Janelle Monáe joins Daniel Craig in Knives Out sequel

13th May 2021

Jairo Cruz

Janelle Monáe has been cast in the upcoming sequel to Knives Out.

The singer-songwriter and actor will join Edward Norton and Dave Bautista in the Rian Johnson-directed murder mystery, as well as Daniel Craig, who reprises his role from the original as the Southern private detective Benoit Blanc.

The 2019 original, which was also directed by Johnson, received universal critical acclaim and became a smash hit at the box office, grossing over $300 million worldwide. It also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

The film featured an ensemble cast including Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell and Christopher Plummer.

Following the enormous success of Knives Out, Netflix won the rights for two sequels. The contingencies of the deal were Craig’s involvement in both sequels and that the budget of each film matches the original, which was approximately $40 million.

Netflix have yet to release a comment on Monae’s casting or when we can expect it to premiere on the streamer. However, the film is expected to start shooting this summer in Greece, so a 2022 release date is likely.

As well as receiving praise for her music, particularly her most recent third album, 2018’s Dirty Computer, Monae has been lauded for her performances in film.

Over the past few years, the entertainer has established herself a major Hollywood actress in 2016 with roles in biographical drama Hidden Figures and LGBTQ+ drama Moonlight, the latter of which received the Academy Award for Best Picture.

She has since appeared in films such as Welcome to Marwen, Harriet, The Glorias and Antebellum. Monae also received acclaim for her performance in the second season of Prime Video’s Homecoming.