'The Thursday Murder Club' writer Richard Osman praises the UK film industry

Author, TV producer, and presenter, Richard Osman spoke of the UK film industry at the At the UK premiere of Netflix's The Thursday Murder Club, based on the novel written by Osman.

Speaking of the UK film industry, Osman noted: “We happen to have such an incredible range of amazing actors in the UK and amazing writers and people behind the scenes who are just incredible.

“Hollywood can spend 200 million on a movie. And Netflix has spent a lot of money on a movie,” he continued, referring to Netflix’s acquisition of The Thursday Murder Club ahead of filming last summer. 

“But there are these stories I don’t think anyone other than British people would be able to tell,” he said, mentioning The Ballad Of Wallis Island specifically – a low-budget UK indie that found success at the box office earlier this year. “Anytime anyone [in this country] can raise the money to make a movie you know it’s going to be a cracker.”

At the UK premiere of Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club, which Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote wrote the screenplay and Chris Columbus directed, cast member Henry Lloyd-Hughes revealed he has joined Steven Spielberg’s next project while author Richard Osman praised the UK film industry and Helen Mirren discussed another upcoming Netflix project, Kate Winslet’s Goodbye June.

Lloyd-Hughes stars alongside Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo in Spielberg’s untitled Universal feature which wrapped filming in June after shooting for three months in New York.

“It was another galaxy of stars,” Lloyd-Hughes told Screen, referencing The Thursday Murder Club which stars the likes of Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie and David Tennant. “But because it’s Spielberg, it was a whole new galaxy,” he added, hinting at reports that the film is a science fiction involving UFOs.

Spielberg, whose production company Amblin Entertainment produced Chris Columbus’ The Thursday Murder Club, had seen an early edit of the film and was “impressed” by Lloyd-Hughes. 

“He wrote me a very sweet letter and asked me if I would like to be part of his next adventure,” the UK actor told Screen. “It was one of the most memorable and mind-blowing experiences to have a front row seat to watch him create movie magic in the way that only he can.”

Lloyd-Hughes confirmed the project, which is scheduled for release on June 12, 2026, does not yet have a title. “Even when I was doing the interviews at the end [of production], they said ‘we’re trying to work out what the title is’.” 

Lloyd-Hughes’s other credits include Hulu miniseries We Were The Lucky Ones, Killing Eve and The Inbetweeners Movie. 

The Thursday Murder Club is screening in UK and Ireland cinemas now before it starts streaming on Netflix next week.

A version of this story appears on our sister site Screen.