Daniel Craig returns as detective Benoit Blanc (Picture: Netflix/PA)
Daniel Craig is back as Southern detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson’s sequel to his 2019 ‘whodunit’ hit.
In the much-anticipated sequel, Blanc is mysteriously invited to a Greek island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) and a number of Miles’ close friends to partake in an extravagant murder mystery party. But of course, before long, the renowned detective’s skills are needed for a genuine murder case.
Closing out this year’s BFI London Film Festival, writer and director Johnson and Craig, along with other members of the star-studded cast – including Norton, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Leslie Odom Jr and Madelyn Cline – gathered at a press conference in London’s Mayfair Hotel to discuss the righteous return of blanc and a new larger than life mystery.
Discussing the resurgence of the murder mystery genre – characterised by the likes of the original film and Disney’s Only Murders In The Building and Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot films – Johnson enthused over being a part of people reconnecting with the genre.
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‘For me, as a murder mystery junkie, I’m just so thrilled there’s this new crop. I feel like we caught this nice wave of people rediscovering the genre.’
Modernising the genre though is something that Johnson believes has been a component of the greats from the start, comparing the way the film entwines contemporary issues – like the Covid-19 pandemic and influencer culture – with genre tropes to the work of murder mystery legend Agatha Christie.
‘To me, the notion of making it current is getting back to the source of Christie’s work.
I’m just trying to claw my way up to doing something like that. The other trick with these movies is to approach them with a narrative engine that is not a puzzle and is a ride. They’re roller coaster rides, not crossword puzzles’.
The film is closing the BFI London Film Festival 2022 (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
‘Our aim is to give the audience such a good time, bring them along on the journey, and satisfy them in a way that’s beyond just “that person did it” – if we can do that and also layer in the pleasures of a murder mystery and the traditional things that I love too, then that’s kind of the secret sauce that we aim for with these sort of things.’
Part of that ride is the way the film peels back the layers of both its case and its characters, and in Glass Onion’s case, part of that is getting to know Blanc himself that little bit more.
There are even glimpses into his home and personal life which has made many questions about whether the eccentric private investigator may be in facet be queer.
Criag and Johnson confirmed Blanc’s queer identity at a press conference (Picture: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for BFI)
When met with the question, Johnson was more than happy to confirm that ‘yes, he obviously is’ with Craig agreeing with his director to cheers from the crowd.
Expanding on returning to the role, the former James Bond actor talked about this approach to the character’s big monologues and his relationship with Johnson.
‘There’s a lot of rhythm in the screenplay, a lot of what Johnson’s thinking, and then I add what I’m thinking in it, and then somewhere between the two we find a balance.’
It is hard to discuss Blanc without comparing him to great sleuths of the past with the film paying tribute to the late great Angela Lansbury, with Craig expressing his fondness for the legacy of the Murder, She Wrote star.
‘She has been in my life all my life. My favourite film is Bedknobs And Broomsticks. How much did she inspire this? I don’t know, but what I’ll say is the fact we can honour her in our movie, and what an incredible life she had.’
The way fans can get reacquainted with Blanc and his new case is a little different this time out, with the film being the first in a multi-picture deal with Johnson and Netflix.
It will be playing on the streaming service come December 23, but will be receiving a limited theatrical run in November, something which was important to both cast and crew.
‘I’m thrilled that Netflix has made this deal for the theatrical run in November’ said Johnson.
‘I really want people to have the opportunity to see it with a crowd and I’m really grateful Netflix has stepped up.’ he added.
Kate Hudson – who plays ex-supermodel Birdy – echoed the sentiment saying that watching the movie with a crowd at the Toronto film festival crowd was a dreamy experience.
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‘Having that collective experience is so necessary. We need it. You could feel the energy of people wanting to laugh together and go on that ride together, which is why it is so great it is going to be theatres.’
‘We thought it was funny, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone else thinks it will be funny, so it was great to have that experience and realise it was’ joked Craig.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is in UK cinemas from November 23-29 before arriving on Netflix from December 23.
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The sequel is closing out the 2022 BFI London Film Festival.