Mamma Mia 2 director Ol Parker has signed on to helm the adaptation of Richard Osman‘s upcoming novel, The Thursday Murder Club. Amblin Partners have secured the worldwide rights after a competitive auction that reportedly attracted interest from a whopping 14 studios.
The book is set for a September release, and tells the story of four septuagenarian friends who live in a retirement community and solve cold cases for fun. But when a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime.
Publishing rights for the book were sold in the biggest debut novel deal for a decade. Why? Because Osman has become a popular figure in Britain, best known for co-hosting the quiz show Pointless as well as his recent series, Richard Osman’s House Of Games.
Parker may not be defined as an auteur, but his films consistently make money. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel each made impressive profits on smaller budgets, plus his sequel to Mamma Mia was a box office smash, bringing in $395 million.
Osman’s book is highly anticipated, but isn’t out for months so there’s not much to go on other than the premise. But it sounds like delightful fun, and if the writing contains the sort of nerdy charm that has made Osman a popular figure, it will probably go down well. Expect the film adaptation to do the same.
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