Lionsgate have debuted the new trailer for the upcoming 'supernatural', whodunnit mystery adventure Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop starring Nathalie Cox as the eagle eyed sleuth Miss Willoughby alongside Kelsey Grammer as her long time family friend. The film is slated for release On Digital, On Demand, and on DVD on February 8, 2022.
The trailer shows the titular character interrogating a plethora of suspicious looking characters in an array of exquisitely extravagant buildings to rival those of Downton Abbey. It immediately brings to mind classic British murder mysteries of the past such as the long running TV show Midsomer Murders or Robert Altman's 2001 cult hit Gosford Park starring Clive Owen, Emma Watson, Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry and Michael Gambon, only this time there's a slight supernatural element that might or might not be present.
“Move over Miss Marple, there’s a smart, stylish new detective in town—meet Miss Willoughby!” reads the official synopsis. “Orphaned as a child, raised by a family friend (Kelsey Grammer, Frasier), and skilled in strategy, literature, and martial arts, there’s no case she can’t solve. But even she is baffled when a long-time friend tells her that a ghost is haunting the book store she runs. Is someone playing a trick on the poor woman? Is it a hallucination? Or is something more sinister going on? Make some tea and settle in to watch this thrilling whodunnit-adventure and find out!”
This is not the first time Nathalie Cox and Kelsey Grammer have worked together having also starred in Philippe Martinez's and Mick Davis's British Christmas comedy film Father Christmas Is Back which hit Netflix last month and also stars Elizabeth Hurley and John Cleese.
It would appear that Kelsey Grammer has been a very busy man over the last year starring in 5 movies in 2021 alone, showing no sign of slowing down as he approaches 67 years of age. Firstly he starred in American coming-of-age comedy film The Space Between, Rachel Winter's directorial debut. This was followed by a more serious turn in the drama The God Committee, written and directed by Austin Stark. He acted in another dramatic role in Charming the Hearts of Men, inspired by true events during the Civil rights movement in 1964. He also voiced Blinky Galadrigal in the critically lauded computer-animated science fantasy movie Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans directed by Johane Matte, Francisco Ruiz Velasco, and Andrew Schmidt. While not quite as prolific as Grammer, Nathalie Cox is currently working on the British comedy One Year Off which also Jeff Fahey and Chad Michael Collins, although no release date has yet been confirmed.
Whether or not Miss Willoughby is set to become the next Miss Marple is yet to be seen, although it's likely that audiences could be more receptive to this type of whodunnit fare following the success of Knives Out. Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop is directed by Brad Watson and written by Kate Wood, Chad Law, and Josh Ridgway and also stars Louise Bangay, Tara Fitzgerald, Steven Elder, Wayne Gordon, Scarlett Graham, Giacomo Gex, and Caroline Quentin.
