‘Knives Out 2’: Discover the mysterious cast of the anticipated sequel

Is there any hope Knives Out 2 can match, let alone top, the star-studdedness of the original movie? It seems like a hopeless endeavor, but we can’t accuse Rian Johnson of not trying. Within the last two days, we’ve already gotten two major announcements regarding Knives Out 2 casting and, while there’s still a long way to go to color us truly impressed, the sequel is definitely off to a good start.

Before we dive into those Knives Out 2 casting news, however, let’s add some context by running down the cast of the previous film. Check this out: Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Chris Evans, Don Johnson, LaKeith Stanfield, and, of course, Daniel Craig as sleuth extraordinaire Benoit Blanc. Oh, and let’s not forget Frank Oz’s cameo. Frank Oz!

So that was Knives Out. Who’s been cast on Knives Out 2? Let’s see!

Dave Bautista

Man, Dave Bautista has come a long way since he started dabbling in acting, hasn’t he? The former WWE superstar is a full-fledged Hollywood A-lister now, after being part of movies like Spectre, Blade Runner 2049, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Even if for some reason you don’t instantly associate the actor with Drax the Destroyer, at this point you’ve probably seen him in one of his countless other film projects.

Unsurprisingly, details about who Bautista is playing are still being kept secret. That didn’t prevent the actor from gushing about the project to Polygon: “If you’re familiar with the first Knives Out, you know it wasn’t deeply emotional, it’s not a deeply dramatic film. But it was such a quirky film, and it was so interesting. It had such a great ensemble, like a talented cast. And Rian, I’m desperate to work with.”

The MCU alum was referring to the fact that he’s been slowly trying to branch out into more dramatic roles, after all the successful clowning around he’s done in recent years. He explained to Polygon: “Although (Knives Out 2) is not down that dramatic path that I really love, and that I’m pursuing, I feel like this is a huge statement, because of the caliber of the people that are involved, and how successful the first film was.”

Edward Norton

Hey, look, another MCU guy! Well, sort of. Of course, Edward Norton has been around for long enough to not be defined by how unceremoniously he exited the then-nascent Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, what defines Norton – in addition to an impressive body of work – is how picky he is about his projects these days. Getting the former Hulk in your movie is quite the badge of honor.

You might not have noticed, but Edward Norton hasn’t been in a major blockbuster since his 2014 two-punch combo of Birdman (which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination) and The Grand Budapest Hotel. It’ll be nice to have his talent grace another big release, especially given how colorful the characters in the first Knives Out were.

Again, like with Dave Bautista’s casting, there aren’t any details about who Edward Norton will be playing in Knives Out 2. After his turn as an amateur detective in 2019’s Motherless Brooklyn (which he wrote & directed), wouldn’t it be fun if he was Benoit Blanc’s competitor in this film? Nah, that’s probably too obvious for Rian Johnson.

Embrace the mystery

So, by the nature of the now-franchise, the only cast member from the original Knives Out that will definitely be returning for the next installment is Daniel Craig. You can’t have a Benoit Blanc mystery without Benoit Blanc (then again, it’s Rian Johnson, so he could easily put Blanc in a coma in the first act). Everyone else is probably gone forever. Or are they?

Depending on where the story of Knives Out 2 is set, Johnson could bring back some favorites from the first movie, even if it’s just for a fan-service cameo. We can totally see Ana de Armas coming back for a couple of scenes to update us on how she’s doing now that she’s wealthy. She could be Blanc’s Watson once again. And LaKeith Stanfield could be in charge of the investigation once more.

Then again, it would make more sense for Knives Out 2 to basically start a new mystery and set of characters from scratch. And we should resign to not knowing too much about them until we are actually watching the movie. That’s how the genre works!

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Are you excited for Knives Out 2? Who else would you like to see in it? Let us know in the comments!