In a bombshell deal, Netflix is set to acquire Knives Out 2, as well as a planned third sequel in the budding franchise. It had previously been revealed that writer/director Rian Johnson had been working on a follow-up to his hit whodunnit. Now, it seems Netflix has beat out the competition by pulling up a dump truck full of cash to reunite Johnson with Daniel Craig for not one but two additional movies. This will go down as one of the biggest deals Netflix has made to date.
According to a new report, Netflix is closing a deal for Knives Out 2, as well as Knives Out 3, that is said to be valued at north of $400 million. Rian Johnson will write both movies, as he did with the first, in addition to his duties as director. Daniel Craig will reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc. There is no word yet on if any other cast members from the first movie will return. However, Johnson has indicated that this will be an entirely new story, so it will likely shift focus to a new cast of characters.
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Lionsgate distributed Knives Out, which went on to become a truly massive hit in 2019. With a reported budget of $40 million and an A-list cast, the thriller grossed more than $311 million worldwide. But it was a one-picture deal. Rian Johnson and his producing partner Ram Bergman controlled the franchise. They were then able to negotiate a new deal for the sequels. While Lionsgate would surely have liked to stay in the Johson/Craig business, Netflix loosened the purse strings in a big, bad way that nobody else could compete with. It’s said that Apple and Amazon were also in the mix.
Knives Out 2 will get rolling sooner rather than later. Production is set to begin on June 28 in Greece. Plot details are being kept under wraps but casting is to get underway immediately. So we should be learning who will join Daniel Craig shortly. For what it may be worth, Ana De Armas, who starred in the first movie, has expressed interest in returning. Noah Segan, who played Trooper Wagner, also hinted that his return is possible when we spoke with him last year. Currently, no official names other than Craig have been revealed.
Aside from being a huge financial hit, Knives Out was met with a great deal of praise from critics on its way to an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It served as Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Daniel Craig became part of the movie after filming No Time to Die was delayed following director Danny Boyle’s departure. That freed him up to squeeze this in before suiting up as 007 one last time. Interestingly enough, No Time to Die still hasn’t been released yet. But that should change come October. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news was first reported by Deadline.
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