Death on the Nile has only just recouped its production budget money, leaving the future of Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie cinematic universe in question. In the movie itself, Hercule Poirot makes reference to a desire to grow vegetable marrow in retirement, a reference to Murder of Roger Ackroyd, somewhat implying that an adaptation of that story is on the horizon.
RELATED: The Best Agatha Christie Adaptations To Watch Before Death On The Nile
There have been several film adaptations of Christie's work, mostly based on the stories involving Poirot, but many of her stories haven't received the same love on the silver screen. Without further ado, here's a sampling of some notable examples.
The Mysterious Affair At Styles (1920)
If any Christie novel deserves a film, it'd have to be her first. Not only does The Mysterious Affair at Styles introduce Christie's star detective, none other than Hercule Poirot, but it also introduces Poirot's most beloved ing characters, Captain Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp.
In the story, Poirot is called in by Hastings to investigate the death of Emily Inglethorp, the wealthy owner of the mansion known as Styles Court. The Mysterious Affair at Styles is as classic a murder mystery as one can get, so it's odd that it hasn't received a movie as of yet.
Hallowe'en Party (1969)
Christie adaptations, with some notable exceptions, are often glamorous affairs, but a spooky movie wouldn't go amiss, with Hallowe'en Party being the closest the author has ever come to a horror story outside of And Then There Were None. Far from a mere murder mystery, Hallowe'en Party deals with the death of children and the holiday's alleged ties to the occult.
After a young girl tells her friends at a Halloween party that she saw a murder one time, she is later found drowned apple-bobbing tub, leaving it up to Hercule Poirot and his friend Ariadne Oliver to investigate. It perhaps makes sense that the novel hasn't been adapted, as the murder of little children is a touchy subject for Hollywood to tackle, but it's a Poirot adventure that certainly stands out.
Death In The Clouds
On a plane ride back to England, Hercule Poirot finds himself at the center of a mysterious death, one in which he himself is a suspect. Death In The Clouds follows Poirot's attempt to clear his name and find out who killed the victim, a case that takes him back and forth from London to Paris.
Death In The Clouds has a lot in common with Murder on The Orient Express, in that it involves a murder in a tight space with palpable tension looming over the surroundings. If it were to be adapted, it might draw a few scoffs from people all too willing to label everything as a "ripoff," but it has enough merits to warrant an adaptation.
The Murder On The Links
Outside of a certain 1980s comedy, it's hard to make golf cinematically compelling, but throw a peculiar bet, as well as a bit of murder into the mix and a compelling gumbo is produced. When a man is murdered while Hercule Poirot and Hastings are on holiday in , Poirot investigates much to the chagrin of the detective on the case, who proposes a bet, if Poirot fails, he must shave his mustache.
The Murder on The Links also has a subplot for Hastings as well, as he meets the love of his life in the midst of the case. Murder on The Links. has a good deal that would make for a compelling film, an unconventional setting, a captivating hook, a bit of humor, as well as an undercurrent of drama.
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Holiday movies have their tropes, but for the most part, they tend to be cheery affairs, but if Hercule Poirot's Christmas was ever adapted, that wouldn't be the case. The Lee family gather together during The Christmas Holiday in the house of their despicable father Simeon Lee, only for him to be viscously murdered on Christmas Eve.
Naturally, this draws the attention of Hercule Poirot, who soon begins to uncover the suspicious and sordid activity of Simeon Lee's family and begins to piece together who would have a motive for killing him. Hercule Poirot's Christmas may seem like a standard murder mystery, but not all is as it seems, with the book having a twist ending worthy of a movie.
The Chocolate Box
It's harder to adapt a short story rather than a novel, but "The Chocolate Box" has enough meat on its bones to serve as the basis for a Hercule Poirot origin story. The story details the early days of Hercule Poirot, as he investigates the murder of anti-Catholic politician Paul Déroulard.
At its core, "The Chocolate Box" is a story about a failure that has haunted Poirot for years, though what that failing entails is best left unrevealed. Death on The Nile shows a flashback to Poirot's days in the army, but there's no evidence to say this story didn't happen sometime afterward.
The Big Four
James Bond had Spectre, every cinematic universe has a threat that is built up throughout the movies. The Big Four is more than a murder mystery, it's a series of short stories that build-up to the exposure of a grand conspiracy.
The Big Four begins with a man dying in Hercule Poirot's apartment and doesn't slow down from there, as a series of strange events lead into the mystery of the enigmatic Big Four. While the TV adaptation starring David Suchet struggled to adapt The Big Four in a single story, it could work as a two-parter, a concept that has worked in the past.
Cards On The Table
As with Hallowe'en Party, Cards on The Table unites Hercule Poirot with Ariadne Oliver, although the events of the story are less bleak than their fall-set outing. A gentleman named Shaitana invites Poirot and Oliver to dinner with four people suspected to be murderers, but after everyone retires to play a game of Bridge, Shaitana is killed.
As with Death on the Nile, Cards on The Table features a murder where every single suspect has an alibi, but still can not be omitted from suspicion. Though an adaptation would have to take some liberties, as with most of Christie's work, it's a story that could 100% work on screen.
The Hollow
The Hollow is perhaps one of Agatha Christie's most underrated novels, as it is a brisk yet tense read, but hardly ever gets talked about. Whilst staying at a nearby cottage, Poirot discovers a ghastly sight, Harley Street doctor John Christow has been shot dead and his wife has been found with the gun, but naturally, not all is as it seems.
The Hollow is a tragedy with a pervasive creepy quality that keeps it engaging. Unlike most Christie novels, there isn't too much that needs to be changed with The Hollow, as it is a pretty well-constructed story that would work well on the screen.
Curtain
Agatha Christie began Hercule Poirot's career with The Mysterious Affairs at Styles, but she ended it with Curtain. The novel sees an ailing Poirot return to Styles Court to solve one last case, to uncover the identity of a killer named "X" who has escaped justice for five murders.
While he's her most famous creation, being played by several major actors, Christie never actually liked Poirot, so sending him off must have been cathartic for her. Nonetheless, Poirot goes out with a banger of a novel, and should Kenneth Brannagh tire of playing the character, Curtain would be a great way to end his story.
