The successful police thriller "Knives Out" (2019) will have a sequel, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," which will be released on December 23rd on Netflix according to a statement by the streaming service on Monday.
If the first installment starred the Spanish-Cuban actress Ana de Armas, in the new movie the dramatic weight falls on Daniel Craig, who returns to play the detective Benoit Blanc.
In fact, as previously reported by the director and writer of the saga, Rian Johnson, Craig is the only cast member to return from the original film.
"In the first one, because of the way it was structured, Marta, Ana de Armas' character, was very much the protagonist, while in this one, we'll delve into the mystery through the eyes of Blanc (Daniel Craig)," Johnson explained on Monday in statements to Netflix Tudum, the official portal for the fans of the platform.
The plot of "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" revolves around a murder that takes place on a luxurious Greek island after a tech billionaire invites his acquaintances to vacation there.
Detective Blanc is tasked with traveling to this private paradise to uncover the "layers of mystery" hidden behind the discovery of the lifeless body of one of the guests.
Part of the title, "Glass Onion," is a reference to the eponymous song by The Beatles that was released in 1968 and which, on this occasion, serves as a metaphor for a crime that may seem complex but "is in plain sight."
"I'm always looking for something fun that detective Blanc can latch onto. (...) I literally took out my iPhone and searched my music for the word 'glass'," Johnson revealed about how the title of this film was decided.
The cast of this film is completed by Janelle Monáe ("Moonlight"), Kathryn Hahn ("Private Life"), Leslie Odom Jr. ("The Many Saints of Newark"), Jessica Henwick ("The Gray Man"), Madelyn Cline ("Outer Banks"), Kate Hudson ("Almost Famous"), and Dave Bautista ("Army of the Dead").
The production of this film, whose rights are owned by Netflix, is once again led by Ram Bergman ("Brick"), with Tom Karnowski ("Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi") as executive producer.
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" will have its worldwide premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, held from September 8th to 18th, and will be available to Netflix subscribers starting on December 23rd.
It will also be commercially distributed, at least in the United States, although the release date in the country's main theaters has not yet been revealed.
The second part of "Knives Out" faces the difficult task of matching the success achieved by the first installment, which grossed over $300 million, with an investment of $40 million, and even received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 2020.