Sir Kenneth Branagh to Direct and Star in Murder on the Orient Express

Sir Kenneth Branagh will direct Fox's new adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous novel "Murder on the Orient Express", which will have a script by Michael Green.

Branagh will also star as Christie's hero, the fastidious Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Branagh faces some stiff competition, as Sydney Lumet's 1974 adaptation of the novel earned an Oscar nomination for Albert Finney (as Poirot) and David Suchet's portrayal of the detective has been on British TV for more than 20 years, and he even did a Murder on the Orient Express episode with Jessica Chastain.

But, for better or for worse, Branagh can be sure that a studio will remake the film in another 20 years or so, as soon as they find someone more British than himself.