John Malkovich's Poirot could be 'hated'

John Malkovich has warned fans of Hercule Poirot may "hate" his portrayal of the detective because he\'s dropped his Belgian accent.

The American actor takes on the iconic role in the three-part \'ABC Murders\' and admitted the festive drama is so different to previous adaptations of Agatha Christie\'s novels, that the author\'s estate took some convincing to give the project - which also explore Poirot\'s sexuality and sees him scarred by the First World War - the go ahead.

He told Radio Times magazine: "It is almost 180 degrees different from anything that had come before.

"In our version, Poirot has lived in England for 20 years and has made a very long and laborious effort not to seem too much like a foreigner and to speak English like an Englishman.

"There was a certain amount of convincing the Agatha Christie estate about this version, and I was involved in some of those conversations. There was never anything unpleasant or difficult, but obviously this is a very known and loved character, and there may have been some worries that we weren\'t, as it were, saluting that.

"Poirot and Christie fans may just hate all this, I have no idea."

John - who has traded Poirot\'s distinctive moustache for a neat goatee beard- also explained how the detective\'s bachelor status is questioned in the series.

He said: "In the script, one of the many policemen who don\'t like Poirot makes a comment about him not being known to be fond of women."

The 64-year-old star also thinks fans will be surprised by the number of scars his alter ego has.

He said: "Poirot has a lot of scars. One of them is what happened to - and around - him in the war, but not in the way that\'s been done before. There are scars - even wounds - from being a refugee, from being a very old man, who is treated as such. The world has passed him by."