Following the blockbuster success of Rian Johnson's Knives Out in late 2019, gears are really starting to turn on the developing sequels. At the end of this past March it was announced that Netflix had made a massive deal to acquire the developing franchise, and now, less than two months later, we have news of the first new actor to join Daniel Craig in the cast. Fans should get ready for a Spectre reunion in the anticipated follow-up, as it has been revealed that Dave Bautista is signing on to the mystery movie.
This news comes to us from Deadline, but it should be of no surprise that details about the development cease there. While Rian Johnson has been developing the script for Knives Out 2 for a while now, he has not yet revealed what kind of mystery Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc will be solving. Because of this, we have no idea what to expect from the characters that he will encounter, and that evidently includes one played by Dave Bautista.
Also evidently not spilling any beans is Bautista himself – though he was happy to confirm the news himself shortly after it went public. An active social media user, the wrestler-cum-actor posted on Twitter,
Dave Bautista has never been shy about sharing his high ambitions as an actor, and his desire to continue making better and better films. One of the ways in which he has been able to chase his dream – to paraphrase his post – is by working with some of the best and most exciting directors in the game. He's worked with James Gunn closely on the Guardians of the Galaxy movies; has developed a relationship with Denis Villeneuve making both Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, and this month fans will be able to see the end result of his collaboration with Zack Snyder making Army Of The Dead. Rian Johnson is another name that slots in well with that group, so it's exciting that they will be able to do Knives Out 2 together.
On that same note, one could make a guess that Bautista will play some kind of heavy/threat in the sequel just because of his massive build, but what's additionally exciting about his developing filmography is that his has made real efforts to demonstrate his range. Given the minds involved, it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if we ultimately see the actor play a character we'd never thought we'd seen him play... but we'll just have to wait and see.
The title adds to a growing list of upcoming Dave Bautista projects. While he's finished working on both Army Of The Dead and Dune (which will be out in October), the next few months/years will see him making James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which will apparently be the last appearance of Drax); the Brad Peyton's sci-fi adventure Universe's Most Wanted, and the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed George R.R. Martin adaptation In The Lost Lands. Also in development is My Spy 2, a follow-up to the family film that was released last year, and we will presumably get a Dune sequel eventually as well, though that's a project not quite set in stone just yet (and we'll have to wait and see if he survives the first movie).
Knives Out 2 will be filming in Greece this summer, so expect this casting announcement to be the first of many in the coming weeks/months. Meanwhile, if you have a Netflix subscription you'll be able to check out the latest Dave Bautista cinematic adventure later this month, as Army of the Dead is set to land on the streaming service May 21.
