‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Morfydd Clark to Star in Agatha Christie Adaptation ‘Murder Is Easy’ for BBC, BritBox

Filming has begun and the cast has been revealed for Agatha Christie novel adaptation “Murder Is Easy.”

Based on Christie’s 1939 novel, the two-part thriller is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur (“World on Fire”).

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The cast includes David Jonsson (“Industry,” “Rye Lane”), Morfydd Clark (“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Saint Maud”), Penelope Wilton (“Downton Abbey”), Sinead Matthews (“The Crown”), Tom Riley (“The Nevers”), Douglas Henshall (“Shetland”), Mathew Baynton (“Ghosts”), Mark Bonnar (“World on Fire”), Nimra Bucha (“Ms Marvel”), Tamzin Outhwaite (“The Tower”), Jon Pointing (“Big Boys”) and Phoebe Licorish in her screen debut.

The story is set in 1954 England. On a train to London, Fitzwilliam (Jonsson) meets Miss Pinkerton (Wilton), who tells him that a killer is on the loose in the sleepy English village of Wychwood under Ashe. The villagers believe the deaths are accidents, but Miss Pinkerton knows otherwise — and when she’s later found dead on her way to Scotland Yard, Fitzwilliam feels he must find the killer before they can strike again.

“Murder Is Easy” is made by ITV Studios’ Mammoth Screen (“The Serpent”) and Agatha Christie Limited (“Death on the Nile”) and is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International. It is produced by Karen Kelly. The casting directors are Karen Lindsay-Stewart and Emily Jacobs. Executive producers are Ejiwunmi-Le Berre, James Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited, James Gandhi and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC and Reemah Sakaan and Stephen Nye for BritBox International. Fifth Season is handling international sales.

“Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre’s amazing adaptation of ‘Murder Is Easy’ digs into the divides at the heart of post-war English society, and we feel so lucky that the village of Wychwood is going to be brought to life by a dream cast,” Gandhi said in a statement. “With Meenu Gaur at the directing helm and David Jonsson playing the lead, this promises to be a thrilling ride.”

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, added: “With an intriguing central mystery and a fantastic creative team behind the camera, it’s no surprise that this new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit has attracted a who’s who of U.K. acting talent to bring ‘Murder Is Easy’ to the screen. BBC viewers are in for a treat that will keep them guessing to the very end.”

Reemah Sakaan, CEO BritBox International, said: “With the combination of such a stellar cast, and source material that’s second to none, ‘Murder Is Easy’ is set to be a huge draw for our international markets, and a great addition to BritBox’s collection of much-loved Christie classics. We are delighted to partner again with Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited to adapt another gripping Christie title, over a year on from our successful launch of ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?,’ as part of our further three project deal, working with such a world class production team.”

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