‘The Thursday Murder Club’ director teases exclusive bonus film for Netflix fans — here's what to expect
Netflix subscribers are in for a great delight as they will get to see 'The Thursday Murder Club' on the streaming platform very soon. Yeah, you read that right. For the unversed, let us share with you that 'The Thursday Murder Club', which is based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Richard Osman, has already been released in the theatres, and it has received mixed feedback. However, those who haven't had the chance to watch the British crime comedy will now be able to catch it on Netflix only on August 28. In addition to this, all Netflix subscribers will also get the opportunity to view some bonus footage.
During an interview with the British Library, which saw the light of day before the movie's launch, director Chris Columbus candidly spoke about the film and disclosed that not all the elements from the book made the final cut. Along with this, Columbus also stated that the Netflix version of the film would be accompanied by a unique short film. "Unfortunately, some of the best scenes have been cut from the film. There is a scene where Ibrahim actually comes out to Ron, and it was just timing," Columbus said at that time, according to Manchester Evening News.
Columbus went on to say, "And it will be in the next film, hopefully. And there was a scene with Father Mackie, who is a suspect, and it was one of Celia and Helen's most brilliant moments in the church, and it was just... the film was too long. So we actually created a Thursday Murder Club short. When you watch the film on Netflix, you can watch the short called The Priest who Wasn't A Priest, and it's a nine-minute short. So you can actually dive deeper into the film. I didn't want to let that one go. So you will get to see that, and it's a beautiful scene."
'The Thursday Murder Club,' which hit the screens on August 22, 2025, has a star-studded cast. It features Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, and Ben Kingsley. Other cast members of the murder mystery film include David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Richard E. Grant, Tom Ellis, Geoff Bell, Paul Freeman, Sarah Niles, and Ingrid Oliver. Up until this moment, the movie has received mixed reviews, with an overall score of 88 on Rotten Tomatoes. Some fans have lauded the film as "good-natured and gorgeous to look at." Meanwhile, critics such as Caryn James from The Hollywood Reporter described it as "Uncool and filled with stock tropes."
During an episode of his podcast, 'The Rest Is Entertainment,' author Osman admitted that there were some modifications when adapting the book. Then, Osman explained, "The plot, as I understand it, for The Thursday Murder Club movie is based on the first book, but it's not entirely the same, because you have to change things is the truth. To have me looking over their shoulder every five seconds, telling them that they couldn't do this or they couldn't do that, I think would be hard."