Fans of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out will want to send Netflix their thanks, because not only are they getting one sequel to the hit whodunnit, but two of them. Deadline reports the streamer is throwing down a massive $400M+ deal for two Knives Out sequels, with Daniel Craig guaranteed to return as erstwhile detective Benoit Blanc.
There’s all sorts of complicated maneuvering around this one, but here’s the gist: Johnson wrote two sequels to the star-studded mystery Knives Out, which went on to earn over $300M in 2019. That movie was distributed by Lionsgate, who expected to do a sequel, but Johnson had the right to do whatever he want with any follow-ups, and so an auction was quietly held between three streamers: Netflix, Apple, and Amazon. Netflix, which has the deepest pockets around, came out on top.
The first sequel will begin shooting in Greece (!!!) this June, with casting to begin immediately. Will any other characters return, in particular popular ones like Ana de Armas’ Marta or Chris Evans’ Hugh Ransom Drysdale? Probably not, but one never knows. This being a Rian Johnson film we can probably expect his pal Noah Segan to appear as he always does. Maybe even Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Hmmmm…
