Knives Out 4 Gets a ‘Conceptual’ Update From Rian Johnson
While the Southern detective’s latest case, Wake Up Dead Man, recently hit screens, writer-director Rian Johnson is already planting the seeds for the next mystery, aka Knives Out 4. Johnson recently offered a promising but vague update on the future of his iconic franchise.
What’s the latest on Knives Out 4 from Rian Johnson?
According to Johnson, Daniel Craig’s Southern US detective still has life left in him. The writer-director recently shared that he has started sketching out loose ideas for Knives Out 4, though nothing has been locked in yet. “I have some basic, elemental, conceptual ideas,” Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. “Like, ‘Okay, it’d be interesting if it were this kind of thing’ kernels.”
However, Johnson stressed that these ideas remain deliberately undeveloped. After directing three Knives Out films back-to-back, he plans to step away from the franchise temporarily to focus on an original project before committing to a fourth mystery. “I don’t have actual concrete ideas,” he clarified. “I don’t have a theme yet, I don’t have a location. It’s really pretty vague, and I feel like it’s good to kinda keep it vague until I’m ready to actually sit down and write it,” he added.
Johnson also explained why timing plays such a crucial role in shaping each Knives Out film. Rather than aiming for timeless whodunits, he prefers stories that reflect the emotional and social undercurrent of the moment in which they are made. “Part of making these movies, for me, is reacting to the present moment, not necessarily with current events or politics or culture specifically, but in terms of what we’re all feeling in the world at that moment,” he said, adding, “The vibe check of the United States and the moment that we’re in.”
That approach means Knives Out 4 will likely wait until Johnson feels creatively aligned with the next chapter of American life. For now, he is content keeping things open-ended. Notably, Knives Out 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: Comingsoon.net