Knives Out's success seemed to pave the way for a sequel, but nothing is a given in Hollywood. Luckily, star Daniel Craig and writer-director Rian Johnson returned to their roles once more, this time bringing Benoit Blanc and his crisp attire to a Grecian island.
But even for Johnson, a second film wasn't a given — nor is a third. Ahead of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery's debut, Digital Spy spoke with both about what it would take to make a third movie.
What was the pressure like for both of you stepping into this second go-round?
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Daniel Craig: I still have to pinch myself that I do this job for a living. But if you're going to do a sequel, if you're going to have a chance to get it, you have to up the ante. You have to make it bigger, better — not necessarily bigger — but you have to make it better than the first, or at least attempt to do that.
And that's where you start and I know Rian feels the same so I can say that, and it was a challenge, a real challenge, but one that was just wonderful. I mean, it's a wonderful thing to be able to kind of get a chance to do this again.
A lot of films are avoiding mentioning the pandemic or are set in a "post-" era – how did you decide to incorporate that?
Rian Johnson: The whole reason for these movies — with the first one and this one — is to take this genre that I adore, the whodunnit, that we've mostly seen as period pieces, and set it very unapologetically in the present moment. And so I wrote this movie in 2020, during the lockdown. And you know, a very serious thing would happen, and these are not incredibly serious movies.
DC: We had conversations while you're writing it, we were talking to each other going 'Is this the right thing to do?' But it feels so...
It doesn't feel a cheap shot.
DC: No, that's what I think. Yeah, that's what I feel like it's sort of handled kind of really well.
Also you see Benoit is a bit batty —
DC: A bit?!
[laughs] But even on the island, you can see there's that there's like an excitement of 'Ooh I'm out of the bathtub!' that's different from the first one.
DC: 'Ooh I'm out of the bathtub' is the basis for my whole character. I mean, yes without spoilers, it's kind of important to what happens in the film.
There are reasons for everything, so that's what was so wonderful to mess around with, knowing the outcome of the movie — the way it goes and what we do for the audience, the journey we take the audience on its hopefully — when people watch it for the second time, which I hope they do, is that they'll see this yeah, there's all these reasons.
The clues you pick up on.
RJ: We try to play fair.
What is the key that would unlock a third Knives Out film?
RJ: The key is landing on something that first of all feels different than the first two and also feels like, as Daniel said before, the only reason for us to keep making these is if we're excited about making them. So a whole new reason for being, and something where we genuinely feel like 'Oh my god, this is really exciting.'
It's not just turning the crank on another one. It's 'This is something that feels challenging and exciting. And my God, can we pull this off?' in a way that feels scary in a good way. And yeah, as long as we can keep doing that...
That contemporary hook — the first one is kind of about immigration, in this one we've got COVID and wealth and politics – is a third unknown.
RJ: Yeah, figuring out what that thing is [that the film is] kind of centred around, what the themes are and everything and figuring out also a story that is going to be...
DC: — be entertaining.
RJ: And new and fresh.
And a new food metaphor?
RJ: And a new food — well, we should probably get off food at this point.
Crème brulée?
RJ: Yeah you have to crack the surface!
DC: You're right in there!
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is out on Netflix from December 23.
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Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.
