It’s becoming harder for original, star-driven movies to gain a foothold with audiences, but that didn’t stop Rian Johnson’s murder-mystery Knives Out. The A-list flick is edging towards $300M at the box office, based entirely on word of mouth and a fun cast of stars. Johnson has been buzzing about a possible sequel for a few weeks now, and today Lionsgate made it official.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer made the announcement during a Q3 earnings call, in which the success of Knives Out was praised for contributing to the studio’s surge in revenue. While story details aren’t known, you can all but pencil in Daniel Craig’s return as southern-fried gumshoe Benoit Blanc, probably joined by another star-studded ensemble.
This weekend’s Oscars finds Knives Out up for the Best Original Screenplay award, and Johnson has a pretty good shot at winning given the movie’s popularity across the board. Audiences loved it, critics loved it, and now that love has been rewarded with a franchise.
