Game of Thrones and Marvel favourites join new Hercule Poirot TV mystery series

If you love a good whodunit and get a kick out of spotting familiar faces from Game of Thrones or the Marvel Cinematic Universe doing something completely different, well, brace yourself for the BBC and BritBox's new spin on Hercule Poirot. This one isn't another recycled Agatha Christie adaptation, either — they're digging into the origins of the famous Belgian detective, and the cast is absolutely stacked.

The Next Belgian Sleuth

Let's start with the biggie: Edward Bluemel has been tapped to play Hercule himself. You might know him from 'Killing Eve' or 'The Outlaws', but now he gets to channel all his eccentric energy into Christie's iconic moustachioed genius. And he's not doing it alone; there's a ten-strong supporting cast, absolutely brimming with talent.

Jack Gleeson, the twisted Joffrey from Game of Thrones, is joining the series as one of the key characters alongside Bluemel.

Gleeson, who's been busy with roles in 'House of Guinness', 'The Sandman', and the quietly brilliant 'Sex Education', returns to the limelight for this. He's not the only Thrones alum, though. Henry Ashton — recently Daeron Targaryen in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and Netflix's 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' — is also part of the lineup, marking his second time sharing the screen with Bluemel after 'My Lady Jane'.

If you're more MCU than Westeros, there's James D'Arcy in the mix. He played Edwin Jarvis in 'Agent Carter' and 'Avengers: Endgame', and he's had a Nolan double-bill too, with roles in 'Dunkirk' and 'Oppenheimer'.

The Full Line-Up

• Calvin Demba ('Supacell', 'Life')
• Phil Dunning ('Smoggie Queens')
• Tamsin Greig ('Riot Women')
• Nesbitt ('Cold Feet')
• Guy Remmers ('The Buccaneers')
• Rebecca Rittenhouse ('Maggie')
• Mawaan Rizwan ('The Split Up')

This lot joins Bluemel, Gleeson, Ashton, and D'Arcy — so if nothing else, the chemistry should be worth tuning in for.

What's the Approach?

Hercule is a six-part series exploring how Poirot became, well, Poirot — long before he started gathering suspects in drawing rooms. They're using three of Christie's lesser-seen early stories as the backbone, and apparently we get to see future friends and nemeses pop up as well. It's all set in interwar Britain, where I suspect the costuming budget is nearly as daunting as the body count.

Production is gearing up to start soon, with Liverpool as the backdrop for Poirot's formative years.

Benji Walters is in charge of the scripts and executive producing — he seems intent on putting a fresh spin on the familiar. Charlie Palmer is aboard as series producer, while Jonny Campbell (he did 'Doctor Who' and 'Dracula') is handling the first two episodes as director.