The Thursday Murder Club features a series of compelling twists and turns, and the new movie deviates from the Richard Osman novel in several notable ways. With a powerful ending to The Thursday Murder Club, the film sets up an exciting future for Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron, but it is not quite the one readers of the books expected.

The cast of The Thursday Murder Club is what makes the film so effective. Bringing in powerful and dynamic actors, including Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan, immediately elevates the already strong material. With a supporting cast that includes the likes of David Tennant, the new movie is a must-watch for fans of mysteries.

There are hopes that The Thursday Murder Club could start a franchise for Netflix. The novel the film adapts already has three sequels, with a fourth coming later this year. Still, none of these adaptations will be exactly as written. To understand this, the changes between the novel and the new movie must be broken down in detail.

Tony’s Whole Twisted Past Is Changed To A Pᴀssport Scheme

The main conflict, including the tensions between Tony and Ian Ventham, are changed significantly in the film. In the book, the conflict between them arises from all kinds of crooked work in their pasts, which leads to Ian cutting Tony out of a deal to expand at Cooper’s Chase to make more money.

The film modifies the tension between the characters, instead turning it into disagreements about what to do with the property. This is a more personal disagreement, and it helps to immediately highlight the differences between the characters.

The film invents a pᴀssport scheme to tie all of these difficulties together. This human trafficking option, which sees Tony and Billy bringing in immigrants and exploiting them for cheap labor after stealing their pᴀssports, helps to motivate several other actions throughout the film.

Bogdan Is Arrested For Tony’s Murder

One of the most important changes in the film has to do with Bogdan’s fate. In the book and movie, Bogdan kills Tony, but the action is not mirthful. Bogdan has a complex past, but the film wraps him up in a pᴀssport scheme, and ends with him being sent off to prison.

This is an interesting change, because Bogdan is not arrested in the novel. Instead, he becomes a supporting player in the future books. With him being in prison, this could complicate further stories.

In all likelihood, due to Bogdan’s murder being an accident in the film, and around a complex scenario, the character likely will not serve time in the films, if sequels are made. Still, having Bogdan put behind bars in the movie’s ending was a baffling choice.

Elizabeth Is More Public About Stephen’s Condition

Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, is slowly succumbing to dementia. In the book, this is a real worry for her, especially in how it relates to Penny. Not wanting to wind up in the same situation as Penny and John, she hides her husband’s worsening condition from the people around her.

In the film, Elizabeth shares these details without reserve. Stephen’s difficult condition plays into the themes of the film about mortality, adds important texture to the more complex ideas in the film’s story.

Patrice, Donna’s Mother, Was Cut From The Movie

Donna is a major character in the book and the film, but her mother only appears in the book. The character plays a more significant role in the sequel novels, including a story in The Man Who Died Twice, and it is unfortunate she was not introduced in this film.

Sarah Niles, star of Ted Lᴀsso and F1, was even cast for the role and had a scene filmed. Unfortunately, in the final edit of the film, this scene had to be removed.

Father Mackie’s Mystery Never Made It To The Screen

Father Mackie appears briefly in the film, but his significant story is almost entirely cut. In the book, Mackie has a past that saw him breaking his vows after falling in love with a nun named Maggie. Becoming pregnant, Maggie hanged herself after being discovered.

The subsequent burial of her remains is a difficulty that sees Mackie wrapped up in the story. Mackie does not want her bones disturbed, and his wish to keep the cemetery intact leads to him becoming a suspect in Ian Ventham’s murder.

Ron Is Quite A Bit Different Than Most Readers Imagined

Pierce Brosnan’s casting as Ron caused some controversy with fans of the books. In the novels, as a tattooed unionist, Ron is made out to be much more of a brash and tough working-class man. This clashes with Pierce Brosnan’s more refined charms.

Still, the film did an effective job communicating Ron’s character. While Brosnan is clearly a handsome star, he does bring a rougher energy to his performance here, and his overall look and style pair well with the rest of the тιтular club.

Elizabeth Blackmails Bobby In Order To Sell Cooper’s Chase To Joanna

Bobby’s character and role in the film are much different from the book. A more timid ᴀssociate of Tony’s in the book, the film exaggerates Bobby’s menace, even having him send a threatening man to confront Elizabeth during their investigation.

Richard E. Grant gives a compelling performance as the character, but he feels like an entirely different character compared to the book. This, however, also allows the ending to coalesce differently.

In the end, Elizabeth uses her savvy to blackmail Bobby. Rather than revealing his connections to the murders and complicating his life, she compels him to sell Cooper’s Chase to Joanna, Joyce’s daughter.

Jason’s Role Is Changed Significantly

Jason’s role in the movie is entirely different from that in the book. While the character remains Ron’s son, a former athlete and low-level celebrity, the way that he plays into the murders is entirely different.

To begin, the pH๏τo of his arm is a more evident clue in the book, where he is not cut off in the picture. Instead of being arrested, however, due to a lack of evidence, he appeals to the тιтular club for help, and even tries to ᴀssist them by going on a date with Karen Playfair.

In the film, he is arrested, but is eventually released. The film’s version of Jason is having an affair with Ian Ventham’s wife, and he has a timestamped pH๏τo that exonerates him of the murder.

Turkish Johnny And Steve Ercan Are Not In The Film

Several characters who play into the story in the novel are not in the film. Turkish Johnny, or Turkish Gianni in some editions, is the pH๏τographer who took the picture of Jason, Bobby Tanner, and Tony. He is mostly a misdirect in the novel, but it is curious that he does not appear in the film at all.

Steve Ecran, a gym owner, also factors into this additional storyline, which featured illegal drugs and organized crime. In order to trim the story, this, as well as a few other extraneous plotlines, were not included in the story, allowing the overall mystery to be more streamlined.

Tony’s Aunt Maud Is A New Character For The Film

Tony’s motivations in the film are much different, and a great deal of that hinges on his beloved Aunt Maud being a resident at Cooper’s Chase. This part of the story, including the entire character of Maud, is an invention of the film.

Fortunately, Maud is a strong character. Played by Ruth Sheen, she is one of the more charming and funny residents at the retirement home, and she shines in virtually any scene in which she appears.