Although Rian Johnson initially crafted the idea for Knives Out after making his filmmaking debut with 2005’s Brick, it wasn’t until he was finished with Star Wars: The Last Jedi that he was finally able to bring his whodunit to life. With Knives Out scoring critical and commercial glory, two Knives Out sequels were greenlit and will be released exclusively to Netflix subscribers. Beyond that though, Johnson has the best perspective on the future of this mystery franchise.
If you enjoy watching Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc investigating murders, then good news, because Rian Johnson wants to make more Knives Out movies with the James Bond actor for as long as possible. As the writer/director told Variety:
If each one of these can really be what Agatha Christie did, if it can be not just in a totally new location and a new cast, but also trying something exciting, I’ll keep doing it as long as Daniel [Craig] and I are having a good time. I’ll keep making these as long as they let me.
Rian Johnson has talked before about how Agatha Christie’s work influenced the story he crafted for Knives Out, and the author delivered a lot of mysteries during her time, many of which revolved around detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. As Johnson sees it, provided he and Daniel Craig are still interested in playing in this particular cinematic sandbox, and if Netflix is on board for stretching the Knives Out saga past three movies, then there’s no reason that Benoit Blanc’s investigation streak going.
Now don’t go thinking this means Rian Johnson wants to solely dedicate his professional career to the Knives Out movies. He’s currently in the midst of putting together his first TV show, Poker Face, which will stream exclusively to Peacock subscribers and he called an “old school, throwback to the case of the week mystery shows like Magnum P.I. and Columbo.” There’s also still the possibility that his Star Wars trilogy, which was announced back in November 2017, could someday move forward. But at the very least, Johnson is game to continue Benoit Blanc’s adventures beyond a trilogy, as he can easily cross paths with a new group of people each movie to figure out the circumstances behind someone prematurely meeting their maker.
Should Knives Out 4 and any other installments be greenlit, we’ll let you know, along with whatever details are eventually disclosed about Knives Out 3. For now though, the next Knives Out movie on the docket is Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which will follow Benoit Blanc traveling to Greece to look into someone’s mysterious death at a party held by tech mogul Miles Bron. Daniel Craig’s Glass Onion castmates include Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline and Ethan Hawke, among others.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will first screen as a limited theatrical release from November 23 to 29, and then it will premiere on Netflix December 23. In the meantime, take a look through the best Netflix movies available to stream now.
