Dutch actor Marwan Kenzari, star of Ben-Hur, The Promise and Universal’s 2017 redo of The Mummy, has hopped aboard Fox’s Murder on the Orient Express remake.
The Hollywood Reporter has the news, confirming that Kenzari has landed the role of the French conductor. He’s by no means the only one to secure his seat on Kenneth Branagh’s Orient Express, after Fox’s casting spree brought in a eclectic mix of Hollywood talent including Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, Michael Pena, Josh Gad, Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr. and Judi Dench. Branagh, meanwhile, takes point as Hercule Poirot, the detective tasked with solving the nerve-wracking mystery at hand.
He’ll have to do so before the titular train pulls into Paris and to make matters worse, at one point the Orient Express grinds to a screeching halt in the face of an unrelenting blizzard. If all on board were already on edge, Murder on the Orient Express really kicks into gear when the passengers begin questioning one another. And therein lies the beauty of Agatha Christie’s classic. Yes, many feared that Branagh’s long-simmering remake would never leave the station, but with a truly stellar cast attached, we can’t help but be excited. Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, Mark Gordon are among the producers attached.
Kenzari et al. will take a ride on the Orient Express when Fox’s thriller remake pulls into theaters on November 17, 2017. Production is due to commence sometime next month. Before becoming embroiled in a full-blown murder investigation, Kenzari has a role opposite Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis in Universal’s The Mummy. Look for that one to loom over theaters on June 9, 2017.