Knives Out has been a runaway hit. The original murder mystery with a stacked cast has been a consistent moneymaker, and a wave of fresh air among all the other tentpole studio releases that are mostly reboots, remakes and sequels. So of course, it’s getting a sequel.
Lionsgate has reportedly already greenlit a sequel and director Rian Johnson confirmed to THR that he will return. He mentioned that he was already developing a story for a follow-up, and that the sequel will focus on Daniel Craig‘s Benoit Blanc, meaning a whole new juicy cast will be on board for the next chapter.
Johnson also mentioned how he hopes to begin filming this year. Knives Out came about quickly, filming between October and December 2018. That fast-paced schedule not only allowed the film to be released quickly, but also helped in getting the bevy of big stars together despite their tight schedules.
Now, Knives Out was one of the most entertaining films of the year. But what was so refreshing was that it was a big studio film not based on any existing IP, with no built-in audience. Yet audiences loved it! It’s grossed almost $250 million worldwide and, most impressively, has shown only slight dips in its week-to-week run – proof that word of mouth kept people seeing it.
The film was further proof that audiences still want original stories. But instead of commissioning, say, another original murder mystery, Lionsgate instead goes ahead with a Knives Out sequel, hoping to turn it into just another franchise. What’s surprising is that Johnson seems totally on board with it despite the initial draw of helming the film was that it was an original, star-driven tale.
Knives Out was great, and Knives Out 2 probably will be as well. But the film was the rare big original movie to perform well, and if we’re sitting here in 2025 with Knives Out 4 in development, then it hasn’t changed anything, and we’ll be that much closer to every big budget movie being a sequel or remake or reboot, with big budget original films falling by the wayside.
#Peace.Love.KnivesOut
