It's easy to get cynical about the state of cinema. So many reboots, so many sequels, so many endless, joyless cash grabs. But then a trailer drops that reminds you why we still bother. Why we get excited. It's not about the flash, it's about the feeling. And the first full trailer for Chris Columbus's The Thursday Murder Club, adapted from Richard Osman's bestseller, feels like coming home. A cozy, slightly macabre, home, sure—but home nonetheless.
For a director whose legacy includes the dizzying highs of Home Alone and the magical world of Harry Potter, Columbus has always understood the power of a well-earned wink and a genuine heart. This trailer leans into that sensibility, trading slapstick for sophisticated British dry humor. The vibe is less about a frantic race against the clock and more about four brilliant, irreverent minds finding a new lease on life through crime. There's a subtle but palpable sense of mischief, a kind of gleeful disregard for rules that makes you root for them immediately. When Helen Mirren's Elizabeth says “We're all suspects,” it's not a moment of dread—it's a moment of pure, conspiratorial fun.
The casting here is, frankly, what will sell this for a lot of people. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie are a Murderers' Row of British acting royalty, and their chemistry crackles on screen. You get the sense that they didn't just show up to cash a paycheck; they're genuinely enjoying the ride. And that's the secret ingredient for a film like this. If the actors are having fun, we're having fun. The trailer even includes other phenomenal actors like David Tennant and Richard E. Grant, so it's an absolute smorgasbord of talent. The film doesn't look like it's trying to reinvent the whodunit; it looks like it's honoring the genre with wit, grace, and a bit of playful anarchy.
The trailer sets up the premise perfectly: a group of retirees who solve cold cases for kicks suddenly find themselves in the middle of a real, live murder. The humor comes from the clash between their low-stakes, cerebral hobby and the high-stakes, messy reality of an actual investigation. The final moments of the trailer, with Mirren's character delivering a wonderfully theatrical threat to someone, is a perfect mic drop. It promises a film that is equal parts clever and charming, and I, for one, can't wait to see it.
4 Key Details from the Trailer
- The stakes get real. The club, initially focused on historical cold cases, gets their first “live” case when a local developer is bludgeoned to death.
- The police are both a hindrance and a necessity. The retirees find themselves having to work around the official police investigation while also trying to get “someone on the inside” to help them out.
- A-list cast galore. In addition to the four main leads, the film features an incredible supporting cast including Naomi Ackie, David Tennant, and Richard E. Grant.
- A whodunit, but make it personal. The trailer hints that the club members become suspects themselves at one point [01:10], raising the stakes and forcing them to not only solve the murder but also clear their own names.
The Thursday Murder Club will be available to stream on Netflix starting August 28th, 2025. Who's ready to solve some crimes?
