Fox Acquires Film Rights to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

Fox has acquired the film rights to Agatha Christie's classic, and possibly most famous, mystery, Murder on the Orient Express. A search for a screenwriter is underway.

The novel, first published in 1934 and which features her series character Hercule Poirot, was adapted for film in 1974, and nominated for six Academy Awards, winning for Best Supporting Actress (Ingrid Bergman); Albert Finney played Poirot in the film. It was later adapted for television with David Suchet playing the Belgian detective. (Read our review of this adaptation, here.)

It's possible Fox plans a contemporary adaptation of the novel (a la Sherlock), though it should be noted that the Orient Express as a route doesn't exist today from Istanbul to Paris (as in the novel). There is, however, a private service that currently runs through Europe, which uses the Orient Express name; that might provide a modern setting for a classic murder mystery.