Director Rian Johnson revealed where development currently stands on Knives Out 3 while teasing plans for Knives Out 4 and beyond.
After the controversy that surrounded Rian Johnson's dabble into the Star Wars galaxy with The Last Jedi, the director struck gold with his Agatha Christie-inspired murder-mystery Knives Out - starring Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc.
Following the success and acclaim that Knives Out drew, Johnson quickly began making plans for Detective Blanc to return in further standalone mystery sequels. This even caught the attention of streaming giant Netflix, who beat out Amazon and Apple with a $450 million deal for the exclusive rights to Knives Out 2 & 3.
Just recently, the first of those sequels made its way onto Netflix in the form of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which took Benoit Blanc to Greece to investigate a brand-new case filled with twists, turns, and a cast of MCU veterans.
With reception to Glass Onion already proving to be resoundingly positive (currently sitting at a 94% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), talk has begun regarding when the next of the promised streaming sequels will arrive. And while it's far too soon for an exact date, Johnson has now spoken on the development of Knives Out 3.
Knives Out Director Reveals Franchise Future Update
In the latest festive issue of RadioTimes, Knives Out and Glass Onion director Rian Johnson offered an exciting update on the development of the third movie in the franchise and touched on the prospect of more future installments beyond that.
After being asked whether he had any ideas for Knives Out 3, Johnson revealed he is "just starting to figure out what the next one is going to be."
The murder-mystery director added the third movie will be the last in the contract with Netflix, but he "doesn't see it as a trilogy" and instead hopes to carry on with the franchise "for as long as [they] can:"
"We have one more movie in our contract with Netflix, but I don't see it as a trilogy. I see it as an ongoing thing. As long as Daniel [Craig] and I are having fun and coming up with something new and exciting every time, we'll keep doing this as long as we can."
After the success of 2019's Knives Out, Johnson reached a $450 million deal with Netflix for the next two movies in the franchise to head to the streamer.
Knives Out star Daniel Craig was then asked whether he expects to play Detective Blanc for as long as he did James Bond, which was 15 years. The British actor revealed that the future prospects have been "discussed at length," and he hopes to continue making more for as long as the audience is entertained:
"I mean, I should be so lucky! We've discussed it at length and we'd love to keep on making these Knives Out films. As long as we can keep making people laugh, we'll do it."
When Will Knives Out 3 Release on Netflix?
Rian Johnson indicated that development on Knives Out 3 is in the early stages, as he has only just begun to piece together ideas. This would seemingly suggest that he has yet to actually start work on the script, potentially placing the next Benoit Blanc mystery some time down the road.
However, the franchise appears to be the director's primary commitment right now, having even put aside his own Star Wars trilogy to focus on developing the sequels. So, the script could move along rather quickly depending on how fast Johnson conceptualizes the next batch of characters, mysteries, and twists.
As there was a three-year gap between the releases of 2019's Knives Out and 2022's Glass Onion, the threequel could potentially release in 2025. However, as development on the first follow-up was hindered by both the pandemic and Daniel Craig's commitments to No Time To Die, Knives Out 3 could come even sooner.
But unfortunately Knives Out 4 could be accompanied by a longer wait as the deal with Netflix will have concluded by then. However, with Johnson having profited $100 million from his deal for the first two sequels, he and Netflix may well opt to quickly renew - provided Glass Onion and its follow-up succeed on streaming.
There's no telling just yet what Benoit Blanc's next case will entail, as Knives Out 3 will be totally disconnected from the last two films with a new mystery and cast. Although there will certainly be even more development to come for Craig's southern detective, particularly after recent revelations regarding his character.
Glass Onion took the first dip into the queerness of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc with the reveal of his partner Phillip, played by British icon Hugh Grant. Johnson has previously hinted that Blanc's sexuality could play more into Knives Out 3, indicating Grant may be the first actor outside of Craig to reappear in the franchise.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.
