Minor spoilers for Knives Out 1.
The teaser trailer for Knives Out 2 has just been released. It’s a spinoff/ sequel to the 2019 film starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc. This time, it takes place on a yacht and an island.
Originally, I was sceptical about watching Knives Out. I hadn’t seen Looper and the only Rian Johnson project I had actually seen was TLJ, which was a living dunpster fire covered in raccoon turd. What convinced me? The cast! Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer..that cast is better than most hundred million dollar Marvel movies. And it was worth it! Knives Out featured great performances, thrills and plot twists all the way throughout.
Now for Knives Out 2…..the cast this time, while nothing to sneeze about, feels a little bit less impressive this time. Craig is returning, and instead of the rest of the above mentioned actors, we got: Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Dave Bautista and allegedly Ethan Hawke as well.
There’s just one thing about that. Where tf is Ethan Hawke? Neither in the title reveal, nor the teaser trailer has Hawke been shown or even mentioned. While researching the topic I’ve also found out that Hawke only has a “cameo” which in modern Hollywood can mean a variety of things.
In Jar Jar Abram’s TFA, the movie Johnson took over after, Mark Hamill was first billed but had about as much dialogue and screen time as Taika Waititi in The Suicide Squad. So for all we know Hawke might actually be the main character.
Speaking of which..
I have a theory why Ethan Hawke isn’t being waved around like the brilliant, multi-Oscar nominated actor he is. As if he weren’t in iconic films along with highly profitibale Hollywood blockbuster films like: Training Day, Dead Poet’s Society, the Before Trilogy, Boyhood, Gattaca, and The Purge.
Well, here’s that theory. Ethan Hawke is dead in this film! That’s right. My theory is that Hawke is this film’s Christopher Plummer. I think his role is that of a dead man. The reason being he’s hardly in the film. Unlike Plummer however who commited the act hinself, I think Hawke was a victim plain and simple. He was likely stopped for something he planned to do.
The term ‘Glass Onion’ makes me believe the will have several layers ( like an Ogre ) that once you see will be unmistakably clear. Perhaps Hawke planned to kill someone but a character killed him first? If knives Out 2 is anything like the first, this should be a genius, well acted treat of a spectacul.
-Screenwriter J
By reading this article, you’re helping support the TSJ Community, thank you!