Rian Johnson has reportedly added rom-com queen Kate Hudson to the growing cast of Knives Out 2.
According to The Hollywood Repoter, Johnson has given Hudson an undisclosed role as she becomes one of the many new additions to the whodunit sequel. Kate joins a fantastic cast that consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).
I have to assume they’ll continue to add more actors, because why not?
Craig plays detective Benoit Blanc and is likely going to solve some sort of murder on a cruise ship or hotel in Greece, given all the Americans among the cast.
Filming on Knives Out 2 begins next month in Greece and Netflix has yet to give it a release date, the streaming service normally doesn’t announce dates until they’re about to begin promotion.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
The cast for Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2 continues to grow as The Hollywood Reporter revealed yesterday that Oscar-nominee Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night In Miami) has landed a role in the whodunit sequel opposite Daniel Craig. It’s quickly becoming a game itself trying to figure out who will Rian will add next, which is almost as fun as when the filmmaker and the Knives Out Twitter account asked film fans to come up with a title for Knives Out 2.
He’ll be joining a stacked cast with actors such as Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), and Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision) already on the film’s the call-sheet.
Despite this being a sequel, the Greece setting will make it difficult for characters from the first film to appear as there has been signs that Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc is going to be working on a completely different case and group of murder suspects.
Leslie is an interesting pick considering that he appeared in 20th Century Studios’ Murder On The Orient Express, based on the Agatha Christie novel that Johnson has been attempting to homage with Knives Out and it’s untitled sequels. I guess this means that other actors from Murder On The Orient Express and Death On The Nile are fair game.
Rian and Daniel made a historical deal with Netflix for the next two films for a massive $400 million, the two earning $100 million each. The streamer is aiming to turn Knives Out into a their own high-end franchise aimed directly at an adult audience and it’ll be interesting to see if they pursue further installments beyond the next two movies.
Netflix hasn’t given Knives Out 2 a release date but will begin shooting next month in Greece.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
Knives Out 2 is quickly becoming one of the most talked about upcoming films mainly due to the interesting casting choices made over the last week or so. Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are returning for two more films with the next one set to begin shooting next month in Greece.
One of the big casting announcements was wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautistia, who had previously worked with Craig in Sam Mendes’ Spectre and is doing the press rounds to promote the Zack Snyder movie Army of The Dead. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Dave details what he thought was a regular conversation with the filmmaker that eventually turned into a role in the whodunit sequel.
BAUTISTA: “I knew that this was happening, but the first time I talked to Rian was more of a general conversation. So I had the conversation with him, and we talked about everything other than Knives Out. We talked about his background in film. We talked about my background in film. I was obviously a fan of his films, but I love the fact that he’s directed Breaking Bad. (Laughs.) So I really focused in on that, and I wanted to talk to him a little bit more about that. But it really was just a friendly conversation. And then after the conversation, he said, ‘Well, you know, I’ve got this script. I’d really like you to take a look at it and read for this part.’So I was kind of taken aback that way because I didn’t know where this was leading. I was just told, ‘Hey, Rian wants to talk to you.’ And I was like, ‘Fucking great. Rian Johnson wants to talk to me. That’s amazing.’ (Laughs.) So I was just excited about the call, but as far as I knew, he wasn’t calling me to talk about a film or offer me a part. It was just to have a conversation.
He also added how excited he is about working with Daniel Craig again as the atmosphere will likely be a lot more relaxing than when they shooting the high-budgeted James Bond film Spectre, a film he spent working on for eight months despite having a smaller role as Mr. Hinx than other members of the main cast.
BAUTISTA: “Yeah, that was his knee and my nose. I lost a nose and he lost a knee. Yes, I am excited to be working with Daniel again. And I’m excited that it will be in a much, much less stressful environment because being on a Bond film is just hard. It’s just stressful. It’s just long days. Logistically, it’s a nightmare. You’re just moving from country to country to country. It’s just a long and slow process. I think Spectre shot for almost a year. My role wasn’t extensive, but I was on the film for eight months. So it’s just a long, long process. But I think [Knives Out 2] is just a much more lighthearted film, and the environment that we’re shooting in is going to be beautiful, warm and sunny.”
The rest of the cast consists of Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision, Step Brothers), and Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures, Moonlight). We’re expecting to keep seeing a drip-drop of names from trades until production starts.
Netflix has yet to give Knives Out 2 an official release date.
Breaking news as WandaVision actress Kathryn Hahn is the latest addition to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2, according to a report from Deadline. The comedic actress is having a career renaissance and landing a role in the comedy murder mystery should be fun to watch given how underrated Kathryn has been for the longest time.
She’ll join a growing cast that consists of Bond actor Daniel Craig reprising the role of crime novelist and part-time private detective Benoit Blanc, Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), and Janelle Monae (Moonlight).
The untitled sequel will begin shooting next month in Greece giving the movie a stark contrast to the original’s setting in the United States. While it’s a sequel, there are expectations that Benoit Blanc will be the only returning character (as far as we known at this time).
Netflix made a massive deal with Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig to secure two sequels to Knives Out, reportedly spending $400+ million with Rian and Daniel earning $100 million each. The streaming service could end up pushing beyond that depending on the success and viewership the first round of films bring to Netflix.
Kathryn Hahn will be third actor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe added to the sequel’s roster alongside Dave Bautista (plays Drax) and Edward Norton (once played Bruce Banner). Hahn was a huge standout in Marvel’s Disney+ series WandaVision playing the manipulative witch Agatha Harkness and arguably stole many scenes from the main cast, including getting her own theme song Agatha All Along.
A release date hasn’t been announced by Netflix.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
The latest addition to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2 has been announced.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Moonlight actress Janelle Monae will take an undisclosed role in the sequel. Monae will join a cast that consists of Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, Dave Bautista (Spectre, Blade Runner 2049, Army of The Dead), and Edward Norton (Fight Club, Rounders, 25th Hour).
Netflix made a historical deal with Rian and Daniel Craig for at least two Knives Out sequels for a massive $400+ million, the two earning $100 million each. The first installment for Netflix will begin shooting next month in Greece and we’ll likely continue to see more announcements for the cast as Johnson taking cues from Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot novels and various mystery shows.
Knives Out was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and made an impressive $311.4 million at the global box office on a budget of $40 million.
While this will be a sequel, Daniel Craig is expected to be the only returning cast member at the moment as they’ll likely focus a new group of murder suspects in the European-set whodunit.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
Another high-profile addition to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2 has been revealed.
A report from Deadline announces that Edward Norton has joined the murder mystery alongside Daniel Craig and Dave Bautista. Norton is a three-time Oscar nominee with credits such as Birdman, Fight Club, Moonrise Kingdom, The Incredible Hulk, American History X, Primal Fear, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Bourne Legacy, Kingdom of Heaven, 25th Hour, Red Dragon, Rounders, Alita: Battle Angel, and Isle of Dogs.
Craig plays southern crime novelist Benoit Blanc, who also moonlights as a detective and in the sequel will be needed during another murder in the very scenic country of Greece. Other plot details are being kept under lock-and-key which is a good thing as there is an expected twist that hopefully isn’t spoiled before it’s release. While this will be a sequel, from what we understand Daniel Craig is expected to be the only returning cast member.
It remains to be seen if we’ll be seeing another family focused murder plot or something a little different to the formula.
Production will begin next month in Greece and Netflix spent a massive $400+ million to secure Rian Johnson’s two sequels. The big payday will see both Rian and Daniel Craig land $100 million each, opening the door for Netflix to get another franchise under their belt.
Folks are trying to do their own sleuthing as Rian recently followed actress Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, A Most Violent Year, Crimson Peak, Interstellar) on Instagram, which might signal that she might have landed a role, but it’s only speculation for the moment.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
Rian Johnson is looking to turn his wonderful comedic murder mystery film Knives Out into a full-fledged franchise and has partnered with Netflix to make that happen. A historical deal worth upwards of $400 million was made back in March that would see both Rian Johnson and lead actor Daniel Craig make $100 million each. The hefty deal includes the next two installments that are yet-to-be-titled and I assume if they want to do more Netflix will be all-ears.
We won’t have to wait too long before getting our hands on Knives Out 2 as filming is reportedly set to begin in Greece starting in late June.
Deadline is reporting that Daniel’s Spectre co-star Dave Bautista has landed an undisclosed role in the sequel and we’ll be excited to find out what his character will be. I’m going to lean towards fellow detective but there are likely less obvious choices as well. There is an expectation Knives Out 2 will focus on an entirely new group of characters excluding Craig’s southern detective Benoit Blanc and the Greece setting during a summer shoot will likely be a fantastic visual contrast to the original movie.
Dave Bautista’s upcoming projects includes Zack Snyder’s Army of The Dead and will be reprising the Drax role for James Gunn’s Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3. Hopefully, he’ll be able to showcase his comedic chops in Knives Out 2 as he’s been known to be extremely assuming when given the chance.
It’ll be interesting to see if Rian will cast other former co-stars of Daniel Craig in various roles. Personally, I’ll be rooting for Casino Royale’s Eva Green to show up and give us another fantastic femme fatale.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
As today is Star Wars day, May The 4th, I decided to rundown all the upcoming live-action projects in the works over at Lucasfilm and what we know about them.
THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT: Originally confused with the third season of The Mandalorian, the Boba Fett series will continue the adventures of Temuera Morrison’s Fett and Ming-Na Wen’s wonderful Fennec Shand. In a post-credit scene in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, the pair return to Tatooine and assassinate Bib Fortuna at Jabba’s Palace. It’s unknown officially if we’ll see Boba take a kingpin role within the criminal underworld or will be slightly more heroic.
A Boba Fett movie had been in the works with Simon Kinberg and Josh Trank, but the studio ultimately killed it and instead decided to make The Mandalorian allowing them to insert Boba Fett in the second season because of where the shows take place in the timeline.
At one time, Guillermo del Toro pitched a gangster project to Yahoo! during an interview featuring Jabba that was described as a Godfather saga in the Star Wars universe.
DEL TORO: “I would do the sort of Godfather saga that Jabba the Hutt had to go through to gain control. One, because it’s the character that looks the most like me, and I like him. I love the idea of a Hutt type of mafia, a very complex coup. I just love the character.”
It’s possible The Book of Boba Fett could end up being a revised version of that idea and we could see more of the criminal elements as The Mandalorian sort of abandoned low-level criminal threats when Grogu came into the picture and Imperial baddies became more the focus.
Producing will be Robert Rodriguez, Jon Favreau, and Dave Filoni. They secured Emmy-winning production designer Andrew Jones (The Mandalorian) with filming taking place in California giving them access to The Volume/StageCraft. We are hearing the producing team will also act as directors on the series as well with at least 7-episodes.
It’s seemingly set to debut on Disney+ in December.
ANDOR: A prequel to Rogue One: A Story Wars Story, the project will focus on Diego Luna’s Rebellion spy character Cassian Andor. Production had been taking place in the United Kingdom with Toby Haynes (Sherlock, Doctor Who, Utopia, Black Mirror) taking on directing duties from Tony Gilroy after the pandemic made things difficult, who was also working on scripts. Gilroy famously was brought-on to write and direct extensive reshoots on Rogue One.
Joining Diego Luna will be Adria Arjona (Morbius), Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Stellan Skarsgard (Thor, Dune, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Fiona Shaw, and Kyle Soller. However, it sounds like K-2SO won’t be appearing in the first season according to actor Alan Tudyk giving the impression that we’ll be getting a Season 2 of Andor. This was a little puzzling as he was announced as being a cast member originally alongside Luna and would suggest that his role was scaled-back in rewrites.
It’s supposed to debut on Disney+ in 2022.
OBI-WAN KENOBI: Like Boba Fett, Lucasfilm had been trying to develop a Kenobi feature film that was abandoned for a 6-episode series on Disney+ instead. The Mandalorian’s Deborah Chow is directing with a crew such as cinematographer and production designer Todd Cherniawsky (Avatar, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Trek: Picard).
The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
We’ll see at least four prequel actors return with Ewan McGregor as Ben Kenobi, Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen, and Bonnie Piesse as Aunt Beru. The show’s new additions are Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals), Sung Kang (F9, Tokyo Drift), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Godzilla: King of The Monsters), Benny Safdie (Good Time), Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, and Simone Kessell.
While Obi-Wan is known as spending most of the time between Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope wondering Tatooine as a hermit, it sounds like the series will be a little more exciting than that and we’ll see other locations. Ewan McGregor has teased extensive training for lightsaber battles which would expose himself as a Jedi Knight if he did this publicly on Tatooine and also hinted Kenobi could be going off-world.
MCGREGOR: “There’s a hunger for this character to come back. The fans have been waiting long enough, you know? We start on Tatooine, and we go on a rollicking adventure.”
We’re expecting that a young Luke Skywalker will appear in the show given the era and that his Uncle/Aunt are confirmed.
The return of Darth Vader could mean we’ll see more action sequences with the baddie or Kenobi having to tangle with Inquisitors as it could explain the training McGregor has been undergoing, unless we’ll see flashbacks to battles during the Clone Wars. In Rogue One, one of the big highlights was seeing Darth Vader unleashed against a group of Rebels and the series could give Lucasfilm an excuse to shoot another action sequences with the Sith villain.
It’s not confirmed if Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn will show up in some capacity, but Liam has revealed he would be open to return for the Disney+ series. However, the rumor of Jar Jar Binks making a return was debunked by actor Ahmed Best on Twitter.
THE MANDALORIAN – SEASON 3: The finale of Season 2 ended with uncanny valley Luke Skywalker saving the group from the Dark Trooper droids and agreed to train Grogu. We also see Din Djarin beat Moff Gideon in a duel earning the Darksaber making him the new leader of Mandalore which should develop into some conflict with Bo-Katan.
Lead actor Pedro Pascal will be busy over the summer as he’ll be playing Joel in HBO’s series adaptation of the Naughty Dog video game The Last of Us, which will be filming in Calgary, Alberta, Canada making things a little complicated if he’ll be needed on set of The Mandalorian.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the show won’t return on Disney+ until late 2022 as The Book of Boba Fett seemingly took it’s production schedule last fall.
AHSOKA: A spinoff of The Mandalorian, as revealed in Ahsoka Tano’s episode the former Jedi is searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn. While there has been plenty of fan speculation that other characters from the animation side will appear in the show that has yet to be confirmed.
After making her long awaited live-action debut in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka Tano’s story, written by Dave Filoni, will continue in a limited series starring Rosario Dawson and executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.
RANGERS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC: Like Ahsoka, the project takes place within the same timeline of The Mandalorian and will likely feature a handful of characters we’ve already been introduced to. Cara Dune would have been shoe-in before Lucasfilm fired Gina Carano, but we don’t know if they’ll recast the role or pivot to a new character instead.
Set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, this new live-action series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will intersect with future stories and culminate into a climactic story event.
I have to imagine that Bill Burr’s sharpshooter Migs Mayfeld and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Captain Carson Teva could be part of the show’s lineup. Paul’s CBC comedy series Kim’s Convenience recently ended allowing him to commit to other shows like Rangers of The New Republic.
THE ACOLYTE: The Disney+ series from Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland is said to be taking place during The High Republic, the new era of Star Wars that will be explored heavily in new publications of both novels and comic books.
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.
LANDO: Referred to as an “event series” suggesting it will be a one-off like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lando will be developed and written by Dear White People’s Justin Simien. Justin had recently been hired to direct Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie based on the theme park ride and it’s unclear if they’ve signed-on Donald Glover to reprise the role as he’s got a bunch of projects in the works thanks to his deal with Amazon, including a Mr. & Mrs. Smith series with Solo: A Star Wars Story co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
ROGUE SQUADRON: In December, it was officially announced that the next big movie, Rogue Squadron, is set to be released on December 2023 and will be directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster). Jenkins will be the first female director to helm a Star Wars film.
The next Star Wars feature film will be Rogue Squadron — directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman franchise). The story will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy.
JENKINS: “[In the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie] we’re doing something original with great influence from the games and the books. There’s a lot of things being acknowledged and understood about the greatness of all of those things, but yes, it’s an original story and I’m so psyched to do it.”
Other feature films in the works include one from director Taika Watiti (Thor: Love & Thunder, Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Rangrok) that seemingly lost co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917, Last Night In Soho) as her name was missing from Lucasfilm’s press release from December.
Rian Johnson continues to state in interviews that his original Star Wars trilogy is happening even though he recently signed-on to direct two Knives Out sequels for Netflix and is working with Natasha Lyonne on a new mystery series called Poker Face for Peacock.
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is also said to be producing his own feature with Michael Waldron (Rick & Morty, Loki, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness) writing it.
In 2020, it was revelaed by The Hollywood Reporter that J.D. Dillard (Devotion, Sleight) and Matt Owens (Luke Cage, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) would be co-writing a movie, but we haven’t any real updates on the project. Dillard is currently shooting the Korean War pic Devotion starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell. He was also in talks to direct a remake of The Fly.
Lastly, an unconfirmed report from BuzzFeed claimed that the studio tasked screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis (Altered Carbon, Shutter Island, Avatar, Ghost In The Shell, Alita: Battle Angel) to pen an adaptation of Knights of The Old Republic (a potential “trilogy”) and studio head Kathleen Kennedy confirmed to MTV News it’s an era they’ve been talking about exploring internally. I’m curious with the talk of video game remake in the works if they’ll attempt to expand upon The Old Republic in a similar manner as they are with The High Republic.
Earlier in the week it was announced via a report from Deadline that Netflix was looking to finance and secure the next two Knives Out sequels from writer/director Rian Johnson. The untitled sequels will see Daniel Craig reprise the role of Southern crime novelist/detective Benoit Blanc. The character is a take on Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mixed with Jessica Fletcher from the series Murder, She Wrote.
The streaming giant was said to be looking spend $400 million on the two films with Variety stating in their own write-up that the number is actually closer to $450 million. The number likely has to do with the original film earning an impressive $311.4 million at the international box office on a modest budget of $40 million, Netflix seeing the value in having the next two films being part of their originals lineup.
Knives Out originally was at MRC and distributed by Lionsgate, however, the companies didn’t make deals for potential sequels leaving the door open for Amazon, Apple, and Netflix to compete for the rights. Netflix seemingly landing them.
Filming on the second installment isn’t far away as Deadline says that production is set to begin this June 28, 2021 in Greece. The location moving out of the United States could allow for international cast and fans of the originally are dying to see what actors Johnson ends up hiring as there is expectations for another large cast.
The Benoit Blanc role could be a huge deal for Daniel Craig trying to get away from the shadow of the James Bond franchise as he’ll be exiting after the release of No Time To Die. It would be nice if Craig was able to have his character Benoit Blanc as notable to his career as Bond. The only way that is going to happen is if these next two films knock it out of the park.
KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
While we’re still waiting on updates concerning Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out and his original Star Wars trilogy, there is a new project that was just announced yesterday. Deadline revealed that Rian and Russian Doll actress Natasha Lyonne are going to be teaming-up for new mystery series, titled Poker Face, at Peacock.
Rian Johnson will write and direct Poker Face as the project has been given a straight-to-series order by Peacock and will get 10-episodes.
However, there are currently no details about the series in the outlet’s report.
THE RONIN 
