As previously reported (see update below), “The Thursday Murder Club” cast has now been officially announced. According to Deadline, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley are set to star in The Thursday Murder Club, with Chris Columbus attached to write and direct. The film is an adaptation of British TV host and producer Richard Osman‘s novel of the same name. Osman confirmed the news on his podcast, The Rest is Entertainment, today. Steven Spielberg‘s production house, Amblin Entertainment, is making it. 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. Mirren will play ex-spy Elizabeth, Kingsley will play ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim and Brosnan will play former union activist Ron. Negotiations for an actress to play the fourth member of the group, Joyce, are ongoing. Filming will begin in the UK at the end of June and run through to September, said Osman. Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire and Harry Potter director Columbus is directing and adapting Osman’s best-selling book for the big screen.

According to Variety, Amblin’s film adaptation of Richard Osman’s novel “The Thursday Murder Club” is finally taking shape, with “Harry Potter” and “Home Alone” filmmaker Chris Columbus set to direct. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley are being eyed for three of the four lead roles in the project. The book, released in 2020, tells the story of four septuagenarian friends who live in a retirement community and solve cold cases for fun. When a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime. Publishing rights for the book were sold in the biggest debut novel deal for a decade. Amblin Partners scored worldwide rights to the film after a competitive auction that attracted interest from 14 studios. It’s been a strong year for Amblin, whose series “Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season, according to the streamer. On Tuesday, Osman teased the imminent casting news, writing on X, “Just been on a call with Amblin, and the cast for #TheThursdayMurderClub movie is insanely great, I think people are going to love it. Official announcements very soon, and can’t wait to share it with everyone.” “The Thursday Murder Club” spawned a successful series from Osman that’s sold over 10 million copies globally, including 2021’s “The Man Who Died Twice,” 2022’s “The Bullet That Missed,” 2023’s “The Last Devil to Die,” and a planned fifth book set to release in 2025.

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?

A little bit of everything in today’s update. For the theatrical release of “White Bird” in Germany, a new featurette has been released with an on-set interview and b-roll footage featuring Helen Mirren. In case you wonder about “White Bird”, it has been filmed three years ago, its theatrical release in the USA has been postponed time and again. It has been released in Italy in January and now in Germany. It’s current US release has been listed for October 04, 2024. Also added have been a couple of recent magazine scans, as well as new advertisments from L’Oréal Paris. Enjoy the new additions.

L’Oréal Paris’ “because you’re worth it” slogan has been a mainstay of the brand for decades, empowering women to know their worth and stand tall in it. The brand’s latest “Worth It Resume” campaign is a reminder for women globally that failures, no matter how big or small, are not definitive of their worth or success. The advertisements aim to “challenge unrealistic standards and foster a culture where women are empowered to celebrate their setbacks, including those that ultimately led to their greatest accomplishments,” per the brand. Brand ambassadors and successful actors Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria, Aja Naomi King and Andie MacDowell were tapped to share some of the greatest failures in their careers in support of the initiative. Each star has a mock resume and LinkedIn profile listing their major setbacks, from forgetting lines on stage to being passed up for a lead role, and not being cast on Broadway. As a platform, LinkedIn is usually a space where people share career wins and highs, so the beauty brand intentionally subverted it, “highlight the struggles, failures and setbacks that led [these celebrities] to where they are today,” and ultimately encourages others to do the same. The video can be viewed over at Yahoo! News.

On Saturday, Helen Mirren was among a plethora of superstars and supermodels to celebrate the Dal Cuore alle Mani Dolce & Gabbana Exhibition at the brands’ 40th Anniversary Party in Milan, Italy. A couple of pictures from the event have been added to the photo gallery.

I’ve tidied up my folders recently and have found a great deal of pictures that were missing to the photo gallery. They’re all ranging from 2020 to 2023, starting with the Berlin Film Festival just days before the pandemic hit the world and feature a couple of appearances at the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals. For a complete list of updated albums, have a look at the previews below.

Last Sunday, Helen Mirren inaugurated the new headquarters of Spazio Teatro – Center for Dramatic and Performing Arts” in the historic building of the former Bianco Distillery, in via Campi 46. An evening that celebrates with this new passage the first 5 years of activity of the school directed by the sisters Rosangela and Gloria Giurgola, theater director and soprano, who returned to Salento after ten years living abroad due to study and work commitments. Mirren accepted the invitation of the Giurgola sisters and take part in the evening which marks the start of the new life of the school which currently counts 45 students from various municipalities in the north and south of Salento, enrolled in acting, theatre-dance, singing, music and scenography courses. Unfortunately, no press pictures have been released from the event, but you can find two videos in the video archive.

The Queen and Tony Blair sat down with ITV News yesterday for an interview about the 100th NT Live performance, the Sheen-starring “Nye”. Mirren is not part of the project, but a passionate supporter of the National Theatre. As ITV writes, “A new production starring Michael Sheen takes the audience on a “surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state”, according to the National Theatre. “The vision that grew out of that has to be reimagined now because the NHS is in all kinds of difficulties and whether that’s about underfunding or whatever it might be it has to be reimagined for now and for the future to move on,” Mr Sheen said. But, as he tells ITV News, the timeliness of the show’s release has taken on extra importance given the modern-day pressures felt by the NHS and, what he feels, is the need for radical change. The clip can be found in the video archive, screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

Yesterday, Helen Mirren and husband Taylor Hackford were among the many celebrity guests at a reception to celebrate International Women’s Day and mark the end of the Women of the World (WOW) Girls Festival Bus tour at Buckingham Palace. A couple of pictures from the event have been added to the photo gallery.

According to Cineuropa, production on the thriller “Switzerland”, in which Helen Mirren will be portraying famed author Patricia Highsmith, is moving along. The initial announcement of the project was released in February of last year. Now, Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn, known for unique and award-winning feature films like Control, The American or A Most Wanted Man, is preparing to shoot the film. Parts of it will be filmed in different parts of the country of the same name. Production is expected to begin between autumn and winter 2024. Shooting will take place in several places, among them the German-speaking city of Zurich in the East of Switzerland and the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in the South. The Swiss-British co-production will see a fictional version of author Patricia Highsmith involved in a stressful relationship with her ambitious literary agent. The US American author Highsmith, spent the last days of her life in Switzerland. Alden Ehrenreich will be at her side in the role of her agent. The script for the film was written by Australian author Joanna Murray Smith and promises a mixture of suspense and psychological depth, reflecting Highsmith’s haunting literary style. Switzerland is a collaboration between the production company Zurich Avenue by Karl Spoerri and Brouhaha Entertainment by Gabrielle Tana. Spoerri says: “Switzerland as a film location plays a crucial role in Switzerland. Zurich Avenue is delighted to bring the country’s unique landscapes and cultural landmarks to life in this international production. Switzerland is not only intended to be a gripping thriller, but also a visual event that pays tribute to the beauty of our country.” He adds: “It is a great honour for Zurich Avenue to work with Anton Corbijn, Helen Mirren and Gabrielle Tana. We are looking for universal stories with strong characters – often inspired by true events – that resonate globally. Switzerland fits perfectly with our vision.”