Netflix buys “Knives Out” sequels for $ 400 million and more; Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson back



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Netflix will purchase the production rights to two “Knives Out” sequels with director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig set to return to the franchise.

One individual tells TheWrap that the deal for the second and third films is worth over $ 400 million, while another says the reported numbers are inaccurate.

The original “Knives Out”, a murder mystery in the vein of an Agatha Christie thriller released in 2019, was acquired under a single photo contract with Media Rights Capital (MRC) and been published by Lionsgate. It grossed over $ 311 million worldwide on a budget of $ 40 million. The rights to the film belonged to Johnson and his production partner Ram Bergman.

Casting for the ‘Knives Out’ sequels is underway and production hopes to begin in Greece in late June, although the exact dates and location have not been set in stone as the project is still in its early stages. Johnson previously joked that a “Knives Out” sequel would take place in space.

The deal is one of the biggest for a streamer in history, and it provides Netflix with a franchise as competition in the streaming space has increased dramatically over the past few months.

The original “Knives Out” starred Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc investigating the death of wealthy author Harlan Thrombey (played by the late Christopher Plummer in one of his last roles). He boasted of an impressive cast which included Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaedan Martell, all of whom make up the family of thirsty heirs of Harlan’s money and power. Johnson also won an Oscar nomination for Best Origianl Screenplay for his work.

Before “Knives Out”, Rian Johnson directed “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”. Daniel Craig will next be seen in the upcoming James Bond film “No Time to Die”, his last stint in the franchise.

Johnson and Craig are both represented by CAA.

Deadline first broke the news.

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