a retirement community and who are fascinated by death and murder. They are facing their own demise, yet at the same time they are obsessed with studying cold cases. I fell in love thematically with that. Itโs comedic, but itโs also very emotional.”
Who Else Is in the Cast?
The movie features a huge lineup of famous actors, including:
- David Tennant (Doctor Who)
- Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)
- Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)
- Daniel Mays (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget)
- Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I)
- Tom Ellis (Lucifer)
Steven Spielberg, whose company Amblin Entertainment co-produced the film, even visited the set and reunited with Paul Freeman, his co-star from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
How Did the Book Become a Movie?
Richard Osman wrote The Thursday Murder Club in 2020, inspired by his motherโs retirement home. The book became a bestseller, leading to three sequels. Netflix and Amblin bought the rights to turn it into a movie.
“You just sit and chat with these people and theyโve lived these extraordinary lives,” Osman said. “You hear these amazing stories and gossip and wisdom. You think, โThese people are so overlooked.โ The idea that these people with their wisdom and their invisibility would be the perfect people to solve [a crime] is exactly where The Thursday Murder Club comes from.”
When and Where Can You Watch It?
- UK Theaters: August 22, 2025
- Netflix Worldwide: August 28, 2025
The movie will not have a U.S. theater release, so American viewers can only watch it on Netflix.
Will There Be More Movies?
Since Osman has written four books in the series, Netflix could turn The Thursday Murder Club into a franchise if the first movie does well.
Also Read: Helen Mirren Rejects the Idea of a Female James Bond, Calling It Deeply Sexist in Origin
Credits: Netflix Tudum, Wikipedia, Variety
