When Knives Out was released in 2019, it was a big hit among audiences and critics alike, and seemed to singlehandedly renew interest in the murder mystery/whodunnit genre. It was popular enough (and well enough received) that it was announced that director Rian Johnson would be making two Knives Out sequels for Netflix, following Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he investigates other mysteries in a manner reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot stories.
One of the elements that made the first Knives Out movie so fantastic was its all-star ensemble cast. Not only was it a way to pull interest to the film (because theater-goers who weren’t necessarily interested in murder mysteries might show up to see Chris Evans, for example), but every actor was so well-cast and talented that it made all of the characters feel instantly iconic and memorable. The second movie has already begun filming and features its own cavalcade of impressive actors (including Kathryn Hahn, Ethan Hawke, Leslie Odom Jr., and Janelle Monae) proving that the star-studded ensemble casts are going to be a staple of the series. Here are some other actors who should show up and lend their talent to potential future installments of the series.
Directors often get actors they’ve worked with before to star in their new projects, because they already have that prior relationship. Kelly Marie Tran worked with Rian Johnson on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and though her character received a lot of hate from a certain portion of the fanbase, she gave a great performance and is clearly a talented actor. She would bring a really great energy to a Knives Out movie and could be a fun character in the ensemble, but she would also be fantastic as a protagonist figure that the movie sort of revolves around, the way that Ana De Armas was in the first film.
Another Star Wars alum, Oscar Isaac seems especially built for a whodunnit mystery. He has charisma in spades, and could work with both a serious and comedic angle, which is a line that Knives Out rode a lot, and a sequel would likely require its actors to have the ability to do both. Isaac also has the kind of energy that could be applied to a morally ambiguous character, where it’s not clear whether or not people should be rooting for him. He has an innate classic charm that would fit right into a murder mystery.
Anne Hathaway has a huge range as an actor, being able to play everything from an underdog everywoman like Andi in The Devil Wears Prada to a dramatic Hollywood diva like her character in Ocean’s 8. Her performance in that film is a great reference point for the kind of thing she could do in a Knives Out sequel. She would be great in a character role where she gets to ham it up a little because she can give a big performance without it feeling too over-the-top, which is the exact balance that an exaggerated, theatrical character in a murder mystery would need to strike.
While he’s a well-known actor, Christian Slater tends to fly under the radar, and he isn’t such a big name that it would take away from his character’s believability or draw attention away from anyone else. He could play a really complex character in the story, either someone on the investigative force or one of the suspects that the audience is never really sure if they can trust or not. He’s another one of those actors who has this innate charm and charisma but is still able to channel an inner weirdness.
Plemons (who audiences might recognize from Black Mirror or Game Night) often gets put in the role of “weird, unsettling guy” or “outright villain”, which could be a really interesting dynamic to deal with if he was cast in a Knives Out sequel. They could work with that prior association that some audience members might have of him to play up the distrust of his character, or to misdirect the audience’s attention into thinking he’s the culprit when he’s really innocent. It would also work if they just had him play the villain, because he’s so good in the role of a bad guy. Plemons has range and a whole lot of talent, and he would fit perfectly into Benoit Blanc’s universe.
Christine Baranski seems like the obvious choice for an ensemble murder mystery cast because who else could so perfectly embody the rich, diva socialite archetype that is so common in this genre? Mysteries with a whole ensemble of characters often feature at least one incredibly wealthy suspect, if the whole cast isn’t rich and privileged (which is also often the case in old-timey whodunnits). Baranski could easily walk the line between hamming it up and giving a serious and nuanced performance all in the same movies and has that much-needed theatrical vibe.
Kit Young may be fairly new to the Hollywood scene, but he made such an impression in Shadow and Bone that it wouldn’t be surprising to see his career skyrocket from here. Kit Young oozes charm, and he’s great at playing someone who has a big personality. It’s important in an ensemble movie that the actors each bring something special and charismatic to their characters so that they don’t get lost in the fray, and Young already proved that he can do that in Shadow and Bone, as he was one of the standouts in a cast that was all fantastic. He would bring a touch of playfulness and humor to the story, which is essential for the tone of a Knives Out movie.
A staple in literally any franchise, Stanley Tucci can make a movie a hundred times better by just being in it. He’s another person with a sort of classic charm to him, and an impressive range as both a serious and dramatic actor and as a character actor. He would fit right in with the ensemble cast while still standing out, and his wonderfully classy energy would be perfectly paired with a whodunnit about the overly wealthy (which would work in the aforementioned idea of how to bring Christine Baranski into the Knives Out universe). He would be a big name that people know and love that would drive interest to the movie, but he also has the acting chops to be able to pull off whatever role he’s given.
These are just a few ideas of what actors could possibly star in future Knives Out movies. The casting for these movies so far has been one of the most exciting parts to watch, and there’s nothing more fun than a classic-feeling murder mystery with a huge cast of wild characters. If Rian Johnson is able to pull actors even half as talented as the ones on this list, there’s no doubt that the future entries of this series could be just as successful as the first.
