Rather than immediately jump back into the Star Wars universe after delivering The Last Jedi to the masses at the end of 2017, Rian Johnson chose to tackle a whodunnit murder mystery next, which we now know as Knives Out. However, Johnson has admitted that in a way, Knives Out qualifies as a Star Wars crossover because Frank Oz, the voice and puppeteer of Yoda, appears in the black comedy. In Johnson’s words:
You’re right. Technically, this is a Star Wars crossover!
Frank Oz was announced to be joining Knives Out back in March, but it was only when Go London’s Charlotte O’Sullivan reminded Rian Johnson of Oz's presence in the movie more recently that he acknowledged that the mystery movie has some Star Wars crossover… sort of. Johnson and Oz worked previously together on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as Yoda appeared before Luke Skywalker as a Force ghost as Luke was about to burn down the tree containing the sacred Jedi texts.
If we’re classifying crossovers as when an actor from a beloved property pops up in another project, then technically Daniel Craig should be another reason Knives Out functions as a Star Wars crossover since he cameoed in The Force Awakens as a stormtrooper. Granted, that wasn’t the Star Wars movie Rian Johnson wrote and directed, but it should still count!
That said, while Frank Oz is present in Knives Out, don’t expect to see him as a major player in the movie, as he only has a small part. Still, given their time together on this and The Last Jedi, maybe Rian Johnson will find another way to collaborate on another project in the future. As Johnson recently noted, it’s possible he could squeeze in another movie before he diverts his full attention to his Star Wars trilogy.
Who knows, maybe Frank Oz could somehow participate in the next Star Wars movies Rian Johnson is working on. Until now, his participation in the franchise has been limited to voicing and/or puppeteering Yoda, but like the trilogy that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are involved with, Johnson’s Star Wars movies aren’t connected to the Skywalker Saga. So unless they’re set in the past and there’s a chance we could see a young Yoda, this could be an opportunity for Oz to portray another Star Wars character, be it a human or an alien.
As for Knives Out, it held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month and was met with critical acclaim. Featuring an all-star ensemble cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Lakeith Stansfield, Katherine Langford and Christopher Plummer, Knives Out follows the investigation into the death of a wealthy crime novelist on his 85th birthday, and all his family members are considered suspects.
The public will need to wait until November 27 to see Knives Out in theaters, but keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage on the movie. Don’t forget to browse through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies will arrive before the year is finished.
