Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery first photo with Daniel Craig released ‒here’s everything else we know

The buzz around the next instalment of Knives Out is seriously hotting up, as Netflix has released two first-look images.

The first photo shows a star-studded cast sitting around a long table – at a first glance, you can spot Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista. Daniel Craig, who is reprising his role as detective Benoit Blanc is leaning on the table, commanding the room.

Then there’s a second image, which is more of a behind-the-scenes look. Monáe is standing adjacent to a giant camera as the film’s writer and director Rian Johnson directs her.

It was announced back in March that deals had been signed for a second and third instalment of the murder-mystery film, and shooting began in June in Greece at the luxury Villa 20 at the Amanzoe in Porto Heli (look it up, it’s a feast for the eyes).

Teasing the forthcoming film on Netflix’s Tudum, where the streamer shares news and further details about its series and films, Netflix said: “Who hasn’t spent the last few years dreaming of a glorious beach getaway?

“If Knives Out was about the murderous ties of flesh and blood, Glass Onion makes a good case for being just as wary of one’s closest friends.”

Here’s everything else we know about the upcoming film.

Do we know the plot yet?

Yes. On Tudum Netflix set out the plot. It said: “When tech billionaire Miles Bron 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?”

Johnson had also previously said: “That’s the fun thing about this. This movie is a very different vibe to Knives Out, it takes the audience to a very different place both in terms as opposed to being a cosy New England town in the fall, this time we’re on a Greek island but also story-wise it’s not just a repeat of the first movie.”

Who is in the cast?

Joining Craig on the Greek island are Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, and WWE fighter turned actor Dave Bautista. Then there’s Edward Norton (The French Dispatch), Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms), Leslie Odom Jr. (Love in the Time of Corona), Jessica Henwick (The Gray Man) and Madelyn Cline (Boy Erased). Yes, it’s all set up to be an absolute riot.

There’s a teaser trailer

Ok, it doesn’t give much away, but fans can still enjoy this teaser trailer that was shared back in June.

Benoit Blanc’s next case, the follow up to Knives Out, is called GLASS ONION. pic.twitter.com/6Zo0g1VX11

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 13, 2022

There’s a release date too

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will debut on Netflix on December 23. There will also be a run U.K. cinema release before the Netflix release, though this date has yet to be announced. The film will also close this year’s BFI London Film Festival, which takes place in October.

Who has written it?

Academy Award-nominated Johnson, who wrote and directed the first instalment, has returned for part two. A Hollywood stalwart, Johnson previously wrote and directed 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi as well as 2012’s science-fiction thriller Looper.

In June Johnson shared a text-only teaser that detailed the cast members. He also shared a couple of ideas

On his social media Johnson, spoke about Agatha Christie, a big influence on the series: “Something I love about Agatha Christie is how she never tread water creatively. I think there’s a misperception that her books use the same formula over and over, but fans know the opposite is true.

“It wasn’t just settings or murder methods, she was constantly stretching the genre conceptually. Under the umbrella of the whodunnit she wrote spy thrillers, proto-slasher horrors, serial killer hunts, gothic romances, psychological character studies, glam travelogues.”

What were his other inspirations?

Along with Christie’s novels, Johnson has said that was inspired by films like 1982’s Evil Under the Sun and the 1973 flick The Last of Sheila, which tells the tale of a group of socialites who are invited on a yacht to play a scavanger-hunt mystery game.

“There are absolutely some very clear inspirations that I took from it,” said Johnson. “First of all, 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.”

How did the first film do?

The first instalment was a massive hit. It cost $40 million to make but brought in over $300 million at the box office. It meant that the rights to part 2 were much coveted, and there was a “discreet” auction which took place between Netflix, Apple and Amazon in the early part of the year.

In the end, Netflix won by paying more than $400 million for a part 2 and 3. According to Deadline, this was “one of the biggest streamer movie deals in history”.

Why is it called Glass Onion?

The idea of Glass came to Johnson’s mind as something that is “all in plain sight from the very start” and “something that’s clear”. He wanted a metaphor that detective Blanc could “grab onto as an overwrought metaphor that he can beat to death”.

So he looked through his music library and came across the 1968 Beatles song of the same name, and then once Johnson was fixed on it as an idea he weaved in hidden Beatles references throughout the film.

Johnson said: “If you look at the lyrics of Glass Onion and why John wrote it, it definitely has a thematic tie-in to our movie and it’s very explicit in the movie and it’s also just a banger of a song.”

Cast members are excited too

This will be Craig’s first film since he bowed out as Bond in September. Speaking to Empire magazine in October Craig said: I’m so lucky to have Rian [Johnson] in my life. He’s such a great writer. That script arrived and I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I couldn’t believe that he wanted me to play it. I was going, ‘It says Southern accent you went here. Really?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah?’

We’ve just finished the second one, literally weeks ago. They’ve just wrapped up in Serbia. Dare I say it’s better? We’ll see. I don’t want to tempt fate. It’s different, and that’s the amazing thing. It’s still a Benoit Blanc mystery, but it’s very different. I’m very excited about it.”

Then, speaking to People Magazine, Bautista said: “I really think it’s going to be as good, if not better, than the first one. I’m always afraid to say that because I don’t want anybody to get offended saying that we’re going to be better, but I really do think this.

“I think the characters are just so much more colourful. I think people are really going to dig this.”

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be released on Netflix on December 23