Timothy Spall OBE to star in Magpie Murders adaptation for BritBox

Timothy Spall OBE will star in a adaptation of Magpie Murders for BritBox.

BAFTA-nominated actor Timothy Spall OBE (Mr Turner, Summer of Rockets) has been cast alongside Lesley Manville CBE (Phantom Thread, Let Him Go, Mum) in the adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s acclaimed and best-selling crime novel.

A synopsis shares: “In Magpie Murders, a beguiling murder mystery with a solution that will both astonish and grip viewers, Spall will star as the clever and complex detective Atticus Pünd in the fictional novels by best-selling mystery writer Alan Conway.

“The plot of Magpie Murders revolves around the character Susan Ryeland (Manville), an editor who is given an unfinished Conway manuscript and has little idea it will change her life.”

Helmed by director Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty, Military Wives, The A Word), Magpie Murders will shoot in Suffolk and Ireland, and will launch on BritBox in the UK and MASTERPIECE on PBS in the US in 2022.

Timothy Spall OBE, said: “I am delighted to be part of this adaptation of Magpie Murders, and to be working once again with the immensely talented Lesley Manville , Peter Cattaneo, the fantastic cast and all the team at Eleventh Hour Films.

“I have huge respect for Anthony Horowitz and think the audience will really enjoy his brilliant adaptation of his wonderful and ingenious novel. I’m really looking forward to getting to grips with bringing the intriguing Atticus Pünd to life.”

Jill Green, Chief Executive, Eleventh Hour Films, added: “Atticus Pünd is a complex, deep thinking 1950s detective who is at the top of his game – so who better than to have Timothy Spall?”

Anthony Horowitz, author and screenwriter of Magpie Murders, commented: “I was overjoyed when I heard that Timothy Spall had accepted the part of Atticus Pünd. I’m a lifelong fan and there isn’t another actor in the world I would have chosen for this pivotal role.”

Further casting and release date are to be announced in due course.