Despite early screenings for Glass Onion, there’s still a lot unknown about the spiritual sequel to 2019’s Knives Out. Viewers do know Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is confirmed as queer in the movie... but that’s all viewers know so far. With this small glimpse into Blanc’s personal life, fans have wondered if they’ll learn more about the beloved detective. Viewers’ need to know more doesn’t concern director Rian Johnson as he explained why he doesn’t get too bogged down with Blanc’s backstory.
The topic of Blanc’s backstory came up while Johnson was promoting the Knives Out sequel, which will be available with a Netflix subscription on December 23. Uproxx sought to learn more about the southern detective by asking the director to spill where he was from. He did spill that the Knives Out detective’s accent was influenced by author Shelby Foote. Mentioning the accent was one thing, but Johnson didn’t budge when it came to exposing other personal details. While viewers might want to know more about the cunning detective, the Knives Out director mentioned that isn’t his or Daniel Craig’s game plan.
This is something that I was very relieved that Daniel and I are on the same page with. I think little tiny glimpses into that is fun for me. And it's a trap that I find myself as a writer having to really push back against, just for myself. Having Daniel Craig in that part, the temptation is to think that Blanc as a character is what's interesting about these movies.
Fans are never going to get Blanc’s full story, according to Johnson. And that’s the way he wants it. It keeps the mystery going about who he is. This allows the top-notch detective to be a vehicle for the moviegoer as he tries to figure out who killed the victim. Just like its predecessor, the sequel’s mystery is the main draw, not Blanc’s personal life. Johnson went on to say he felt delving into the character’s backstory would be “boring.”
Benoit Blanc actor Daniel Craig is on the same page as the director. He doesn’t want the detective’s sexuality to be a big deal in Glass Onion. But ironically, viewers do get a peek into Blanc’s home life through a scene with his partner (played by Hugh Grant). But this small moment is the only thing Johnson is willing to give right now. The Star Wars: The Last Jedi director felt the character functioned better as a knowledgeable detective than a fleshed-out person with his own life.
He's interesting in his function within the mystery, you know what I mean? ... I don't know, the notion of building out a backstory, learning where he came from, all of that stuff, to me, I don't know, I have a natural inclination to kind of push that stuff back and to say a little goes a long way in terms of that. And ultimately this has to be the story of the mystery. The mystery's the thing. And the detective is interesting in the way he solves his function within solving the mystery. And if we get glimpses beyond that, that's great. But I feel like a little of that goes a very long way for me.
Johnson isn’t above giving more glimpses into Blanc’s personal life if it serves the film’s overall suspense. The fully aware detective is meant to move each mystery toward unexpected conclusions. The fun of the first film was seeing the twangy detective out-manipulate and maneuver those who believe they’re smarter than him. Delving more into his personal life is fine, but his main purpose is to draw out the real killer amongst an all-star cast of characters.
Just like the first Knives Out film, Rian Johnson is riding out Benoit Blanc’s outstanding detective skills to draw viewers in when Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story finally arrives on Netflix following its short theatrical release. Even before Glass Onion drops, Johnson is ready to start on Knives Out 3. The third film might happen sooner than expected given those glowing early Glass Onion reviews calling it better than the original.
