Detective Benoit Blanc will indeed return.
Deadline has learned that Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed during the company's third-quarter earnings call Thursday that a sequel to Knives Out has been given the green light. The 2019 film, which was written and directed by Rian Johnson, has become a commercial and critical success, grossing nearly $300 million worldwide at the box office while also receiving three Golden Globe nominations, and an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay.
Johnson has long expressed his desire to make a sequel centered around Detective Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Last month, The Last Jedi director told The Hollywood Reporter that he was already developing a follow-up before he even got the project greenlit. In an interview with the Slashfilmcast, Johnson revealed that he wanted to add a title card during the end credits of Knives Out that stated, "Benoit Blanc will return" but uncertainty over the movie's box office success led to him steering against the idea.
Johnson has previously stated his optimism towards being able to finish a sequel by the end of 2020. Even though he will also need to avoid any scheduling conflicts with Craig, this opportunity comes at a time where the 51-year-old actor has been steadfast in his belief that No Time to Die will be the last time he plays the iconic role of James Bond.
In his discussion about Knives Out, Feltheimer argued that the movie's success is "further proof that franchises can emerge from any of our content verticals." In its opening weekend, Knives Out nearly doubled its domestic box office projections, proving that audiences were quite receptive to a smartly done whodunit murder-mystery film. Now, the people want more, and Lionsgate is making it happen.
