First Teaser for ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’

Rian Johnson’s latest mystery co-stars Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline.

“Lock the doors. Stay in your rooms. Everyone is in danger.” So says detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, back with his southern-fried accent) in the first teaser for Rian Johnson’s latest stab at the ‘Knives Out’ franchise, ‘Glass Onion’.

Given that 2019’s ‘Knives Out’ made more than $300 million at the box office off the back of a thrifty $40 million budget, it was all but guaranteed that there would be more, assuming Johnson and Craig wanted to make them.

No shocker, then, that Netflix was quick to offer up a hefty $469 million deal, which locked in Johnson, Craig, and producer Ram Bergman for two sequels, of which ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ is the first.

Traveling far from the chilly Massachusetts mansion of the original, ‘Glass Onion’ finds Blanc headed overseas.

When tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise. And when someone turns up dead, well, who better than Blanc to peel back the layers of intrigue?

Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc in Netflix's 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.'

As well as Craig and Norton, the cast is once more stuffed with talent, including Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

“The phrase I kept coming back to and talking about the first movie is, ‘It's a roller coaster and not a crossword puzzle,’ says Johnson, who writes and directs again. “It’s a common mistake in writing whodunits, thinking that you're making a crossword puzzle, and that the fun is that the audience is actually going to analyze all this and figure it out. I know when I'm reading or watching a whodunit, I always let go of the notion of figuring it out about a third of the way through it.”

Yet he knows that it’s not just the compelling mystery that is key to making a good movie such as this. “The reality is that what makes something successful is a story, and that’s true of a whodunit as well,” he continues. “Are there characters that you care about? Are you pulled through emotionally? Are you on a ride with them with this story? Then the revelation of it all coming together and the whodunit, and the fact that it is all layered in there, is part of the fun of the genre. But, in a way, it can't be the spine that actually is supporting the body of the whole thing. You just need a good story.”

‘Knives Out’ was certainly a good story, blending different characters together and slowly peeling away the layers of dispute and discord to find the truth of the matter. ‘Glass Onion’ promises more of the same, with the bonus of a fun overseas setting.

‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ will be on limited releases in theaters on a date to be announced, ahead of its arrival on Netflix on December 23rd. Merry deathmas?

Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, and Dave Bautista in Netflix's 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.'

(L to R) Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, and Dave Bautista in Netflix's 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.'