Knives Out was a surprise success in 2019, and now the star-studded sequel Glass Onion is in theatres for a limited time only before being released on Netflix on December 25. The movie has gotten an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics, with many even saying it's better than the original movie.
While the first movie's $312 million box office gross (via Box Office Mojo) all but confirmed a sequel, the development wasn't without some huge stories. Between setting a massive precedent in Hollywood in the way talent is paid, high-profile actors losing out on roles, and the crushing expectations that writer/director Rian Johnson felt, the movie had a production that will be talked about for decades.
Netflix Bought The Rights For $450 Million
Netflix has always thrown money at creators and greenlit projects that movie studios have shied away from, but the streaming service dug really deep when it came to purchasing the rights to Knives Out. According to Variety, Netflix bought two Knives Out sequels for $450 million, and that doesn't even include the movies' budgets.
Included in that price was $100 million that went directly to Rian Johnson to write and direct two sequels, and another $100 million was given to Daniel Craig to star in them, too. It's a win-win situation, as fans now don't have to worry about Glass Onion's success, which would usually dictate a sequel getting greenlit. And this deal set a precedent in Hollywood; the salaries of actors and directors are always included in the budgets.
Johnson Was Thrilled To Work With Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury was a Hollywood legend whose career spanned eight decades, and her recent passing means that Glass Onion was her final performance ever. It's a perfect movie to end on, as her posthumous performance in the Knives Out sequel harkens back to her iconic murder mystery series, Murder, She Wrote.
Johnson has noted how special it was having Lansbury in the movie. As the film also features Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim in his final role, the director explained, "For both of them, besides just the honor of having them in the movie, personally just being able to have 10 minutes with each of them to tell them what their work has meant to me was really special."
Making Knives Out 2 Scared Johnson More Than Making The Last Jedi
While Johnson has a great filmography full of unique plot-twist-filled crime movies, the most talked-about movie in his career is undoubtedly Star Wars: The Last Jedi, for better or worse. Making a movie in a franchise that has such an enormous fanbase is a daunting task, especially when it has so much to live up to following The Force Awakens and Luke Skywalker's return, but that pressure was nothing compared to making Knives Out 2.
The writer/director recalled, "It was scary. I’ve never experienced nerves quite like actually sitting down to write something. I also spent 10 years planning Knives Out, whereas this, I was kind of starting from scratch." Those nerves might be the secret to success, as Glass Onion's reception has been overwhelmingly positive, whereas The Last Jedi was divisive, even though some think the Star Wars movie is totally underrated.
Madelyn Cline Had A Miniature Existential Crisis
Glass Onion is stacked with a huge ensemble cast, one that's even bigger and way more famous than the first movie. However, the film also features some lesser-known actors too, one of which is Madelyn Cline, who is best known for her role in the Netflix drama Outer Banks. And it's because of starring alongside such seasoned Hollywood actors that led Cline to have a "miniature existential crisis."
The actor told Jimmy Fallon, "It’s the most mind-blowing, terrifying experience ever. You know how you have moments in life where you just look around, and you look at life, and you’re like, 'How in the s**t did I get here.'" The movie features Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, and a ton of other award-nominated actors, and it's easily the most star-studded cast of 2022.
Craig Forgot His Benoit Blanc Accent Before Shooting
While Daniel Craig might have played James Bond for 16 years, in years' time, Benoit Blanc will undoubtedly be looked at as one of the most iconic movie characters of the 21st century. And what makes him so memorable is his molasses-like southern accent that's just as goofy as it is smooth.
However, when the actor prepared to return to the role, he had completely forgotten the accent. The 007 actor mentioned, "I’d forgotten the accent and I didn’t want to do a pastiche. I wanted to make it as grounded and as anchored in reality as possible." Craig revealed that he even worked with an accent coach for three months to get the accent back.
Kaley Cuoco Was Devastated She Lost The Role To Kate Hudson
Though it looks like Johnson has put together his dream cast, there's actually a lot more that goes into it. Even A-list actors have to audition several times and then do chemistry reads with other potential actors. And one high-profile actor who auditioned for a role in Glass Onion but didn't get the part was Kaley Cuoco.
Cuoco auditioned for the role of Birde Jay, a fashion designer, which eventually went to Kate Hudson, and the actor revealed that she was devastated about losing the role. The Big Bang Theory actor explained, "I had done chemistry reads, I had done Zooms. And I didn’t get it. I cried and I cried all night long. I mean, I was gutted over that."
Johnson Was "Morally Obligated" To Cast Jessica Henwick
Jessica Henwick is in everything at the minute, as she is a part of just about every major movie franchise, including the MCU, Star Wars, and The Matrix, and she recently starred in the $200 million Netflix action movie The Gray Man. However, the actor believes that it wasn't her acting ability or her star power that got her a role in Glass Onion, but that Johnson was "morally obligated" to cast her.
The actor has crossed paths with Johnson on so many occasions that they should have already worked together by now, but that never happened, and he even wrote her Star Wars character out of The Last Jedi. The actor explained, "I finally got sent this script and I was like, 'Put me in coach. Give me a Zoom. I don’t care if I get it. I just want to speak to Rian.' So I revealed all of this to him. I was like, 'I have a bone to pick with you!'"
Craig Was Happier Making Knives Out 2 Than Spectre
Craig recently compared working on Knives Out 2 to working on his third James Bond movie, Spectre, as Bautista noted that he had way more fun making the murder mystery sequel. While it seems like a strange comparison to make, there's one clear example of why.
Both movies also star Dave Bautista, as the former wrestler plays the henchman Mr. Hinx in the 007 film, and while he's one of the best James Bond supporting characters, he apparently didn't have a great time on set. Craig explained, "He didn't seem like the happiest person on Bond, but on Glass Onion, it was the complete opposite. He was just so much fun, and he was always smiling and happy and interacted a lot more."
There Might Even Be A Knives Out 4
While Knives Out 3 is a certainty given that Netflix has already paid hundreds of millions of dollars for it and that Rian Johnson wants it to be his next movie, it isn't exactly clear what will happen following the threequel's release. However, Johnson has spoken about the franchise's future optimistically, teasing the possibility of more Benoit Blanc-led movies.
The director explained that there could be a Knives Out 4 "as long as the two of us are still having fun, and as long as we can continue to make these truly new experiences each time, and find new ways to challenge ourselves." Not everything has to be a trilogy, and turning Knives Out into a long-running series is the best thing that could happen for the franchise.
Bautista Was Mesmerized By His Costars' Performances
Dave Bautista seemingly couldn't have had a better experience shooting Glass Onion. The actor, who plays YouTube star and men's rights activist Duke Cody, had a great time working on Glass Onion and gave praise to his castmates.
The actor mentioned, "Everybody's cast so well. I was working with a couple of my castmates and was mesmerized by their performances and just how well they've adapted into these characters." Bautista also noted that he thinks the characters are "quirkier" than the ones in Knives Out and that the sequel is better than its predecessor too.