Rian Johnson eager to star in Meryl Streep’s ‘Knives Out’ series

Torrential rain hit Los Angeles on November 17, creating the perfect atmosphere for a special screening of “Wake Up Dead Man,” the third installment in Rian Johnson’s murder mystery series “Knives Out.”

As the cast and crew gathered on a black carpet outside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures during a deluge, Kerry Washington joked, “It’s as gothic as the movie itself. That’s how powerful Netflix is. They made it rain.” Washington plays a parishioner at a small-town Catholic church where impossible crimes occur.

Currently in limited theaters and starting streaming on Netflix on December 12th, the trilogy tells the story of no-nonsense detective Benoît Blanc (Daniel Craig) who teams up with local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to track down the murderer of a passionate church preacher, Monsignor Jeffrey Wicks (Josh Brolin). The prime suspect is the church’s new priest, Judd Duprentici (Josh O’Connor), who clashes with the Monsignor in public. But the presence of others deeply devoted to Wick and equally troubled cannot be excluded: devout churchgoer Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), lawyer Vera Drave. (Washington), ambitious politician Cy Draven (Darryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharpe (Jeremy Renner), concert cellist Simone Vivant (Kylie Spaney) and writer Lee Roth (Andrew Scott).

The church is not just a setting for this complex affair. The story’s question of faith, in which Brann finds reason and religious zeal at odds, was very familiar to Johnson, who grew up religious but is no longer a believer.

“I really wanted this to land because it’s about something really personal to me,” Johnson told Variety. “The fact that people are not only having a good time, but also having an emotional response to it means a lot to me.”

Composer Nathan Johnson, Count Johnson’s longtime collaborator and cousin, was one of those particularly moved by the song. “This is something really deep for both of us,” he said. “This is the first Leanne movie that made me cry.”

Although Washington admitted he was “definitely biased,” he believes this is the best Knives Out movie to date. “I’m a huge fan of this series,” she said. “What I’ve learned working in this world is that this movie is more than a series, it’s a family. And I think the fact that Ryan was willing to put more of his heart and soul and his own journey into this movie made it resonate even more with all of us and the audience.”

O’Connor agreed, saying he was drawn to the project because of its personal nature. “I really love these movies. I think they’re very interesting and exciting movies. They’re great to watch with your family,” he said. “But there was something very rich underlying the script. It was about faith and how it can be distorted, which I thought was a very interesting theme.”

Director Johnson has hinted that he is working on an original story unrelated to the Knives Out series for his next film, but he hasn’t ruled out the eventual return of Benoît Blanc.

“It’s not because I’m burnt out. In fact, I feel energized after making this film. I’m excited about the possibilities of, ‘Okay, if we can do this, what else can we do with murder mysteries?'” Johnson said of making Pivot. “But I had been cooking for a while and another idea came to me, so I thought, ‘I’ve made three of these in a row. Let’s give Daniel a little break and get up and do something else.'”

Johnson would be happy to cast any of his Knives Out stars in the film, in part because he can’t rehire them for any more Benoît Blanc adventures.

Why not? “Because if I did that, Jamie Lee Curtis would kill me,” he joked.

Curtis starred in 2019’s Knives Out and has been vocal about his desire to return, but the filmmakers were adamant about casting a new ensemble for each chapter of the anthology series. Johnson has assembled a killer roster of big-name stars in each of his films, and is eyeing new Oscar winners for future roles.

“I feel like Meryl Streep would kill it,” Johnson said. “She was born to be in these movies. She’s so hilarious.” There’s just one hurdle. “I don’t know her at all,” he laughed.

Luckily, one of the actors from Wake Up Dead Man has a following. Washington, who co-starred with Streep in 2020’s The Prom, said she was happy to vouch for the director, saying, “When you ask people what it’s like to be in these movies, everyone says it’s just a dream, so I want to root for her.”

Who else should join the Knives Out crew? While Spaeny pitched his co-star from Netflix’s Beef Season 2 Charles Melton for the role, O’Connor mentioned Joel Edgerton would be a strong addition. Washington wants Javier Bardem to join the franchise.

“I think it should be like the Knives Out holiday variety show. That’s what[Glass Onion star]Ed Norton is selling,” Washington added. “We feel like we need to get Janelle[Monáe]on board so we can all get together on Netflix and do it like a talent show.” What’s Washington’s talent? “I’ll probably run a craft service,” she joked. “I’m going to ask Ram (Bergman) if he can produce it with me.”

Kunis had even grander plans for what she wanted to happen next.

“We want to make an ‘Avengers’ series where everyone comes back and there are big criminals,” Kunis said, referring to one of the many suggestions she and Washington shared with Johnson.

And she wants one of her girlfriends to join in on the fun. Probably Zoe Saldaña. Kunis said with a laugh, “Killing people and being killed should be fun. Either way, it’s a fun time.”