Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears

Plot summary

Australian entertainment outlet Inside Film summarizes the plot: "After freeing a young Bedouin girl from her unjust imprisonment in Jerusalem, Phryne Fisher begins to unravel a decade-old mystery concerning priceless emeralds, ancient curses and the truth behind the suspicious disappearance of Shirin's forgotten tribe." British aristocrats whose lives were impacted by the events of World War I in Mandate Palestine become caught up in the mystery as well.

Production

A stand-alone action-adventure feature film, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears will pick up the story from the end of the third series. It began production in October 2018 and will star Essie Davis, Nathan Page, and other members of the original television series, along with new guest stars Rupert Penry-Jones, Daniel Lapaine and Jacqueline McKenzie. The film is budgeted at $8 million and was be directed by Tony Tilse. It wrapped production in late November, 2018.
Since 2016, there had been speculation on the possibility that the television series would be made into a feature film. In May 2016, Essie Davis acknowledged interest in playing Miss Fisher in a film. "[We're] just working out the ideas of how to make it bigger and better and more fabulous than the TV show," she said. Later that year, it was revealed that plans were afoot to produce a trilogy of Phryne Fisher films.
In April 2017, a photo was published on the official Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries Instagram account showing Essie Davis and Nathan Page holding advance copies of a film script titled Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears. On 14 September 2017, a crowdfunding campaign was launched on Kickstarter in support of the film. On 15 December 2017, an additional ongoing crowdfunding campaign was begun through IndieGoGo in order to allow fans to continue supporting the effort. The original campaign reached its goal of $250,000 in less than 48 hours.
Following the success of the Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears crowdfunding campaign, Essie Davis reflected on Phryne's appeal to fans: "I think there are many elements to why fans love 'Miss Fisher', but I'm sure it's Phryne's independence with joy. There's something so attractive about being around a happy person". She added, "That burst between Jack and Phryne, there's nothing more attractive that you want to lean into than watching people fall in love with each other." In an interview with The Mercury Davis elaborated, "It kind of blows my mind how big that fanbase is around the world. I get letters from a lot of Americans and South Americans, from all over. Paper letters! For many people, it's been a lifeline."
In September 2019 the first teaser trailer for the film was released in Australia on the Sunrise morning television program.

Awards

The AWGIE Awards, sponsored by the Australian Writers' Guild, nominated Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears screenwriter Deb Cox for best feature film adaptation.

Release

Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears is planned to be released in cinemas in Australia in February 2020.
Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears has been acquired by Acorn TV for North American release. It will premiere on the subscription streaming service following a limited theatrical release in North America. It is Acorn's first venture into theatrical distribution. The streaming service "bought the film sight unseen from the distributor All3Media International and will book US cinemas after the Australian distributor Roadshow sets its release date".