Benoit Blanc will return!
Although LionsGate has not officially announced a sequel for Rian Johnson’s hit whoodunit Knives Out, writer-director Rian Johnson is already at work on a sequel to his star-studded mystery that will see the return of detective Benoit Blanc, as played by Daniel Craig, solving a brand new mystery.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Johnson at a pre-Golden Globes party yesterday, who confirmed that he was already developing the story for a Knives Out followup, noting “The filmmaker added that he was eager to make the pic quickly, ideally in the next year.”
This also matches with what Johnson told us back in October at the Philadelphia Film Festival red carpet event for the film that he wanted to revisit the detective character of Benoit Blanc in the future.
“I had so much fun with Daniel,” Johnson stated at the time, “if we can do another Benoit Blanc mystery at some point that would be a blast.”
Since it opened last Thanksgiving weekend, Knives Out has pulled in nearly $250 million worldwide against its modest $40 million budget.
Knives Out‘s box office success makes the film stand out against rising tide of blockbuster films that are sequels to or reboots of existing franchises or based on pre-existing intellectual property such as comic books or video games. It shows that there is still an audience for films featuring original characters and stories. Of course, the irony here is that this original story is now so successful, it could very well turn into a franchise of its own.
