Chris Evans has been cast in Rian Johnson's upcoming film, Knives Out. Before the director returns to the galaxy far, far away and oversees a new Star Wars trilogy, he's returning to his film noir roots with the aforementioned mystery/thriller. The project came together quite quickly during the Toronto International Film Festival, with Johnson recruiting Daniel Craig to portray the lead detective. It's expected Knives Out will shoot in November, before Craig dons the tuxedo one final time for Bond 25.
Coincidentally, Evans is also reaching the end of his tenure in a high-profile franchise. Just today, the actor confirmed he wrapped reshoots on Avengers 4, seemingly saying goodbye to his iconic Captain America character. Of course, if he's no longer involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that would free up a lot of time on his schedule to take other projects. It looks like he's found his first post-MCU role and will team up with Craig and Johnson.
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Deadline reports Evans has signed on in a mystery role and that Knives Out will be the next movie he makes. Earlier this year, the actor was cast in Neill Blomkamp's Greenland, but it sounds like that film will have to wait.
Since so much of Knives Out is under lock and key, it makes it difficult to predict how Evans will fit in. There are a number of roles he would be suitable for, such as a partner for Craig's detective or even a villain. Evans' time as Captain America demonstrated he can convincingly play a no-nonsense man of action, but he's also been known to let loose and have some fun when the material calls for it. As such, it'll be interesting to see what Johnson came up with, and it should be nice to see Evans stretch his acting wings a bit. Including uncredited cameos and the upcoming Avengers 4, he's played Steve Rogers 10 times since 2011 and hasn't had much time for other projects. He has appeared in smaller offerings like Playing it Cool and Before We Go (which he also directed), but most mainstream viewers know him as Captain America.
With Johnson continuing to develop his Star Wars trilogy, it was surprising to see that he had the opportunity to squeeze in Knives Out. That being said, Disney is planning a bit of a slowdown for the franchise following next December's Episode IX, meaning the first episode of the Johnson Trilogy likely won't be ready to debut until 2022 or later. Knives Out should also be a bit of a palate cleanser for the director, giving him a chance to recharge his creative batteries before diving back into the wild, crazy world of the Star Wars universe.
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Source: Deadline