Knives Out 2 is confirmed to be moving forward at Lionsgate. In November, Lionsgate released Rian Johnson's Knives Out, a murder mystery in the style of classic whodunit films but set in the modern era and tapping into the current cultural zeitgeist. Featuring an all-star cast that includes the likes of Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Chris Evans and more, Knives Out reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and the movie turned into a resounding success thanks in part to the film's reviews and world-of-mouth.
In fact, Knives Out was such a success that fans have been calling for a sequel for some time now. Before the movie even released, Johnson teased he'd already had ideas for a potential Knives Out sequel in which Daniel Craig returns as the film's central detective, Benoit Blanc. As Knives Out continued to be successful at the box office, even months after its initial release, the question of whether it would get a sequel morphed into when Lionsgate would green light the sequel. Now fans don't have to wait any longer for confirmation of Knives Out 2.
Today, Deadline reports Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed the studio is officially moving forward with a Knives Out sequel. Johnson is expected to return for the sequel and, in fact, the filmmaker confirmed he was already working on the Knives Out 2 script last month. Deadline further reports that Feltheimer hinted a "production start" for the Knives Out sequel is "imminent."
In addition to its critical success, Knives Out was a box office hit, having earned $294 million worldwide on a budget of just $40 million. As a result, it comes as little surprise that Lionsgate would want to expand Knives Out into a franchise, trusting Johnson's vision for a sequel. If production moves forward on Knives Out 2 as quickly as Feltheimer indicated, the sequel could hit theaters sooner than fans expect. A quick turnaround could also continue to pull Johnson away from the Star Wars trilogy he's still developing. But with Lucasfilm currently focusing more on Star Wars TV shows, there's certainly time for Johnson to return to the galaxy far, far away after his next Benoit Blanc whodunnit.
As for the Knives Out 2 cast, it's unknown whether anyone aside from Craig would return for the Knives Out sequel. When Johnson spoke about the script last month, he said it will "have all new characters and a crime to solve for Benoit Blanc" so it's unlikely any of the Thrombeys will be back. While that means Johnson's sequel won't include any of the A-list stars that helped make Knives Out a success, the filmmaker likely won't struggle to find actors willing to join the cast of his sequel after the popularity of the first film. If filming does start this year, fans will learn more about Knives Out 2 soon enough.
Source: Deadline