The Thursday Murder Club, one of the many upcoming book-to-screen adaptations on the way, will bring one of the most charming, engaging, and hilarious mystery novels of the past decade to Netflix before summer’s end. But before the star-studded murder mystery following a group of elderly sleuths as they get caught in a real-life investigation debuts on the 2025 Netflix schedule, there are a few things we first need to discuss.
That being said, we have gone through all the evidence, come up with the “who, what, where, when, and how” of the situation, and put together a detailed guide to one of the biggest films that’ll soon be available for anyone with a Netflix subscription. Here’s everything we know about The Thursday Murder Club…
What Is The Thursday Murder Club Release Date?
The Thursday Murder Club release date has been set for August 28, 2025, Netflix has announced. Coming in at the tail end of the summer portion of the 2025 movie schedule, this highly anticipated book adaptation is something some of us have been dying to see for quite some time now.
The Thursday Murder Club Trailer
After what seems like ages, Netflix finally released the Thursday Murder Club trailer in May 2025, giving the world its first proper look at the upcoming crime comedy. Though technically a teaser (it clocks in at 75 seconds), the video pulls no punches and throws you right into the mystery ensnaring the group of septuagenarian amateur sleuths. Check it out below:
All the major players get time to shine in the series of clips and a mysterious murder is teased, but we’re still left guessing what’s going to be happening when The Thursday Murder Club debuts in late August, as it should be.
The Thursday Murder Club Cast
The Thursday Murder Club cast features some legendary and talented actors with decades of experience in film, TV, and stage productions around the world.. As Netflix has announced, the upcoming mystery will see the talents of Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as its core group, but that’s just part of the cast. Here’s who's appearing and who they’ll be playing:
Helen Mirren as Elizabeth
Helen Mirren, an actress who just keeps on thriving, will take on the role of Elizabeth, the founder of the Thursday Murder Club. Mirren, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, has scores of iconic film roles to her name.
Pierce Brosnan as Ron
Pierce Brosnan, who’s well recognized for playing James Bond throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, will play Ron, a headstrong retired union activist and core member of the club. The Irish actor can currently be seen playing a perilous mob boss on MobLand, opposite Helen Mirren.
Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim
Ben Kingsley will be playing Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist and member of the titular group. With an Oscar for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and decorated roles in Bugsy, Shutter Island, and the Marvel movies in order (namely Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi), Kingsley’s done it all.
Celia Imrie as Joyce
Rounding out the core group of The Thursday Murder Club is Celia Imrie, who’ll be taking on the role of Joyce, a former nurse and dedicated amateur sleuth. The star of such films as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Nanny McPhee, and the Bridget Jones movies, Imrie brings an impressive amount of experience to the cast.
But these are just the main quartet of the upcoming crime flick, as Netflix has also announced that the following actors will also be appearing in the movie:
- David Tennant
- Jonathan Pryce
- Naomi Ackie
- Daniel Mays
- Richard E. Grant
- Tom Ellis
- Geoff Bell
- Paul Freeman
- Sarah Niles
- Ingrid Oliver
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes
What Is The Thursday Murder Club About?
The Thursday Murder Club tells the story of a group of friends – a spy, a nurse, a trade union official, and a psychiatrist – living in a retirement home who pass the time by discussing and trying to solve cold-case murders for fun. However, the group of would-be detectives find themselves in a rather delicate situation after becoming caught up in a recent murder case that will require their particular set of skills and ingenuity to solve.
Essentially, the short synopsis makes The Thursday Murder Club sound like a perfect option for fans of classic mystery films as well as awesome whodunnit TV shows like Only Murders in the Building.
The Thursday Murder Club Is Based On Richard Osman’s 2020 Novel Of The Same Name
If The Thursday Murder Club sounds familiar, it could have something to do with the fact that the upcoming movie is based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel of the same name, which was also the Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games TV host’s debut novel. Osman’s book follows a group of four unlikely friends from a retirement home who are put to the task of solving a brutal murder.
The novel would go on to spawn a series of successful page-turner sequels from Osman like The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil to Die. The fifth installment in the series, The Impossible Fortune, is set to hit bookshelves this fall, but you can pre-order it on Amazon now.
In September 2024, Osman released We Solve Murders, the first novel in a new series of murder mysteries. And who knows, maybe we’ll be talking about a film or TV adaptation of that series soon enough.
The Thursday Murder Club Books In Order
Considering there are still a few months between us and the release of The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix, now would be a great time to go back and check out Richard Osman’s series of novels about the titular group of elderly sleuths passing time at a retirement home by solving crimes. With four novels in the series already published, and a fifth installment hitting bookshelves this fall, there’s plenty of reading to do while you let the summer days pass.
- The Thursday Murder Club - September 22, 2020
- The Man Who Died Twice - September 28, 2021
- The Bullet That Missed - September 20, 2022
- The Last Devil to Die - September 19, 2023
- The Impossible Fortune - Releasing on September 30, 2025
Chris Columbus Directed The Thursday Murder Club
When Netflix announced in April 2024 that it was making The Thursday Murder Club into a reality, it was also announced that Chris Columbus was writing and directing the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation.
Best known for directing some of the best ‘90s movies like Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire, and helping get the Harry Potter film franchise off the ground with The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, Columbus has done a little bit of everything over the years. Before making his directorial debut with 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting, Columbus wrote Gremlins, The Goonies, and several others.
What Is The Thursday Murder Club Rated?
Though The Thursday Murder Club is very much about deadly crimes and investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice, it won’t be too extreme. Netflix has given its upcoming murder mystery a PG-13 rating for violent content, bloody images, strong language, and some sexual references. Though not quite a family-friendly affair for the younger children in your house (or visiting grandchildren), it doesn’t sound like Chris Columbus’ adaptation of Richard Osman’s novel will be extraordinarily vile by any means.
Expect to hear much more about The Thursday Murder Club in the coming weeks and months as we get closer to its long-awaited debut on Netflix.
Stream The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix starting August 28, 2025.
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