Knives Out had a long creation process, which explains why the film is so good. The Knives Out franchise has proved to be both popular and well-written with both films being widely acclaimed by both audiences and critics. Both Knives Out and Glass Onion’s Rotten Tomatoes scores are over 90% and audiences are more excited than ever to see what mystery Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc will tackle next. However, there may be a reason why these detective films are so well written.
In an interview (via Deadline) with director Rian Johnson and actors Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, and Edward Norton, the director revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets about the making of Knives Out and Glass Onion and how long it took him to write each film. From what Rian Johnson said, it is obvious that the amount of time taken to create Knives Out was a huge contributing factor to the film’s intricately styled plot and how it resonated with audiences so easily.
Knives Out Took A Long Time To Create
Rian Johnson revealed in the interview that he was nervous when writing Knives Out 2. He states, “I didn’t have anything in mind, which was terrifying, because the first movie I’d had cooking for about 10 years.” With this timeline in mind, it is easy to see why Knives Out was as perfectly plotted as it was. With the story always on the back burner of Johnson’s mind, Knives Out had the opportunity to breathe before it was fully written. This would have allowed Rian Johnson to work out any flaws in the script, minimize any Knives Out plot holes, and generally focus on the nuance of the plot and characters – elements that can be seen to have played a key role in the franchise’s success.
Why Glass Onion’s Creation Time Was So Much Shorter
In the interview, it is also revealed that Rian Johnson wrote Glass Onion within the span of 6 months. After the premiere of Knives Out, there was immediate interest in a sequel, and Rian knew he wanted to do something surrounding “how the other half lives” and the Beatles’ song Glass Onion. Daniel Craig revealed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, Rian Johnson wrote the script and sent it to him within 6 months. With the shorter time frame, Daniel Craig was nervous that the film wouldn’t top the last one as he had hoped, but for Craig, Glass Onion did surpass Knives Out and raised the stakes.
With its numerous twists and turns, subverting expectations, and forward pushing of the genre, Knives Out and Glass Onion proves that regardless of the amount of time Rian Johnson dedicated to writing the films, he was able to produce solid and original mysteries. However, the elongated time of 10 years he spent contemplating the first Knives Out is telling – and this framework seemingly served to help its sequel have a far shorter production time. As such, the long creation process of the first Knives Out movie is even more important, as it set the scene so that further installments could come at a far quicker pace.
