Rian Johnson's KNIVES OUT was one of the biggest surprises at the box office last year and was a major win for original material in a marketplace that is flooded with remakes & sequels. Off of a $40 million budget, KNIVES OUT grossed $165.3 million at the domestic box office and $309.2 million worldwide. The film also became a critical darling, securing a few nominations during awards season, including a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for Rian Johnson. All of this prompted Lionsgate to green light a sequel quickly and Rian Johnson is currently working on the script which will bring back Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc for another mystery. Even though the Thrombey family featured a dream cast of performers including Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, & Toni Collette, one of the members of that family doesn't believe they'll be making a return in the next film.
Michael Shannon played Walt Thrombey, the son of Christopher Plummer's Harlan Thrombey, and during an interview with "MovieWeb.com" promoting his new On-Demand film, THE QUARRY, Shannon was asked about a KNIVES OUT return and he doesn't seem to think any of the Thrombey family members will be coming back:
"Oh, I would work with Rian again in a heartbeat, but I don't think he's planning on bringing Walt back. I mean, maybe, who knows? Somewhere down the line Rian will make a different kind of movie that I'll be able to participate in. But I don't think he's bringing any of those Thrombey characters back, I don't get the impression."
Shannon's comments do make sense given what we know about the KNIVES OUT sequel. Rian Johnson has said that the idea would be to focus on a new mystery, which would bring in a new cast and an entirely different setting. Essentially Johnson is making Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc his own Hercule Poirot, a detective featured in many popular mystery novels by the great Agatha Christie. A new mystery would mean a new focus on fresh characters, although I will miss seeing the over the top antics of the Thrombey family.
Would YOU want to see the Thrombey family come back in any capacity or is it best to focus on a new set of characters?