Detective Benoit Blanc is coming back to solve a new mystery in Knives Out 2, and the movie’s setting can help it beat the widely-acclaimed first movie. The mystery genre has seen a variety of stories with different styles – from serious stories to others with touches of horror and even a couple of comedies – which has granted it a lot of success and popularity, and one of the best mystery movies in recent years is Knives Out. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out was released in 2019 and was a critical and commercial success, with critics and viewers praising its story, acting, and direction.
When Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy novelist and patriarch of a dysfunctional family passes away under mysterious circumstances, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrives to solve the case, which requires getting to know each and every one of the members of the Thrombey family – and they are not the easiest people you’ll meet. Everyone is a suspect, but with the help of Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s nurse and close friend, Blanc eventually solves the puzzle and reveals who was truly responsible for Harlan’s death. Knives Out told a full story and brought the arcs of its characters (all of them) to a satisfying end, but its success was such that a sequel was greenlit.
Simply titled Knives Out 2, the movie has Rian Johnson back as director, producer (along with Ram Bergman), and writer, but it won’t be a direct sequel to Knives Out. Instead, Knives Out 2 is seen as a standalone movie with Benoit Blanc solving a new mystery, completely separate from the Thrombeys, and in a new setting, similar to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot novel series. What Knives Out 2 is also doing differently is its release, as it will skip a theatrical release and instead will go straight to Netflix, and the streaming giant has shared the first (although very brief) look at the movie. In its 2022 movie preview trailer, there’s a shot of some of the new characters and Benoit Blanc boarding a boat, and that new setting is enough to help Knives Out 2 beat its predecessor.
Knives Out 2 was shot in Greece, and while plot details haven’t been revealed yet, the brief look in the aforementioned Netflix trailer shows Katherine Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Dave Bautista before revealing Daniel Craig as well. The six new characters are boarding a boat in Greece, hinting at a big part of the story taking place in the boat, meaning it will be a more contained mystery than the one at the Thrombey house in the first movie, giving it a more Agatha Christie-like vibe. Even if many parts of the story take place on land, taking Blanc to the other side of the world, to a completely different setting from the somewhat isolated Thrombey mansion, is already of big help to Knives Out 2, as it makes it unique and sets it apart from the first movie, and helps it avoid repeating the same aspects of its predecessor, which is a common trap for sequels and detective stories.
There’s still a lot to learn about Knives Out 2, and while the Netflix trailer gave a very brief look at it and it doesn’t reveal much about the plot, it gives enough hints to know that it’s on the right path to be different from the first movie and it has the potential to even beat it. Knives Out 2 doesn’t have an official release date yet, so it’s just a matter of waiting for Netflix to share more information.