Leslie Odom Jr. has joined the cast of Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out 2,” an individual with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap.
The actor, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in “One Night in Miami,” will join Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe and Kathryn Hahn in the film.
Kathryn Hahn Joins ‘Knives Out 2’
The casting comes two months after Johnson signed a $400 million-plus deal with Netflix to write and direct two sequels to the Oscar-nominated murder mystery film, with Craig returning as ace detective Benoit Blanc. Johnson will also produce with partner Ram Bergman, with shooting set to begin this summer in Greece.
The deal is one of the largest for a streamer in history, and it provides Netflix a franchise as competition in the streaming space has increased dramatically over the last few months.
The original “Knives Out,” a murder mystery in the vein of an Agatha Christie whodunit that was released in 2019, was an acquisition as part of a single picture deal with Media Rights Capital (MRC) and was released by Lionsgate. It made over $311 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million. The film rights were owned by Johnson and Bergman.
Craig starred as detective Benoit Blanc investigating the death of the wealthy author Harlan Thrombey (played by the late Christopher Plummer in one of his final roles). The film boasted an impressive cast that included Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell. Rian Johnson also scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work.
Odom Jr. will next be seen in New Line’s “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” and sci-fi film “Needle in a Timestack” for writer and director John Ridley. Odom Jr. first broke playing Aaron Burr in musical “Hamilton” on Broadway for which he received a Tony.
Netflix had no comment.
Leslie Odom Jr. is repped by CAA, Untitled, and Jackoway Austen.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
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