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Netflix invests $ 450 million for rights to “Knives Out 2” and “Knives Out 3”, the next two sequels of the 2019 murder mystery, sources say Variety. The films will reunite director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig, who memorable teamed up on the first detective novel.
The first “Knives Out” was produced by Media Rights Capital. It was distributed by Lionsgate and went on to gross $ 311.4 million on a budget of $ 40 million. Johnson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It was not immediately clear who was benefiting from this massive windfall, as MRC reportedly acquired the rights to the material from Johnson and his production partner Ram Bergman.
The film gives Netflix a vibrant new film series as it faces more competition in the streaming space, especially on the international front. In recent months, new challengers such as HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Apple TV Plus have emerged to challenge Netflix’s dominance. It is one of the biggest deals ever for the rights to a series of films.
Craig will reprise his role as private investigator Benoit Blanc. The films give Craig a new series to follow as he wraps up his five-film stint as James Bond with “No Time to Die,” which hits theaters this fall after numerous delays due to COVID-19. An executive at a Netflix competitor, well versed in the franchise business, said the deal’s impressive price could involve millions of marketing commitments for the making of the film around the world. They also noted that for talents like Craig, pay increases for second and third sequels can get astronomical – often eclipsing entire production budgets. The actor earned north of $ 20 million on recent sequels to the James Bond franchise.
Johnson previously directed “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, “Looper” and “Brick”. He envisioned “Knives Out” as a thriller à la Agatha Christie. In a 2019 interview with Variety, Johnson said he would be “… happy to do another ‘Knives Out’ every few years.
The first film centered around an eccentric mysterious writer who is murdered in his house. His family of stolen money is suspected. The set of stars included Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield and Christopher Plummer.
It’s unclear if the films will have a theatrical release in addition to streaming on Netflix.
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