Despite the Armie Hammer scandal, Disney continues to make " Death on the Nile"

Death on the Nile, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Armie Hammer, is finally departing port in time for its Valentine's Day weekend premiere in theaters.

The marketing campaign for Disney and 20th Century Fox's movie adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic novel began in earnest on Tuesday with the release of a new trailer and poster, both of which include Hammer. In the ensemble event film, the beleaguered actor appears with Branagh, Gal Gadot, Tom Bateman, and Letitia Wright, among others.

To put it another way, Disney isn't trying to keep Hammer hidden from the public eye.

Hammer has been accused of emotional abuse, manipulation, and compulsion by many women for about a year; in April, a woman who only provided her name as Effie accused Hammer of rape. Hammer rejected the charges, but his William Morris agency fired him and he opted out of a number of film and television projects, including Jennifer Lopez's Shotgun Wedding and Paramount+'s The Godfather series.

When the unsettling charges surfaced, Death on a Nile had been completed for more than a year, putting Disney in a difficult position. The film's release had already been postponed because to COVID-19, which was initially scheduled for 2020.

When the allegations against Hammer surfaced, Disney explored a number of choices (Call Me By Your Name, The Social Network).

According to a source, one of those ideas involved reshooting the film with a new star to replace Hammer's character. After Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual assault, which he denied, Ridley Scott, one of the producers of Death on the Nile, reshot All the Money in the World in 2017. Christopher Plummer took over for Kevin Spacey.

But, because of the epidemic and the ensemble cast, that wasn't possible for a film of this scope. Due to COVID, reuniting all of the actors would have been nearly impossible. (Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, and Jennifer Saunders all star in Death on the Nile.)

According to an insider, another alternative would have been to employ digital technology to edit or alter the film, but given the magnitude of the ensemble and detailed storyline, this would have been equally difficult.

The drama that unfolds when one of the passengers on the opulent S.S. Karnak is found killed is depicted in Death on the Nile, which is set to be released on February 11th. Branagh's character, Christie's famed fictional investigator Hercule Poirot, and Gal Gadot's character, Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle, are featured prominently in the video. Linnet's spouse, Simon Doyle, is played by Hammer. As the journey progresses, Poirot and the two gorgeous newlyweds are in for more than they bargained for. Linnet informs Poirot in the teaser, "When you have money, no one is really your friend." Hammer's character appears multiple times during the film.

Branagh used 65mm Panavision cameras to shoot Death on the Nile in 2019. The film, which takes place in the 1930s, recreates many of the settings that inspired Christie's classic novel of the same name.

"Ken's grand, exquisite vision for this timeless tale needs to be viewed on the greatest screen possible." In a statement unveiling the teaser, 20th Century production president Steve Asbell said, "We're very proud of this project, our wonderful cast, and the stellar work that went into bringing Death on the Nile to screen." "We know fans are eager to see Hercule Poirot's next adventure, and we're excited to continue working with Ken as he contributes his masterful storytelling vision to the newest installment of this acclaimed franchise."

"More than 100 years after the publication of Agatha Christie's first novel, her crime fiction works remain extremely popular and continue to be discovered anew by people throughout the world," says James Prichard, chair-CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd. I'm ecstatic that Disney and our partners trust in this brand, which has served to bring Christie's classic works to millions of new readers."