Highlights
- Richard Osman has spoken about his disappointment with Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club adaptation
- The bestselling author admitted he would rather adapt the remaining books in the series himself
- The film drew criticism for its major changes to the original novel
Richard Osman has finally addressed the disappointment surrounding Netflix’s adaptation of his bestselling novel The Thursday Murder Club, admitting that he would rather not discuss the film in detail.
The former Pointless presenter was asked about the star-studded adaptation after it received a lukewarm critical response. “I can’t really talk about the film very much,” Osman told The Times, before adding: “Let’s not let it detain us.”
When pressed further, the 55-year-old author reportedly made his feelings about future adaptations clearer, saying: “It was only one book. The other books I would like to adapt myself.”
A starry adaptation that divided fans
Directed by Harry Potter filmmaker Chris Columbus, The Thursday Murder Club brought together Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie as the four retirees who investigate cold cases.
Despite the high-profile cast, the Netflix film attracted criticism for straying significantly from Osman’s source material. Among the biggest changes was the altered storyline involving Polish handyman Bogdan, played by Henry Lloyd-Hughes, while several characters from the book were removed entirely.
The adaptation also received a mixed critical response, with The Independent awarding it two stars.
Osman looks towards the next books
The film initially appeared to perform strongly on Netflix, with the streaming platform reporting 24.7 million views during its first four days. However, it failed to reach the top spot on the global most-watched film chart and fell to fifth place within a week.
Osman has nevertheless stressed that he enjoyed the experience of working with the film’s cast and producers, describing his time with Steven Spielberg, Mirren, Brosnan and the wider team as “a lot of fun”.
While several cast members have expressed interest in returning, Netflix has yet to confirm a sequel.
With four more books in the series, Osman appears keen to have greater creative control over how his stories make the transition to screen. The first novel was published in 2020 and has since been followed by four further instalments, with Osman selling more than 17 million books worldwide.
For now, however, his comments suggest that any future Thursday Murder Club adaptations could look very different if he gets his way.
