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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
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Wikipedia article
'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' is a 2022 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson, and produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman for T-Street Productions. A standalone sequel to 'Knives Out' (2019), Daniel Craig reprises his role as Benoit Blanc, a master detective taking on a new case. The film also stars an ensemble cast consisting of Edward Norton, Janelle Mone, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.
While promoting 'Knives Out' in 2019, Johnson hinted at the possibility of a sequel. In 2020, it was confirmed he was working on a story with Craig set to reprise his role. In March 2021, Netflix bought the rights to two sequels to 'Knives Out' for $469 million. Filming took place on the island of Spetses, Greece, between June and July 2021, and continued outside of Greece until September. Returning crew members from 'Knives Out' included cinematographer Steve Yedlin, editor Bob Ducsay, and composer Nathan Johnson.
'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' had its world premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and is scheduled to be released in select cinemas in November 2022, before its streaming release on December 23, 2022, by Netflix.
Premise
In May 2020, tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.
Cast
* Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc
* Edward Norton as Miles Bron, a tech billionaire
* Janelle Mone as Cassandra "Andi" Brand, a tech entrepreneur and Miles's ex-business partner.
* Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella, a Connecticut governor running for Senate
* Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel Toussaint, a scientist who works for Miles
* Jessica Henwick as Peg, Birdie's assistant
* Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, Duke's girlfriend and YouTube channel assistant
* Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay, a former supermodel turned fashion designer
* Dave Bautista as Duke Cody, a YouTube star and men's rights activist
* Ethan Hawke as Miles's assistant
Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a cameo appearance as the voice of Miles's clock. Stephen Sondheim and Jackie Hoffman also appear.
Production
Development
The 2019 film 'Knives Out' was a commercially successful production from MRC and Lionsgate Films. It grossed over $311 million on a budget of $40 million, making it the second-highest-grossing original movie of the year that was not based on existing intellectual property. Before its release, writer and director Rian Johnson had teased the possibility of a sequel revolving around the lead character, Detective Benoit Blanc. The sequel was officially greenlit by Lionsgate in early 2020. In March 2021, Netflix outbid Amazon and Apple at an auction to acquire the rights to the film and another sequel to 'Knives Out' for $469 million, with Johnson returning as director, Daniel Craig set to reprise his role as Blanc, and a budget of at least $40 million for the first installment. Johnson, Craig, and producer Ram Bergman are reportedly being paid more than $100 million for their roles in both productions. A losing bidder called it an inexplicable and "mind-boggling" deal.
Craig worked with a dialect coach to regain familiarity with Blanc's Southern accent. Johnson previously considered having Blanc speak with an inexplicably different accent in each film.
Writing
Johnson made it clear that 'Glass Onion' was not a continuation of its predecessor but a standalone film featuring a new story and cast, similar to the Hercule Poirot novel series by Agatha Christie. In addition to Christie novels, he took inspiration from "tropical getaway murder mysteries" like 'Evil Under the Sun' and especially 'The Last of Sheila', saying: "It's structured around a group of friends, or frenemies, who all have a power dynamic with one of their successful friends. It begins with him sending an invitation for them to come and play this murder mystery game at this exotic locale. In'The Last of Sheila', it's on his yacht, and everything ends up going horribly wrong. That is essentially how'Glass Onion' begins." Johnson wanted the film's title to refer to something hidden in plain sight. He chose "glass" because it is clear, and searched his phone for songs with the word. He landed on "Glass Onion" by The Beatles and, as a fan of the band, picked it as the title. The song is featured in the end-credits of the film.Casting
Johnson described casting the film as "throwing a dinner party." Dave Bautista said Johnson encouraged him to audition during an unprompted call, and Kathryn Hahn secured her role over several Zoom calls with Johnson.Filming
Returning 'Knives Out' crew members included cinematographer Steve Yedlin, editor Bob Ducsay, and composer Nathan Johnson. Filming began in Spetses, an island in Greece, on June 28, 2021. Johnson discovered the Aman Resorts' Villa 20 in Porto Heli and decided to use it as a major filming location. It also housed the cast and their families for the majority of the shoot, which Johnson described as "a summer vacation where we also made a movie." The shoot moved out of Greece on July 30, and wrapped officially on September 13, 2021.Multiple sources:*
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Release
'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022. It will also close the BFI London Film Festival on October 16, 2022, and will be released on Netflix on December 23, 2022. Netflix is reportedly considering a new release model for films like 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery', which would give the film a 45-day window in theaters before being released on the streaming service.
Reception
'Variety's Owen Gleiberman praised the film as, "a bigger, showier, even more elaborately multi-faceted shell-game mystery" than the first film.
Accolades
Future
Netflix holds the film rights to at least one more entry in the series. In September 2020, Johnson confirmed his intention to make more entries in the series. Later that month, Craig and Johnson both separately stated that they will continue making additional films in the series, so long as they are both involved together.
References
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