Thursday Murder Club Fantasy Casting Thread.

[verdantverdure]

Who should play Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, Ron, Bogdan, Stephen, Donna, Chris, Patrice, Pauline, and Computer Bob?

I am loving these books! Alison Steadman is my Joyce, Helen Mirren is my Elizabeth. Ibrahim is a sort of slimmer Don Warrington but I adore his voice, Chris is Neil Dugeon from Midsomer Murders.

Or I can imagine Elizabeth as Susie Blake

Deffo Penelope Wilton for Joyce

Art Malik for ibrahim

Art Malik for Ibrahim for me as well. He's 71 so not that young.

Penelope Wilton or Alison Steadman for Joyce.

Love the idea of Fiona Shaw as Elizabeth, or maybe Annette Crosby.

Ray Winston or Larry Lamb for Ron.

Daniel Craig isn't 'beefy' enough for Bogdan for me. Maybe Tom Hardy or similar.

Chris can't be too comedic or a comedy actor like Peter Kay for me either. How about Rory Kinnear?

Jo Martin for Patrice. Love her.

Nina Sosanya for Donna?

Oh goodness yes! 😭😭poor George….he was beautiful and elegant

Apologies. I did look but the Mumsnet search engine hates me.

I've always had Kayvan Novak in mind for Bogdan somehow.

Donna - Arsema Thomas
Patrice - 100% agree with pp’s suggestion of Adjoa Andoh
Chris - Martin Freeman
Bogdan - you meant dream casting right? Change his country of origin to Ukraine and get Volodymyr Zelenskyy :D If you can’t get him I think someone actually from Poland, maybe an unknown, would be great. Or Joel Edgerton, he just looks exactly like how I imagined Bogdan.

Agree that for the main 4 they’ll have to skew slightly younger than their book age and (convincingly) age them up. They’re not even in pre production yet and if they do all four books you’re going to have to pick someone who you can be fairly sure will still be in good health and still working in ten years’ time or more. So I would go with

Ron - Ray Winston or (curveball) Liam Neeson
Joyce - Emma Thompson
Elizabeth - Kristen Scott Thomas
Ibrahim - Art Malik

If the second book comes to fruition I will accept no one else but Hugh Grant as Douglas.

Philip Glenister for Ron?

Love the idea of Hugh Grant as Douglas...I'd had either Greg Wise or Adrian Lukis in mind.

Channelling the handsome rakes from Jane Austen! 😄

I'd also love to see a cameo from Richard Osman in there.

June Whitfield would have been a great Joyce. Fiona Shaw for Elizabeth. I think they could age Art Malik up a bit to be Ibrahim.

Bogdan is my friend’s husband. He is utterly perfect. However in the absence of any acting credits I reckon Kayvan is a good idea.

In my head Chris is Tony Way. Agree Penelope Williton for Joyce.

I'd also love to see a cameo from Richard Osman in there.

Definitely!

Yes, I saw her in the new Agatha Christie and immediately thought this!

Chris O'Dowd for Chris!

Agree Fiona Shaw would make a brilliant Elizabeth but I thought her narration was awful! Her emphasis was sometimes so far in the wrong place it would actually change the meaning of some sentences.

This is jumping ahead, but I always think that Sally Lindsay would make a great Connie Johnson.

I forgot about Connie Johnson. I'll get my thinking cap on that one.

I woke up thinking Peter Egan might make a good Stephen.

And could Francesca Annis be Elizabeth?

Me and DH were discussing the exact same thing. We've got as far as Helen Mirren as Elizabeth, Ray Winstone as Ron and Julia McKenzie as Joyce.

Fiona Shaw would be the perfect Elizabeth

Penelope Wilton as Joyce - good call PP

Ron - Ray Winston comes to mind immediately as per PP

Ibrahim - not sure but Art Malik good choice

Donna

Chris

Bogdan

Sandra James Young as Patrice?

Tala Gouveia from McDonald and Dodds for Donna?

Needs to be people who are well under 70 and fit I think - which rules out many of the 'go to' elderly national treasure Dames and Sirs.

Bit discombobulated by suggestions of Olivia Coleman and Martin Freeman who are only a couple of years older than me in their v early fifties. Ouch!

Richard E Grant surely needs a part though?

I was the one that mentioned Martin Freeman, but in my defence it was for Chris the detective!

On the other thread someone suggested Ricky Gervais for Chris, but he’s 63 this year which brings him more into the Main Four’s age range! He could actually be a brilliant Ron.