The 'Death on the Nile' Trailer Has Not Aged Well

Even before Murder on the Orient Express came out in 2017, I was dubious about Kenneth Branagh's foray into Agatha Christie. Not that an A-list cast of one of Christie's most remarkable mysteries wasn't right up my alley. But one look at Branagh's Hercule Poirot with his ludicrous mustaches, his godforsaken false accent, and his wiggling eyebrows, and it was apparent this was all wrong. It's the director's prerogative to cast himself as the lead. However, even if David Suchet was not still alive and well, this was a miscasting for the ages.

Bad reviews did not deter Branagh, unfortunately, and soon a follow-up film, Death on the Nile, one of Christie's other genuinely famous stories, was on the way. Once again, Branagh had rolled up an A-list cast, including some names that British fans will love to see, including a Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French reunion, Annette Bening (Richard III), Russell Brand (The Tempest), Ali Fazal (Victoria & Abdul), Rose Leslie (Downton Abbey), Emma Mackey (Sex Education), and Sophie Okonedo (The Wheel of Time). Branagh also cast some of the hottest actors of the moment, including Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name), and Letitia Wright (Black Panther).

Scheduled for release in October 2020, in time for the Christie Centennial, the film seemed a hit despite itself. But then the pandemic came. And with it, Gal Gadot's "Imagine," Armie Hammer's cannibalism sex scandal, and Letitia Wright's anti-vaccination rumors. And suddenly, the Death on the Nile trailer looks a lot less like a sure thing and a whole lot more like a who's who of problematic choices. It's rare for a film to age badly before it even hits theaters, but anything is possible in the 2020s.