'The Seven Dials Mystery' Casts a Trio of All Stars

It was the end of March when we first reported that Netflix was stepping up from doing modern Agatha Christie-style mystery knock-offs like the Knives Out mystery series of films, and were getting into the real-deal Christie works, aiming to out-BBC the BBC by doing its own limited series of her lesser-known novels. Since ITV closed up shop on the long-running Agatha Christie's Poirot, Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, and Agatha Christie's Marple, the BBC has been producing one-offs based on all the Christie novels that don't star her famous sleuths from Ordeal by Innocence to The Pale Horse, and the last couple, Why Didn't They Ask Evans and Murder is Easy each hitting rating numbers that even Netflix wants to imitate.

Netflix sure is imitating the BBC model, too. Both Murder is Easy and the BBC's next one, Towards Zero, are from Christie's lesser-known Superintendant Battle books. (There are just as many Battle books as there are Partners in Crime books, but they're just not as popular.) The BBC usually edits out Battle in favor of creating stand-alone heroes, but Netflix is apparently going a different track. The Battle book they chose, The Seven Dials Mystery, is one of two where Battle teams up with the same amateur scion of the landed gentry, Lady Eileen Brent, nicknamed Bundle. (Bundle is a Bright Young Thing in the same vein as Evans' Lady Frances or Partners in Crime's Tuppence.) And apparently Netflix has decided to cast both characters.

Netflix has cast Mia McKenna-Bruce as Bundle. She is best known for the film How to Have Sex, which earned her the BAFTA Rising Star Award. As part of the press release, McKenna-Bruce said, "Chris Chibnall’s scripts are brilliant, and I am thrilled to be part of this new interpretation of the iconic Agatha Christie's storytelling."