The Thursday Murder Club: Cast, Sequel and Where to Watch

Few book-to-screen mysteries arrive with as much built-in goodwill as The Thursday Murder Club. Richard Osman’s debut novel about four retirement-community friends who spend their Thursdays solving cold cases became a publishing phenomenon, and now Netflix has turned it into a feature film with Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie.

Release date: August 28, 2025 · Streaming platform: Netflix · Director: Chris Columbus · IMDb rating: 6.5/10 · Number of books in series: 4 · Lead cast members: Mirren, Brosnan, Kingsley, Imrie

The pattern: the production is leaning on a proven cast and a proven book, with Netflix putting the full weight of its film slate behind a cozy, character-driven mystery.

Key facts at a glance

Nine details, one pattern: the production was built to feel mainstream — PG-13, a starry ensemble, and a streaming release designed for the broadest possible audience.

The takeaway: the IMDb score and PG-13 rating tell the same story — a broad-audience mystery that will play best for mainstream viewers rather than hard-core crime readers.

Where can I watch The Thursday Murder Club?

Streaming availability on Netflix

• Netflix is the only streaming home: the film is a Netflix original and streams exclusively on the platform after its global premiere (Netflix official title page).
• Premiere date: Netflix Tudum confirms the film lands on August 28, 2025 (Netflix Tudum (official release coverage)).
• Included with your subscription: it is part of Netflix’s standard lineup, not a premium rental.

Theatrical release history

• Streaming-first release: the film went directly to Netflix rather than a traditional theatrical rollout (Los Angeles Times (review)).
• Why it matters: there are no theater showtimes to track — availability is the same in every market with Netflix.

Digital purchase options

• No other storefronts: the official title page points only to Netflix; no competing streaming service or digital shop is listed as a host (Netflix official title page).

The implication: the biggest barrier to watching The Thursday Murder Club is simply whether you already have Netflix — after that, it’s two clicks away.

Is The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix a movie or a series?

Film format and runtime

• It’s one film, not a season: Netflix describes the project as a film adaptation of Richard Osman’s novel (Netflix Media Center (official synopsis)).
• Runtime: roughly two hours, per IMDb’s listing (IMDb).
• No TV series: Netflix has not ordered a series version of the books.

Why it was adapted as a movie rather than a series

• The books are self-contained mysteries: each novel follows a complete case, which fits a feature-film structure (Wikipedia (series overview)).
• One book, one movie: the adaptation focuses on the first book’s investigation and condenses it into a single sitting.

What the two-hour format changes

• Faster pacing: the film has to move suspects and clues quickly — the cozy-book luxury of long dinners and longer conversations gets compressed.

What this means: the movie is best judged as a streamlined introduction to the club, not as a replacement for the novel’s full, meandering charm.

Is there a 2nd Thursday Murder Club?

Sequel status

• Yes — a second film is in development: Netflix Tudum’s production coverage confirms the franchise is continuing (Wikipedia (film page)).
• Expected source material: the sequel is expected to adapt the second book in the series (Wikipedia (series overview)).

Production details

• Release date: not yet announced.
• Cast: no official casting announcement has been made for the sequel.
• Script status: unconfirmed.

What a second film means for the book pipeline

• Four books, two films so far: with four novels published between 2020 and 2023, Netflix has clear source material for future installments (Wikipedia (series overview)).
• Author involvement: Richard Osman’s book series continues, so the screen versions are chasing a moving target.

The pattern: Netflix is betting that a beloved cast plus proven plots is a reliable franchise formula — and for the audience the books built, that bet is easy to understand.

Who plays Bogdan in the Richard Osman film?

Bogdan’s role in the story

• Character profile: Bogdan is a Polish builder who becomes a trusted friend and helper to the Thursday Murder Club (Wikipedia (film page cast list)).
• Screen role: he is a supporting character, but his connections give the club access to information and muscle they can’t reach inside the retirement village.

Actor portrayal

• Tom Ellis plays Bogdan: the actor is listed among the film’s principal cast (Wikipedia (film page cast list)).
• Supporting ensemble: Variety’s trailer coverage confirms Ellis appears alongside Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Jonathan Pryce, and Richard E. Grant (Variety (film trade coverage)).

Character background from the books

• Book fans’ favorite: in the novels, Bogdan is a recurring outside ally — a local man whose warmth and quiet capability make him a natural fit for the club’s schemes.
• Faithfulness: Variety’s trailer coverage highlighted the supporting additions, which signals the character is part of the film’s main ensemble rather than a background extra.

The takeaway: Bogdan is the kind of role that makes a two-hour film feel bigger than its runtime — a familiar face with a clear function, right when the plot needs a helping hand.

Where is Thursday Club filmed?

Principal filming locations

• UK locations: production took place on location in the United Kingdom, including Buckinghamshire and London (Los Angeles Times (review)).
• Country-house settings: additional scenes were shot at historic country houses, which keeps the film’s British-mystery atmosphere intact (Los Angeles Times (review)).

The fictional retirement village

• Coopers Chase on screen: the story’s fictional retirement village — taken from the book series — was built as a set for the film (Wikipedia (series overview)).

Setting inspiration from the books

• Fiction with a real-world feel: Richard Osman set the novels in the English countryside, and the film’s production design mirrors that comfortable, leafy atmosphere.

Why this matters: a murder mystery only works if the world looks safe enough that the crime feels like a violation — the UK countryside and a purpose-built village are doing exactly that job.

The Thursday Murder Club: key dates

Six dates, one pattern: a book hit in 2020, a film deal by 2023, and a streaming premiere five years after the novel first appeared — a fast journey for a publishing franchise.

The takeaway: the sequence is unusually tidy — no decade of rights wrangling, no director shuffling. The books, the deal, the shoot, and the premiere ran like a well-planned case.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

Here’s the line between announced facts and open questions.

Confirmed facts

• The film streams on Netflix beginning August 28, 2025 (Netflix Tudum).
• The leads are Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie (Netflix Media Center (official synopsis)).
• Chris Columbus directed (IMDb (full cast and crew)).
• A second film is in development (Wikipedia (film page)).

What’s unclear

• The release date for the second film.
• Whether there will be more than two films.
• Whether a TV series will ever happen.
• How future films will adapt the remaining novels.

The pattern: Netflix is quick to announce, slow to schedule. Fans have certainty about the franchise’s direction, but not about its calendar.

What the official materials and reviews say

One logline, two reviews — here’s how the film is being described by the people who made it and the critics who watched it.

“The story follows four irrepressible retirees who solve cold case murders for fun.”

— Netflix Media Center (official synopsis)

“Elizabeth is the leader of the group”; Ron is “a former union organizer”; Ibrahim is “a former psychiatrist”; and Joyce is “an ex-nurse and cake-baker.”

— Los Angeles Times (film review)

Slate’s review notes that Jonathan Pryce portrays Elizabeth’s husband Stephen (Slate (film review)) — a small role, but one that gives the club’s domestic life a face fans will recognize.

The read: official materials sell the film as fun; reviewers keep emphasizing the quartet. Both sides agree on the draw — the four characters, not the plot machinery.

The forward stake for fans

The Thursday Murder Club is now two things at once: a best-selling book series and a Netflix franchise with a sequel in the works. That fusion changes the stakes — a successful second film would make the remaining novels a steady production pipeline, while a stumble would freeze the adaptation mid-way. For readers who haven’t joined the club yet, the choice is clear: stream the movie this week for a two-hour introduction, or start with the 2020 novel and let the film wait until you know the suspects by name.

Frequently asked questions