Helena Bonham Carter to star in Agatha Christie series

British actress Helena Bonham Carter is set to star in The Seven Dials Mystery – a new Netflix series based on Agatha Christie’s books.

How To Have Sex star Mia McKenna-Bruce leads the cast as the young sleuth Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, who appeared in the novels The Seven Dials Mystery and The Secret Of Chimneys.

She is joined by Bonham Carter as Lady Caterham and The Responder star Martin Freeman as Superintendent Battle, a character who was in various Christie books including Hercule Poirot mystery Cards On The Table.

A first-look image shows McKenna-Bruce, a Bafta rising star winner, sitting on the floor in a black dress while reading The Seven Dials Mystery and surrounded by clocks.

The script has been penned by Broadchurch creator and former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall, and the show is executive produced by The Crown executive producer Suzanne Mackie through her company Orchid Pictures and Chris Sussman, known for Good Omens.

McKenna-Bruce, who has also been in Peacock’s Vampire Academy and Netflix Jane Austen film Persuasion, 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.”

The series will tell the story of a lavish English country house party in 1925, where a “practical joke appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong”, according to Netflix.

Bundle is set to step in to try to solve the mystery, changing her life.

The Seven Dials Mystery will begin filming this summer.

Netflix also announced the start of production for Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out adventure.

The third instalment in Rian Johnson’s series of spoof murder-mystery movies featuring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc will also feature Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church.