Lionsgate
Rian Johnson had hoped to deliver a sequel to his 2019 smash-hit murder-mystery Knives Out. Now, thanks to an extremely keen Netflix, two sequels are on their way, the rights of which cost the streamer a plump $450 million, according to Variety. They’ll see the director-writer re-team with Daniel Craig, who starred as private detective Benoit Blanc, sporting a not-so-subtle Southern accent.
Knives Out was a huge success when it hit theaters in 2019. It earned $311.4 million worldwide against a $40 million budget, and Johnson was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay. Now that he’s pretty much done with James Bond, after his fifth stint in the role in No Time to Die, due in October, Craig can settle into a couple more goes playing the eccentric detective. Blanc doesn’t exactly have a Bond-esque catchphrase, but his “doughnut hole speech” is hilarious and memorable.
“I’d be thrilled to do another Knives Out every few years,” Johnson, who directed 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, told Variety in 2019.
Knives Out starred a stellar ensemble, including Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Jamie Lee Curtis. Praised for its twists on the classic mystery thriller, it centered on famous detective Benoit Blanc, hired by an anonymous party to investigate the death of mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey.
No word on whether Johnson has started writing yet, or whether Knives Out 2 and 3 will have theatrical releases along with a streaming release on Netflix.
Netflix didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
