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

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is set to adapt renowned British mystery writer Agatha Christie's works into a film franchise for Indian audiences.

Christie's crime stories centred on fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, but Bhardwaj will be introducing a new pair of lead investigators taking inspiration from one of the Queen of Crime's famous stories.

According to a press release issued by the makers, the script is currently in development, but details of which Christie novel is being adapted for the first film have not been revealed yet.

The filmmaker-composer, best known for his acclaimed Shakespeare trilogy “Maqbool,” (Macbeth) “Omkara” (Othello) and “Haider” (Hamlet), is producing the franchise through his banner Vishal Bhardwaj Films in collaboration with Agatha Christie Limited (ACL), headed by Christie's great-grandson James Prichard.

Bhardwaj said he is excited to embark on this journey and explore the turmoil and emotional chaos of Christie's characters.

“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 have been such amazing partners and we are all excited to be on this journey,” the director said in a statement.

The first film, scheduled to go on floors early next year, will introduce a young heroine who is thrown into solving a murder, and teams up with an unlikely companion to unravel the case.

The cast is currently being finalised.

Future films will follow the duo as they continue to investigate multiple murder mysteries.

Prichard said he is looking forward to Bhardwaj's take on his grandmother's writings.

“I'm truly excited at the prospect of developing a new Agatha Christie film franchise in India, and am delighted to be partnering with Vishal, who is a multitalented and visionary filmmaker with a terrific track record for adapting works to create memorable pieces of cinema.

"He has also demonstrated a real passion and understanding of my great grandmother's characters and stories and I very much look forward to seeing where this project takes us,” he said.

Basi Akpabio and Leo Dezoysa will serve as executive producers for ACL on the new films.