A couple of weeks ago, we ran an article lamenting the fact that there were just five major releases heading to theaters before the end of 2020, only for that to be reduced to three almost immediately afterwards. And while most of the headlines focused on Ryan Reynolds’ action blockbuster Free Guy being delayed indefinitely, Kenneth Branagh’s mystery sequel Death on the Nile was also quietly shelved.
The literary adaptation is the follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express, which saw Branagh direct and take the lead role, dominating the screen with his glorious moustache as Agatha Christie’s legendary detective Hercule Poirot. As the sort of mid-budget, adult-skewing thriller that the major studios don’t really tend to make anymore, the movie was one of the biggest sleeper hits of 2017 after going on to earn over $350 million at the box office against a $55 million budget and scoring largely enthusiastic reviews.
Death on the Nile wrapped shooting in December of last year, and boasts just as star-studded an ensemble as its predecessor. Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright and more are all onboard the latest stab at Christie’s 1937 novel, and while there’s no word on a new premiere date as of yet, a leaked press release has now hinted that the old fashioned ensemble piece could end up skipping theaters entirely and head straight to digital.
has this marketing ploy inadvertently leaked that DEATH ON THE NILE is going to get a vod release or pic.twitter.com/II6t2sOb3w
— karen han (@karenyhan) November 11, 2020
As you can see above, for taking part in a marketing study, one of the prizes on offer is a gift card to purchase Death on the Nile when it releases on December 18th, which could confirm a big screen release is no longer on the cards. For now, though, the studio hasn’t issued any sort of statement on the matter and as such, we’ll just have to wait and see what they have planned for the pic.
