Rian Johnson has resumed work on Knives Out 3 now that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is over.
Speaking to The Wrap, Johnson said he is resuming work on a third Knives Out film with Daniel Craig, given that the WGA strike for higher wages, protection from artificial intelligence and more ended on September 27, 2023.
“It’s coming,” he said. “I obviously couldn’t work during the strike and now that it’s over I’m diving in full force and that’s how it goes. I have a premise, I have a setting, I have what the movie is in my head. It’s just a matter of writing the damn thing.”
The film Knives Out, written and directed by Johnson, released in 2019. In the film, Craig plays a driven private detective named Benoit Blanc who must find out who killed Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy mystery writer who just turned 85. Ana de Armas The film also stars Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell.
A sequel, Glass Bow: The Mystery of Knives Out, followed in 2022. Having only a limited theatrical release before it began streaming on Netflix, the film was once again written and directed by Johnson, with Craig reprising his role as Blanc. He was joined by Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick and Madeline Cline.
Rian Johnson wants to continue making Knives Out films
When Glass Bow: Knives Out premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022, Johnson said he plans to continue making Knives Out sequels for as long as he can. “I’ll keep doing this until Daniel blocks me on his phone,” he commented via Variety.
Johnson also told Variety in January 2023, “We make these movies as entertainment first and foremost. What was exciting about working on (Glass Onion) was the idea of trying to emulate Christie with a completely new story. Now I’m starting to work on the third film, and this has also inspired me creatively: I don’t need to copy the last film at all. The goal is to go in a completely new direction tonally and thematically.”