Murder on the Orient Express first trailer: Hercule Poirot gets a glamorous update

Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in railbound murder mystery Murder on the Orient Express, whose topline cast is crammed full of big names, from Johnny Depp to Daisy Ridley.

To Hercule Poirot -- “probably the greatest detective in the world,” as he calls himself -- every passenger on board the Orient Express is a suspect in this chilling murder case.

Based on the classic Agatha Christie novel and brought to screen courtesy a star-studded cast, Murder on the Orient Express is set to roll out in cinemas from November.

With a background in highbrow theatre, but now well established in film as the director of a diverse range of projects from Thor, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh both helms and headlines Murder... as its generously-moustached lead character.

The cast also includes Michelle Pfieffer, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Olivia Colman, Leslie Odom Jr and Daisy Ridley among its high-profile names.

A November debut means the film lands in the lead up to both the Hollywood awards season and the year-end holiday period; smart visual effects and a punchy soundtrack underline 20th Century Fox’s willingness to chase a younger-skewing audience for this classic tale of 20th century crime fiction.

Its aggressive November 10 US date puts Murder... between superhero movie Thor: Ragnarok and dramatic thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer the previous week and then another superhero movie Justice League and novel adaptation Wonder the week after.

Agatha Christie’s original crime novel was first published in 1934. Previous adaptations include the acclaimed 1974 Sidney Lumet film with a similarly starry cast, and British television’s 2010 excursion featuring David Suchet as Poirot and double Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain as one of its principals.