The Thursday Murder Club author Richard Osman has addressed the backlash the Netflix film adaptation has received.
Last month, the eagerly awaited film version of The Thursday Murder Club dropped on Netflix.
Drawing from the debut novel in Richard Osman’s bestselling series, the movie showcased a stellar ensemble including Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie and Helen Mirren, under Chris Columbus’s direction.
The plot centres on four pensioners residing at Coopers Chase retirement community nestled in picturesque English countryside. Weekly, they convene to examine cold cases and unsolved crimes.
Yet chaos ensues when these amateur sleuths become entangled in an actual investigation following a genuine killing.
While book enthusiasts were thrilled to witness the tale brought to the screen, numerous viewers felt let down by the adaptation, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Speaking about the criticism during a This Morning appearance, writer Richard Osman confessed he harboured doubts about certain film elements that strayed from his original work.
The 54-year-old even raised these concerns with Steven Spielberg, who served as producer via his Amblin Entertainment company.
When Ben enquired whether he now visualises his characters as the film’s cast members, Cat pointed out how differently Ron appears in the book versus Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal.
Richard responded: “He is very different! I wasn’t involved in the film, really, so I claim no credit for it.”
Ben asked Richard about his thoughts on the film adaptation of his book, which had sparked some controversy among fans.
He asked: “It’s not quite the same, significantly different parts from the book. How have you responded to that? How do you feel about that?”
Richard responded: “I’ve written my version of the book and that’s the Thursday Murder Club and it’s available in all good book shops and it’ll be there forever, that’s my version.
“That’s the version that’s come from my heart. I’m not going to be the person to sit down and do an adaptation for a film because I’ve done it already, so you have to give it to brilliant people.”
The author emphasised that the book had to be condensed into a two-hour film, which would’ve been considerably longer if everything he’d written was included.
He added: “They have to make choices that you wouldn’t necessarily make yourself. But that’s the fun of the thing.”
Ben then questioned whether Richard had the opportunity to voice any concerns to the production crew. Richard admitted: “I can reveal, I did say that a couple of times.”
When Cat asked if he had spoken to Stephen Spielberg, Richard confirmed he had, jokingly adding: “Ask me if he listened. But they know what they’re doing!”
This Morning continues weekdays on ITV from 10. The Thursday Murder Club is available to stream on Netflix.