Where You've Seen The Cast Of A Haunting In Venice Before
Murder mysteries, particularly those of the Agatha Christie variety, tend to be feasts for actors, affording them the chance to play colorful, eccentric, and often more than a little bit sleazy characters who may or may not like to dabble in homicide on the side. Such was the case with director Kenneth Branagh's first two films in his Hercule Poirot cinematic universe, "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile." For his third go at adapting Christie's super-sleuth for the big screen, "A Haunting in Venice," Branagh has once again surrounded himself (and his ginormous curly mustache) as Poirot with a cast that represents the cream of the crop when it comes to character actors working today.
"A Haunting in Venice" (you can read /Film's review here) adapts one of Christie's lesser-known Poirot novels, "Hallowe'en Party," in order to put something of a horror-tinged spin on your average Poirot adventure. The film finds the Belgian detective retired and living in self-imposed exile when he begrudgingly agrees to attend a seance in post-WWII Venice. When one of the guests turns up dead, it falls to Poirot to suss out the responsible party, be they a member of the living, or, as some of those around him believe, a vengeful spirit (not that the great Hercule Poirot is about to let a minor inconvenience like murderous ghosts get in the way of his crime-solving).
Kyle Allen, who played Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan's teen son on the Hulu series "The Path" and portrayed Romeo in the comedic "Romeo and Juliet" film re-imagining "Rosaline," is one of the younger members of the "Haunting in Venice" cast, but what about the seasoned veterans? Let's run through the major players in this whodunnit, shall we?
Between a 30 Rock and a hard place
Besides Branagh, the biggest name in the "A Haunting in Venice" cast is absolutely Michelle Yeoh. Red-hot off her Oscar-winning turn in Daniels' metamodern multiversal masterpiece "Everything Everywhere All at Once," the Malaysian superstar boasts an incredible body of work, from her many hit Hong Kong action films to her stunning performance in Ang Lee's martial arts classic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and even her role as a tender-hearted, Christmas-loving shop owner in Paul Feig's romantic dramedy "Last Christmas."
Among those joining Branagh and Yeoh in the film's cast are, surprisingly, Tina Fey. The "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live" alum usually sticks to flexing her comedic chops, making her relatively dramatic performance in "A Haunting in Venice" an intriguing change of pace. This is also the second time Fey has been bitten by the murder mystery bug of late, having recently recurred as highly successful and extremely egocentric true crime podcaster Cinda Canning on Hulu's hit series "Only Murders in the Building."
Speaking of popular TV shows, Camille Cottin, Emma Laird, and Kelly Reilly also play women caught up in Poirot's latest murder investigation. Of the trio, Reilly is probably the biggest name thanks to her lauded turn as hard-edged Beth Dutton on "Yellowstone." However, she's no stranger to period fare like "A Haunting in Venice," having previously appeared in Joe Wright's "Pride & Prejudice" and played Watson's long-suffering wife Mary in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" films. Meanwhile, Cottin made her mark on "Killing Eve" as Hélène, a ruthless and sadistic member of the enigmatic assassin organization known as "The Twelve." As for Laird, she, like Reilly, is a member of "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan's TV empire thanks to her role as the sharp-witted escort Iris in Sheridan's "Mayor of Kingstown."
Belfast comes to Venice
Technically, Branagh's most recent film as a director was "Death on the Nile," although that was only due to it being postponed multiple times due to a combination of factors (namely, COVID-19 and the sexual assault allegations against star Armie Hammer). Around the same time that film finally reached theaters in early 2022, Branagh picked up an Oscar for writing "Belfast," a drama he also directed based on his childhood growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. Clearly, his experience making the film was a good one, as Branagh has since reunited with his "Belfast" leads Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill for "A Haunting in Venice."
Dornan, of course, gained international fame (make that infamy) for playing the emotionally damaged billionaire Christian Grey in the "Fifty Shades" films. Outside the world of erotic thrillers, he's also impressed with his dramatic turn in "Belfast" (where he plays Hill's loving onscreen father) and "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar," the latter of which gave him the opportunity to showcase his previously unknown knack for absurdist comedy. Thanks to "A Haunting in Venice," Dornan has once again gotten the chance to tap into the darker side of his screen persona, much as he did to acclaimed effect playing a serial killer in the TV series "The Fall."
Last, but certainly not least, the established "Haunting in Venice" ensemble is rounded out by Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio. With numerous films to his name since he began acting 20 years ago, Scamarcio is undoubtedly best known as the duplicitous, despicable crime boss Santino D'Antonio in "John Wick: Chapter 2." Should that automatically make him a suspect in Branagh's film? Find out by catching "A Haunting in Venice" when it arrives on September 15, 2023.