Agatha Christie’s mysteries have riveted readers and viewers for nearly a century, so it comes as no surprise that there’s interest in uncovering some clues about the legendary wordsmith herself. The woman behind Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot is the subject of two films in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Both Sony and Paramount want to tell Christie-centered stories, but they’ll each require permission from the Christie estate in order for the projects to move forward.
Sony is working on “Agatha Christie,” and in the midst of “courting Alicia Vikander to play a proto-feminist Christie uninterested in a traditional wife role (instead she intersects with the likes of Sherlock Holmes writer Arthur Conan Doyle and Winston Churchill).” Meanwhile, Paramount is eyeing Emma Stone for the title role in “Agatha,” a speculative exploration of “what happened to Christie during the 11 days she went missing in 1926 (she died in 1976 at age 85).”
Although “Agatha Christie” and “Agatha” portray the same person and bear strikingly similar titles, it sounds as though each will offer a distinct take on the trailblazing British author.
Many of Christie’s books have been adapted for television and film, including the BBC murder mystery series “Miss Marple,” British network ITV’s “Agatha Christie’s Marple” and “Agatha Christie’s Poirot,” and the 1974 film “Murder on the Orient Express.” Fox is remaking the latter with Angelina Jolie in talks to star. Last year we reported that CBS was developing “Marple,” a television series loosely based on Agatha Christie’s best-selling and long-running book series. Infuriatingly, the titular character was being re-imagined from what one of the books describes as an “old lady,” to someone dramatically younger. No updates on the CBS TV project are available at this time.
While “Agatha Christie” and “Agatha” sound promising, they both chronicle an early part of Christie’s career. When is Hollywood going to realize that older women are interesting, and worthy of having their stories told?
