Vishal Bhardwaj to develop film franchise based on the works of Agatha Christie

Vishal Bhardwaj, who has adapted William Shakespeare’s plays into films such as Maqbool (Macbeth), Omkara (Othello) and Haider (Hamlet) to critical acclaim, now has a plans to develop a franchise based on the works of Agatha Christie. Variety reports that the first film, about a young heroine who aims to solve a murder mystery with an unlikely companion, is expected to commence production in early 2021. The cast is yet to be finalised and which of Christie’s books Bhardwaj is adapting is yet to be revealed. “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 (Agatha Christie Limited that licenses the author’s works) have been such amazing partners and we are all excited to be on this journey," said Bhardwaj. The filmmaker told Times of India that he has always been a fan of Christie’s books and even the younger generation enjoys her mysteries. He said that a few years ago the estate wanted to bring the franchise to India, but due to his busy schedule he was unable to take up the assignment. Now, due to the coronavirus lockdown he realised that “there is only one type of film that can be made without too much trouble in this situation – the Agatha Christie murder mystery type.” Bhardwaj said he proposed to pick two characters, a girl and a boy, who were novice sleuths. He intends to set the story in Auli, Uttarakhand since “since the whole plot is rooted in mountains, and the mountains are a character in the story.” He will co-produce though his banner Vishal Bhardwaj Films, while ACL’s Basi Akpabio and Leo Dezoysa will serve as executive producers. Bhardwaj had been roped in as showrunner and executive producer Netflix’s _Midnight Children_ as well, but the project has been put on hold.