March 31 (UPI) -- Netflix has obtained the rights to two sequels to the 2019 hit Knives Out. Writer/director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig are expected to return.

In his new movie, Rian Johnson dusts off Agatha Christie with help from Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson. 'Think of it just like another Hercule Poirot novel from Agatha Christie. Whole new location, whole new cast,' Johnson teased of the upcoming sequel. We went to Daniel Craig, he said yes.

The Wrap reports that Netflix paid over $400 million for two sequels. Variety puts that number at $450 million.

But the wild card is Daniel Craig’s fabulously named Benoit Blanc, doing a Southern version of Christie’s famed detective Hercules Poirot. The British Craig affects an obvious Southern accent that’s far more Foghorn Leghorn than it is James Bond, and his persona disarms the people he’s investigating because they all but dismiss him as. Marrying our modern fascination for crime drama with classic Agatha Christie overtones, the film is a riotous whodunnit that skewers the cutthroat self-preservation of a super-rich American family.

Lionsgate distributed the first film in Nov. 2019 after its Sept. premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Johnson was already working on a sequel, intending to film in June according to The Wrap.

Knives Out starred Craig as detective Benoit Blanc. As Blanc investigated the apparent suicide of author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), an ensemble cast of actors became murder suspects.

Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Katherine Langford, and Jaeden Martell played Thrombey family members, each with motive. Ana de Armas played Thrombey's maid.

Only Craig would reprise his role to solve a new mystery in sequels. The James Bond actor plays Blanc with a southern accent.

Knives Out grossed $311 million worldwide. Johnson wrote in the Los Angeles Times that he was inspired by Agatha Christie mysteries and Alfred Hitchcock movies.

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Late last week, Netflix shook up the entertainment industry once again as it paid a staggering $400 million for the rights to the Knives Out franchise, thus making the purchase the most expensive in the history of streaming.

In addition to the rights to Knives Out 2 and Knives Out 3, Netflix also landed director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig in the deal, with the pair set to return for both films (the rest of the cast from the original Knives Out will not be returning, though).

Following Netflix’s shock acquisition of the Johnson-helmed, Agatha Christie-inspired franchise, further details about the deal have started to become available, with The Hollywood Reporterrevealing that both Johnson and Craig stand to make $100 million EACH from the deal.

Deal points were noteworthy: The pact gave Johnson immense creative control, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. He doesn’t have to take notes from the streamer. The only contingencies were that Craig must star in the sequels and that each must have at least the budget of the 2019 movie, which was in the $40 million range. Sources say that Johnson, Bergman and Craig stand to walk away with upward of $100 million each. [via The Hollywood Reporter]

Daniel Craig, man, what a legend. After spending a decade-plus stacking PAPER as James Bond, the dude is now getting paid $100 million for a job that’s twice as easy and twice as fun. Instead of having to break his ankle doing intense stunt work in sweltering climates, all Craig has to do is show up, toss on some glasses, and unleash that truly and hilariously bizarre Southern accent of the gonzo Benoit Blanc. I didn’t think it was possible to have a come-up greater than that of playing 007, but Craig has done it.

Doughnut holes for Daniel Craig's birthday! 🍩pic.twitter.com/DCIOixFtOA

— Post Cred Pod (@PostCredPod) March 2, 2021

Filming of Knives Out 2 (not the official title) will begin in Greece in June, with casting currently underway.

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