Is A Haunting in Venice based on a book? Which Agatha Christie novel is Kenneth Branagh sequel adapted from

Kenneth Branagh directs, produces and stars in A Haunting in Venice, the third of his films based on Agatha Christie’s Poirot detective stories.

Branagh follows in the esteemed footsteps of the likes of David Suchet, Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, and John Malkovich in playing the renowned detective.

His latest film in the series, features another grand ensemble cast, with Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly, starring alongside the director.

Billed as a horror, the new film, set in post-Second World War Venice, finds Poirot living in self-imposed exile when he reluctantly attends a seance and is pulled into another murder mystery.

Agatha Christie is perhaps one of the best mystery writers of all time, and is certainly the best-selling author ever, with more than two billion copies sold to date. It's no surprise then that her novels have spawned countless adaptations, the latest of which is A Haunting in Venice.

Is A Haunting in Venice based on a book?

Yes, A Haunting in Venice is adapted from Christie’s Hallowe'en Party, one of the last books in the Poirot series, published in 1969. 

The novel is set during a Halloween party which sees a woman who boasts about witnessing a murder later found drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. As a night of mischief drags on, detective Hercule Poirot and his friend and mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver race to uncover the culprit behind the terrible murder.

The book has never been adapted into a film prior to A Haunting in Venice, though it was previously made into a Radio 4 show, and was the basis of a 2010 Poirot episode starring David Suchet, Amelia Bullmore, Zoë Wanamaker, and Deborah Findlay.

Which other Agatha Christie novels have been made into films?

The previous films in Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot series, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile, were both adapted from Agatha Christie novels of the same name.

Additionally, as Christie was one of the most prolific writers of her time, penning 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, plenty of other adaptations have also been made of her work.

The first film adaptation came in 1928, when Christie was still alive and relatively early into her career. The silent film The Passing of Mr. Quin was based on Christie’s short story The Coming of Mr. Quin.

Since then, 48 film and more than 30 TV show adaptations, not including the Poirot, and Miss Marple serials, have been produced. Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie starred as Miss Marple, whilst David Suchet played Poirot in the long-running shows.  

Other popular series based on Christie’s books include BBC One miniseries The ABC Murders starring John Malkovich and Rupert Grint, based on the 1936 novel of the same name, and two-part series The Pale Horse starring Rufus Sewell, loosely based on the novel of the same name. 

Other well known films based on Christie’s works include 1957 film Witness for the Prosecution, which is ranked among the greatest mystery films ever made, which was adapted from a short story and stage play, and the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express, which boasted an all star cast with Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, and Sean Connery. 

Will there be a sequel to A Haunting in Paris?

A Haunting in Venice producer James Prichard said that another film would be made if Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green want to continue with the series. And, with 39 stories in Christie’s Poirot series, there’s plenty of material to choose from.

Branagh first instalment was a roaring success, made on a $55 million budget and banking more than $350 million at the box office. Though Death on the Nile didn’t do nearly as well, making $137 million from a $90 million budget, much of this can be put down to Covid induced chaos.

If A Haunting in Venice, which has an estimated budget of $70 million, manages to light up the box office in the way that Branagh’s first Poirot film did, it’s likely that another Christie adaptation will be in the works.