Branagh Both Passenger and Engineer in Orient Express

We've known for a while that Kenneth Branagh would be directing a new adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. But now we've learned that in addition to helming the feature, Branagh will also portray detective Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective who appeared in 33 of Christie's novels.

Sidney Lumet directed a big adaptation of Orient Express back in 1974, with an all star cast including Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, and Albert Finney as Poirot. David Suchet embodied Poirot on British television for two decades.

I like this immensely, as the classic nature of the story really suits Branagh's sensibilities as a director, as he proved beautifully with Cinderella. And with his enduring run as Wallander, he's got more than enough detective experience to match wits with the longest trainload of killers.

Looking forward to this one!