Knives Out 2 Director Rian Johnson Celebrates Start of Filming With New Photo

Production on Knives Out 2 is underway. The sequel, directed by Rian Johnson, has begun filming in Greece. Johnson celebrated by sharing a photo from the set. He tweeted, “Aaaaaaaand WE’RE OFF! Day one of filming on the next Benoit Blanc mystery. Thanks to all the lovely patient people here in Greece for letting us do all this murdering on their peaceful shores.” The film brings back Daniel Craig as skilled investigator Benoit Blanc. He’ll be investigating a brand new murder mystery. This is the first of two confirmed Knives Out sequels headed to Netflix as part of the streamer’s deal with Johnson.

“I’m actually writing another Knives Out,” Johnson told Interview Magazine in 2020. “It’s been such a mindf-ck, because I sat on the idea for the first one for 10 years. And with this one, I’m starting with a blank page. It’s not really a Knives Out sequel. I need to come up with a title for it so I can stop calling it The Knives Out Sequel because it’s just Daniel Craig as the same detective with a totally new cast.”

That totally new cast includes several big names. Members of the ensemble include Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Madelyne Cline, and Jessica Henwick.

“It’s way too early, but, I have to say, I talk to Rian and I’m very familiar with his film career and the big films that he’s done,” Bautista said of the movie during an interview with Vulture. “But what I was so excited to talk to him about was his episodes of Breaking Bad, because I’m a huge Breaking Bad fan. Watching the stuff that he did with Breaking Bad, those are the kinds of really interesting directorial performances that I’m excited about. I want to get some of that direction.”

Netflix reportedly paid more than $400 million for the two sequels. The first Knives Out opened in 2019 to critical acclaim. It grossed $311.4 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. The film earned three Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Musical or Comedy. Its cast included Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer. Of those actors, only Craig is expected to return for the sequels.

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