Amazon sets multiple Agatha Christie TV adaptations

Amazon is getting a major dose of Agatha Christie. The streaming studio announced the development of multiple TV series based on works by the iconic mystery writer — and the first will be Ordeal By Innocence, which already started production in the U.K. with actors Bill Nighy, Alice Eve, and Ed Westwick.

Run by Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard, Agatha Christie Limited, which manages the literary and media rights to the author’s works, partnered with Amazon on this deal. The goal is to add even more original offerings to the streaming platform’s roster of programming.

Ordeal By Innocence centers on the Argyll family. The black sheep, Jack Argyll, was accused of murdering their matriarch a year ago, but now a man shows up on their doorstep claiming Jack’s innocence. The family must come to terms with this news and the fact that the real killer might still be among them.

The cast is rounded out by Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children), Matthew Goode (The Good Wife), Catherine Keener (Get Out), Luke Treadaway (Fortitude), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), and Morven Christie (The A Word).

Sarah Phelps, who worked on previous Christie adaptations And Then There Were None and The Witness for the Prosecution for BBC One, executive produces Ordeal By Innocence.

“The brand of Agatha Christie resonates around the world,” Chris Rice of WME, which brokered the deal, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be happier to have Amazon as our U.S. home for this franchise. We think the series of specials will attract great auteurs and actors to create compelling content for audiences everywhere.”

The series will be released internationally on BBC One.