BritBox has released the first look at Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot in the new Hercule Poirot television adaptation, the six-part drama Hercule. The image lands while the series is shooting in Liverpool and puts the casting choice on the record ahead of its 2027 premiere.
The reveal matters because Hercule is built as an origin story around three of Agatha Christie’s early stories, not a standard case-of-the-week retread. That gives Bluemel the job of carrying Poirot before the character hardens into the familiar detective audiences already know.
Edward Bluemel in Hercule
Bluemel is now the public face of Hercule Poirot for this project, which moves the character back to an earlier point in the timeline. Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited are producing the series for BritBox in North America and for iPlayer and One in the UK, so the first look is also a distribution marker, not just a casting still.
The series is a businesslike bet on a recognizable name with a new entry point. Rather than simply extending a long-running formula, Hercule is introducing Poirot to future friends and allies and one particular nemesis, which signals a structure designed to build toward conflict instead of just revisiting solved mysteries.
Benji Walters Writes Hercule
Benji Walters wrote the series, with Jonny Campbell directing the first two episodes, Chanya Button handling the second two episodes, and Alrick Riley closing out the final two installments. Charlie Palmer is producing the six-part drama, which keeps the project tightly segmented across three directing blocks.
That setup fits the format: a six-part series built from three early Agatha Christie stories needs room to establish Poirot before the usual machinery of the detective story takes over. The origin angle is the complication here, because the character is already legendary, yet this version is asking viewers to meet him before the legend calcifies.
Liverpool to 2027
In April, Deadline first reported that Hercule was in the works, and in June it reported the Bluemel casting. The current shoot in Liverpool shows the project has moved beyond development and into production, while the 2027 premiere gives BritBox a long runway to build awareness around the title character.
For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Bluemel is the Poirot they will get, and the first image shows the series is far enough along to be shaping its identity in public. The open question now is which three early Agatha Christie stories the production is drawing from, because that will tell audiences how far this origin story plans to go before Poirot becomes the detective they already know.
