The Knives Out Sequel Is in Theaters For One Week Only

Rian Johnson's clever whodunnit Knives Out became the surprise box office hit of 2019, in a rare coup for an original story. And it's not just a commercial success. The film earned plenty of critical praise, culminating in three Golden Globe nominations, among other accolades.

On the heels of such acclaim, it's no surprise that the movie's audience and creators alike are clamoring for more. Here, everything we know about the Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which is set in Greece.

Director Rian Johnson is inspired by Agatha Christie.

"Something I love about Agatha Christie is how she never tread water creatively. I think there’s a misperception that her books use the same formula over and over, but fans know the opposite is true," Johnson tweeted in a June 2022 thread. "It wasn’t just settings or murder methods, she was constantly stretching the genre conceptually. Under the umbrella of the whodunnit she wrote spy thrillers, proto-slasher horrors, serial killer hunts, gothic romances, psychological character studies, glam travelogues."

He continued, "When I made Knives Out, that’s what excited me about the prospect of making more mysteries with Daniel as Benoit Blanc—to emulate Christie and have every film be like a whole new book, with its own tone, ambition, reason for being."

So, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be a new mystery featuring Detective Benoit Blanc, and less of a traditional sequel. "I’ve never really been interested in doing sequels, but this, the idea of doing more of these with Daniel as his character, is not sequels," Johnson told Uproxx. “It’s just what Agatha Christie did. It’s just coming up with a whole new mystery, a whole new location, all new cast, whole new mechanics of the appeal of a mystery and everything. It’d be a blast."

Benoit Blanc is "obviously" queer.

Johnson recently shared that the film's protagonist is "obviously" queer, and that there will be a brief scene in Glass Onion that confirms his sexual orientation.

The cast is absolutely stacked.

Alongside Daniel Craig, the film features Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

The character descriptions were just released by Empire, and they revolve around Edward Norton, who plays tech billionaire Miles Bron—Miles brings his friends to his private Greek Island. The rest of the cast play the friends: Odom Jr. plays Lionel Toussaint, a scientist who works for Miles; Kathryn Hahn plays Claire Debella, a Connecticut governor running for Senate; Kate Hudson is Bride Jay, an influencer, and Jessica Henwick plays her assistant, Peg; Dave Bautista plays YouTuber Duke Cody, and Madelyn Cline plays his younger girlfriend Whisky; and Janelle Monáe plays tech entrepreneur Cassandra "Andi" Brand.

"I imagine that as complicated as these relationships are, these people have history, so what keeps them coming back together?" Odom Jr. explains. "I thought a lot about the original spark of what brought them together when they were younger. There must be something in it that is joyful. As fraught as we arrive on that island in Greece at the start of this film, that’s now where we began. Love is complicated, friendships can be complicated."

The story is about a murder-mystery game that gets too real.

According to Netflix's Tudum, "If Knives Out was about the murderous ties of flesh and blood, Glass Onion makes a good case for being just as wary of one’s closest friends. When a tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise. And when someone turns up dead, well, who better than Blanc to peel back the layers of intrigue?" The first teaser trailer premiered in September 2022:

Johnson shared that the sequel will focus more on Blanc (Daniel Craig): "Blanc was always outside of the sphere of our protagonist and was a little bit more of an enigma in the first movie. Whereas, in this one, Blanc gets an invitation to come to this murder mystery on this island. We’re very much meeting these people and getting into this world through his eyes."

A new clip dropped in September 2022, featuring Miles's friends receiving an invitation to the island in the form of an intricate puzzle. Once they solve the puzzle, there's a card with an evil eye on it:

And the full, official trailer premiered in November 2022, and shows the murder mystery game gone wrong (watch above).

The sequel filmed at Amanzoe in Greece.

The plot is set at a billionaire’s compound in Greece, which was filmed at Villa 20 at the Amanzoe in Porto Heli, Greece. Much of the cast brought their families along as they filmed, so Johnson said, "It felt like a summer vacation where we also made a movie."

Johnson also tweeted, "Thanks to all the lovely patient people here in Greece for letting us do all this murdering on their peaceful shores."

Additionally, actress Jessica Hewnick shared some behind-the-scenes details on Glass Onion. "I'm a fan of the first one and I think fans will be happy," Henwick shared in a recent interview. "Daniel was back and Benoit has his style and his flair that is very specific to this film series, and yeah, it's gonna hit all the same fun beats. It's such a ride."

She continued, "We spent a month together in Greece and then a month together in Serbia, the first month doing exteriors and the second one doing interiors. We all lived down the road from each other, and we're in every scene together. So it was very intense, but an incredible bonding experience with some super talented actors."

In addition to Agatha Christie, Johnson also looked at "tropical getaway murder mystery" films for inspiration.

The director specifically referenced Evil Under the Sun (1982) and The Last of Sheila (1973) as key inspirations for Glass Onion.

“There are absolutely some very clear inspirations that I took from it,” Johnson explains. “First of all, it's structured around a group of friends, or frenemies, who all have a power dynamic with one of their successful friends. It begins with him sending an invitation for them to come and play this murder mystery game at this exotic locale. In The Last of Sheila, it's on his yacht, and everything ends up going horribly wrong. That is essentially how Glass Onion begins.”

Watch Evil Under the Sun

Watch The Last of Sheila

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will premiere on Netflix in December 2022.

The film will made its festival world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September. The Knives Out sequel will then have its European premiere at the London Film Festival on October 16th, 2022 at London's Royal Festival Hal.

"Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was a major hit when we hosted the European premiere at the festival in 2019," BFI London Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle said in a statement. "Our audiences adored the film’s wit and that it tipped its very stylish hat to the wonderful tradition of British onscreen sleuths. And here, Rian Johnson strikes gold again with the help of the year’s hottest ensemble cast. Like its predecessor, Glass Onion is entertaining and culturally literate in equal measure, making some hilarious, razor sharp observations about the world we live in."

From November 23 through 29, the movie will show in approximately 600 theaters across the United States. Find showtimes here.

A month later, Glass Onion will debut on Netflix on December 23, 2022. Sign up for Netflix

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