Join The Thursday MURDER Club

THEY’VE played everyone ranging from the Queen and Gandhi to James Bond.

- MARC BAKER in New York

Now they're playing a group of plucky pensioners who solve cold cases for fun - and according to the cast of The Thursday Murder Club, it's a job to die for.

This summer's eagerly anticipated whodunnit stars Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie and is based on the bestselling novel by BBC One’s Pointless star-turned author, Richard Osman.

And director Chris Columbus, whose credits include Home Alone, Gremlins and two Harry Potter films, has sprinkled his magic throughout.

We attended Thursday night's world premiere in New York, where the stars of the two-hour film - due to be released on Netflix on August 28 - said they revelled in playing characters their own age.

Dame Helen, 80, who stars as ex-spy Elizabeth, told us: “I read Richard Osman's book before I got offered the part.

“All of my girlfriends were, like, ‘This is a great book - you have got to read it’. That is how bestsellers are made, by word of mouth.

“I absolutely inhaled the first book, and the second. I wanted to play my character when I read the book.

“But when I heard it had been bought by Steven Spielberg, I thought, ‘There goes my chance. I will never get the Spielberg call!’”

But fortunately, Dame Helen was wrong - and the producer did call.