Daniel Craig says he would love to make a Knives Out sequel. Talk of a followup to writer/director Rian Johnson's acclaimed whodunnit was happening as early as September 2019, as the film held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Johnson expressed interest in making another movie starring Craig as Benoit Blanc, with the renowned private investigator solving a new mystery. Since that time, Knives Out became a breakout box office hit (approaching the $300 million mark worldwide) and racked up numerous accolades during awards season - including an Oscar nomination for Johnson's original screenplay.
Craig, of course, has spent the better part of the past 14 years headlining the James Bond franchise, but his time as 007 will reach its end with the release of this spring's No Time to Die. There's no telling what the actor will do next, but if the opportunity presents itself, he wouldn't mind becoming the leading man of a new series. Unsurprisingly, Craig would jump at the chance to do a Knives Out 2.
Speaking with EW, Craig was asked if he'd be interested in reprising his Golden Globe nominated role of Blanc. Read his comments in the space below:
“Sure. 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?”
Earlier this month, Johnson confirmed he's working on the Knives Out 2 script, which (with the exception of Blanc) would feature an all-new cast of characters. It's worth keeping in mind that Lionsgate hasn't officially green lit a sequel yet, but with Craig and Johnson onboard with the idea, it stands reason to believe a followup will move forward in the near future. One only has to look at Knives Out's impressive commercial haul to understand why the studio wouldn't hesitate at signing off on a sequel. This could be a go-to franchise for Lionsgate, with the potential for sizable profits (Knives Out was budgeted at only $40 million). As for when fans could expect the ball to really get rolling on Knives Out 2, it sounds like Johnson is still in the early stages of writing the script, but he's proven to be a quick worker. Knives Out came together pretty fast, so perhaps the same can happen here.
Johnson is still developing a new Star Wars movie trilogy at Lucasfilm, but there's been little progress made on that project since it was originally announced in November 2017. While those films could still see the light of day, it doesn't sound like they're a top priority. There's reportedly a director in place for the mystery Star Wars movie premiering in December 2022, but it is not Johnson. It would appear, then, that Johnson has an open schedule and will have time for another Benoit Blanc mystery. And, considering how great Knives Out turned out, Johnson might be better off steering clear of the galaxy far, far away.
Source: EW