Top News

The Thursday Murder Club director shared how Hollywood icon Helen Mirren was able to offend its filming crew with just one word.

Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club has made its cinematic debut on Friday, August 22, bringing to life his eagerly anticipated best-selling 2020 novel.

A plethora of stars quickly signed up for the film with Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie leading its impressive cast.

READ MORE: Emmerdale exit for fan favourite 'sealed' as new 'ruthless' villain exposed

READ MORE: Coronation Street star now working in coffee van after huge blow to acting career

But during The Thursday Murder Club: An Evening with Richard Osman at The British Library, American director Chris Columbus shared an issue that was experienced on set.

He elaborated: "There were a few Netflix executives who said, 'This is too British, we don't know what they are talking about'.”

“One of the things we got by the sensors was Pierce one day ad-libbed a word.

“He called someone a 'Plonker'. I yelled 'cut' and I said 'what is a plonker?' and he explained it to me and I thought 'That is fantastic, that has to stay in the film'.

“I'd heard the phrase 'w*****' before but there were a couple of people on the crew when Helen said it. It was not scripted.

“She said 'most of the police are w******' and people were offended on set.

"How could Elizabeth say that word? And I thought, that means it's staying in the film. I embraced that, I really did."

Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is the first in a series of books, followed by The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed and The Last Devil To Die.

His fifth book, The Impossible Fortune, is also on the way, with its publishing date set for Monday, September 22.

As of yet, there has been no official confirmation that the franchise will return for a sequel film based on Osman’s work.

However, Columbus has previously teased that there are already plans in the works for its return, telling Film Stories: “If we’re lucky enough, and all signs seem to point in that direction that we will be shooting a sequel or the next chapter – in the second movie.”

The Thursday Murder Club premieres on Friday, August 22, in cinemas and on Thursday, August 28, on Netflix.