Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” delivered a fascinating creation with Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, a gentlemanly and astute detective with a strangely accented drawl, interesting fashion sense, and a slightly oddball quirkiness about him.
It’s a part that Craig himself obviously relishes, and both Johnson and Craig are bringing him back for at least two more films. Though he gets top billing, the character doesn’t dominate the screen time of the first film.
There’s a good reason Craig is almost a supporting character in the ensemble, says Johnson, who tells Total Film that he and Craig have no issue keeping details of Blanc’s backstory a mystery. In fact, that’s a key part of his appeal, with Johnson saying:
“The more enigmatic he is, the better. Blanc’s place as the detective in each one of those mysteries is what’s interesting about him. I think it’s fun to get just a glimpse and tantalising, little hints, which is what [Agatha] Christie did with Poirot.”
Craig adds he doesn’t care where Blanc’s quirks and little details come from:
“It’s of absolutely no f—ing use to me when I’m on set. It’s just like, ‘He got into a fight when he was ten years old, and he’s got a scar on his left knee?’ When I’m acting I’m like ‘What?’.”
It’s a stark contrast to Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot films which push the character front and center, and even invented a much-criticised new backstory about the origin of Poirot’s famed moustache.
Meanwhile, Johnson tells EW he is happy to expand the franchise in various ways, including things like board games and stage plays. Asked about creating a franchise-based board game, he says: “Come on, approach me, please. I’m shouting it from the rooftops; let’s make some games.”
He also cites Anthony Shaffer’s famed 1970 play “Sleuth,” which has seen two film adaptations (the second one directed by Branagh) over the years. The first of those, which starred Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, he says is “one of my favorite movies of all time”.
He goes on to say: “I love theater, and the notion of crafting a mystery for the stage seems incredibly intriguing.” His beloved Agatha Christie, whose work is a massive influence on the “Knives Out” films, famously created the stage play “The Mousetrap” which remains the longest-running play in history.
Craig initially dismissed the idea of a stage play, but then left the door open, saying:
“No, I don’t think [I’d do it]… Who knows? I don’t know. I wouldn’t put anything past Rian. He’s more than capable of writing a stage play. So, I’d take the meeting.”
We’ll see Benoit Blanc return with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ which will hit cinemas for a week on November 23rd before premiering on Netflix on December 23rd.
