Netflix should offer Harlan Coben-style deal to this other murder mystery author

It’s always good to look ahead to shows and movies coming up later in the year. Netflix did that recently with their update of what's on their slate for 2025. One new movie coming up in 2025 could be the start of a beautiful deal for an author and viewers. 

We aren’t quite at the scale of the Harlan Coben deal with Netflix where the author signed up to transform 14 of his books into TV series around the world. But hey, everyone has to start somewhere, and author Richard Osman could well be heading down a similar if smaller, path. Osman has four books published already in his Thursday Murder Club series and is working on a fifth book to add to that. 

The first of those books, The Thursday Murder Club, gave the series its name and is currently being made into a movie. None other than Steven Spielberg is involved through his production team at Amblin Entertainment. Chris Columbus of Home Alone fame is writing, co-producing, and directing the movie. While no firm date for release has been given Osman has previously suggested late summer or autumn as likely. 

Netflix murder mystery author could be set for a new deal

The cast list is impressive with Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley playing the main four characters.  But we can also expect to see the likes of David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, and Danny Mays in support. If you have read any of the books you’ll understand why that sounds like a perfect cast.

For those who haven't read any or are unaware of The Thursday Murder Club books let me explain more. Osman has created a cozy team of quite different investigators. They are all pensioners living in apartments at a retirement home in England. 

The storylines are full of great humor, some pathos, and gentle pacing but accelerated when the moment is right. Don’t let the setting or characters fool you one bit, they face many threats and puzzles to solve.  The supporting cast all look very capable of adding the right amount of sparkle, mystery, and wit to the plot too. 

At the moment it seems like a one-book deal that's been agreed between Osman and Netflix for this first story. That leaves the door very much open surely to explore other options once the movie has been screened. It gives Netflix and Amblin the chance to step back if the movie doesn't do as well as expected. You’d exepct it also allows the author to see what deals are on offer for one or more books from the series if the movie takes off. 

That's where the mini Harlan Coben-style deal might come in. With three more books already available in the series and another being written. Not to mention that Osman has also been developing a separate series of books; the first, We Solve Murders, was published last year, and more are set to follow. That gives plenty of scope for a steady flow of films or even TV series in the future. Let's see what the movie brings when it’s out later this year. 

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