Rian Johnson teases more Knives Out movies: "I might just dive in and see what we come up with"

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Exclusive: Glass Onion director Rian Johnson has the murder mystery bug – expect the adventures of Benoit Blanc to continue

After Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery proved a sensation at Toronto International Film Festival, then a smash hit at London Film Festival, it's fair to say anticipation for the sequel is high. And yet, despite detective Benoit Blanc's second on-screen outing not yet being in cinemas or on Netflix, director Rian Johnson's raring to go on Mystery three, which has already been confirmed in development at the streamer. 

"I had for a while thought that maybe I should do something else first," he tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Avatar: The Way of Water on the cover. "But the God’s honest truth is, I had so much fun making this one, and the creative challenge of figuring out a third movie that’s completely different from both this one and the first one – right now, that’s the most interesting creative challenge to me. So I might just dive in and see what we come up with."

"It might be [the next thing I do]," muses Daniel Craig, who plays Blanc and who has retired as his longest-running character, James Bond, offering him a little more free time. "I don’t know," he continues. "It depends on how quick [Johnson] is."

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

(Image credit: Netflix)

And, if Johnson has his way, the Knives Out series might not stop at three films. "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..." says Johnson. "The second we feel like we’re repeating ourselves, or just turning a crank on a machine, we’ll stop. Because to me, the whole conception of this whole series is the same way Agatha Christie did it with her books – we’re doing something new and surprising every time."

Glass Onion takes place at a luxury holiday home on a private Greek island. Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has invited several friends for a getaway, where an elaborate murder mystery will be played. On the guestlist are: Cassandra ‘Andi’ Brand (Janelle Monáe), Miles’ former business partner; Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), a leading scientist who works with Miles; Duke Young (Dave Bautista), a men’s-rights YouTuber and his assistant Whiskey (Madelyn Cline); Connecticut governor with Senate ambitions Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn); and permanently-on-the-verge-of-being-cancelled It Girl Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her long-suffering assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick). Benoit Blanc also happens to receive an invite, and you can bet his particular set of skills will come in handy for the trip’s shenanigans. 

Above, see an exclusive image from Glass Onion, featuring Hudson and Norton. You can read much more from Johnson, Craig, and the cast in the new issue of Total Film, which hits stands (and digital devices) this Thursday, November 10. Glass Onion: A Knives Out mystery opens in select cinemas on November 23 for one week, then streams on Netflix from December 23.

Total Film's Avatar: The Way of Water covers

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios/Total Film)

And if you’re a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You’ll have it delivered to your door before it’s in shops, you’ll save money on the cover price, and you’ll get exclusive subscriber-only covers. Plus, with the current offer you can get a free pair of EarFun headphones worth £55. Head to MagazinesDirect to find out more (Ts and Cs apply).

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(Image credit: Total Film/20th Century Studios/EarFun)
Matt Maytum
Matt Maytum
Former Editor of Total Film magazine

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.

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