Netflix has purchased the rights to both upcoming sequels to Rian Johnson's mystery film Knives Out.
According to Variety, Netflix has spent $450 million to acquire the rights to Knives Out 2 and Knives Out 3, the sequels to Johnson's 2019 whodunit. The first film, which was distributed by Lionsgate, was made by Media Rights Capital, which sold the rights to the streaming giant. As reported last year, the first of the two sequels will follow Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc as he investigates a new case with a whole new cast.
Following Johnson's work writing and directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out became a surprise hit, earning $311 million worldwide on a budget of only $40 million.
In addition to garnering both commercial and critical acclaim, the film landed Johnson an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
"I’m writing what hopefully will be the next one right now," Johnson said of the first of two sequels in early 2020. "The idea would be Daniel Craig as the detective — whole new cast, whole new case, whole new location. It’s just like doing another Hercule Poirot mystery like Agatha Christie did."
It was confirmed last year that the two new films will not pick up on the events of the first movie but rather involve Detective Blanc investigating a new case, thus spiritually linking the films to other detective stories, like Agatha Christie's own mysteries, as Johnson previously teased. No further casting or story details about the follow-up films have been revealed at this time, and the first sequel's release date remains unknown.
In addition to the Blanc-centered stories for Netflix, Johnson will also be teaming up with Russian Doll co-creator and star Natasha Leonne for the upcoming mystery series Poker Face. Like the Knives Out films, Johnson will write, direct and produce the television show. The project will see both creators work with Netflix streaming rival Peacock.
Written, produced and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out stars Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Ana de Armas, and Jamie Lee Curtis, Jaeden Martell, Katherine Langford, Frank Oz, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, and Riki Lindhome. The film is now available on Digital HD and Blu-ray and 4K UHD. Knives Out 2 does not yet have a release date.
Source: Variety