Knives Out Sequel Officially Moving Forward, Possibly Establishing Franchise

Writer/director Rian Johnson hinted earlier this year that he was interested in developing a sequel to Knives Out, with Deadline confirming that Lionsgate officially announced that the film would be moving forward, which could ultimately result in a franchise. The film was one of 2019's most financially and critically successful films, as it approaches $300 million worldwide and sits at 97% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The follow-up film would follow the further exploits of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, who is expected to return for another murder mystery. Johnson was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at this year's Academy Awards.

Both Johnson and Craig have expressed enthusiasm at continuing the series, with Johnson pointing out earlier this year that, while he was excited for the series' possibilities, the priority was finding the right story to tell.

"There's a lot that has to happen: First and foremost, I have to write a script that's worth a damn, so we'll see," Johnson admitted to EW. "I don't want to jump the gun, but it's something I would love to do. First of all, because I had so much fun working with Daniel, and second, just because of the idea of doing the same thing that Agatha Christie did with Poirot and Miss Marple — just doing a whole different deal with Benoit Blanc as the detective. The possibilities of that seem endless in a way that's really exciting."

Craig, who will be seen later this year in his final portrayal of James Bond in No Time to Die, noted that it was the collaborative experience of working with Johnson that had him so excited about Blanc's future.

"Sure," Craig confirmed to EW when asked if he would be willing to reprise his role. "I'd be over the moon. I mean, I'd do anything for Rian. If he writes something, I'll do it. Of course I will. Why wouldn't I? I had a ton of fun doing it. You aim for that every time, you aim for that to work out. It rarely, rarely does, but it did on that movie and how nice is that?"

The original film saw Blanc investigating the suspicious death of the head of an immensely successful publishing house, with all of his family members being in a position to inherit wealth in the wake of his demise.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Knives Out series.

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