Rian Johnson is already teasing what could come next Knives out universe, although the third film in the series has just made its debut.
Wake up, dead manthe latest mystery, starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc, arrived on Netflix on December 12, and while fans are still digesting that story, Johnson is cautiously looking ahead.
In a recent conversation with Weekly entertainmentthe filmmaker confirmed that early thoughts about a fourth Knives out films begin to form, although nothing is close to being locked in.
“I have some basic, elemental, conceptual ideas. Like, ‘Okay, it would be interesting if it was like that,’ cores,” Johnson shared. He also emphasized how early the process actually is.
“I don’t really have concrete ideas. I don’t have a theme yet. I don’t have a location. It’s really quite vague, and I feel like it’s good to keep it vague until I’m ready to actually sit down and write it.”
For now, Johnson is not rushing back to the world of Benoit Blanc. He explained that he hopes to direct at least one original film before returning to the franchise, noting that each Knives out The film is meant to reflect the time in which it was made.
That approach, he said, requires patience rather than speed.
“Part of making these films for me is responding to the present moment, not necessarily with current events or politics or culture specifically, but in terms of what we’re all feeling in the world at that moment,” Johnson said.
He added that the films are intentionally not timeless.
“I like that these films are not timeless in themselves and that they all have a foot in something that is common to all of us in our present moment,” he explained, reiterating that keeping ideas loose helps preserve the creative instinct.
The Knives out franchise began in 2019 with the theatrical release of the original film.
Netflix later acquired the rights to two sequels and released Glass onion in 2022.
Wake up, dead man premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and also had a limited theatrical release beginning November 26.
While a fourth episode isn’t officially in development, Johnson’s comments make one thing clear, the door to another Benoit Blanc mystery is wide open, just not yet completely unlocked.
