Jessica Henwick, known for her appearances in Game of Thrones and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, alongside her lead role in Netflix's Iron Fist, has been cast in Rian Johnson's sequel to his 2019 hit Knives Out. Knives Out 2, as the film has been tentatively titled, will bring back Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, the private detective from the first film to solve another mystery after his work on the Harlan Thrombey case.

Jessica Henwick is the latest addition to the ensemble which, besides Craig, will also include Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Edward Norton (Motherless Brooklyn). Kate Hudson (Marshall, Almost Famous), Janelle Monae (Antebellum), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision) , and Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night In Miami...). The film will be penned and directed by Rian Johnson, who received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category for the predecessor film.

Unlike the previous film, which was distributed by Lionsgate, the sequel will be released on Netflix, with producers Johnson and Ram Bergman retaining rights. Netflix has sealed the deal with the producers for two releases. Not just Knives Out 2, but a potential third film is coming as well. With Lionsgate as distributor, the previous film turned out to be a commercial success, grossing more than $300M at the box office. But, Bergman and Johnson had retained their rights from the previous deal, allowing them to strike a more profitable contract with Netflix. Reportedly, the new deal may result in $100M paydays for producers Bergman and Johnson, as well as for Daniel Craig, who has already signed up for the third film in the series.

With Dave Bautista and Kathryn Hahn, Henwick is the third co-star from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to join in the fun. Earlier, Chris Evans portrayed a central character in the previous film. Jessica Henwick is currently awaiting release of her potential blockbuster, The Matrix 4, which is set to arrive this year in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. Henwick is also shooting The Russo Brothers' The Gray Man alongside Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Wagner Moura, and Dhanush. The Gray Man will also be a Netflix-distributed film.

The plot details of Knives Out 2 are currently unknown but given the large ensemble like the previous film, it will probably feature multiple characters' stories entangling in a thrilling detective mystery, with Benoit Blanc at its center. Blanc's character highly resembles that of Hercule Poirot, another French detective who finds himself solving complicated murder mysteries. The latter is currently played by Kenneth Branagh in his own franchise, with The Death On The Nile marking his second appearance. Rian Johnson has clearly stated that the second Knives Out movie will not be a true sequel.

"I've never really been interested in doing sequels, but this, the idea of doing more of these with Daniel as his character, is not sequels, It's just what Agatha Christie did. It's just coming up with a whole new mystery, a whole new location, all new cast, whole new mechanics of the appeal of a mystery and everything. It'd be a blast."

So, it's unlikely that any of the cast members from the previous film will appear in the sequel. And since Rian Johnson is teasing a whole new location for the next instalment, Lakeith Stanfield, who played a local detective will also stay out of the sequel. This news came to us from Deadline.