Rian Johnson’s Knives Out just got scooped up by Media Rights Capital at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival, per Deadline. Now fully financed, the film, which will mark Johnson’s directorial follow-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, will begin shooting in November with star Daniel Craig.
According to the report, multiple parties were interested in Knives Out, but MRC, the company behind such hits as Baby Driver and the upcoming Peter Jackson-produced Mortal Engines, stuck its claim with a $40 million commitment, and strong back-end for Craig and the filmmakers. The company will next approach distributors.
“We have been massive fans of Rian and Ram’s since we saw ‘Brick’ and have been pursuing them ever since,” said MRC co-presidents of film Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman in confirming the deal to Deadline. “’Knives Out’ is such a fun, inventive and entertaining film and we are thrilled to partner with Rian, Ram and Daniel on this exciting, original project.”
Johnson & Bergman also sent a statement: “We are so excited to work with Brye, Jonathan and the whole team at MRC. They’re true movie fans and will be terrific partners for this adventure.”
Knives Out is described as a modern-day murder mystery in the classic whodunit style, infused with Johnson’s original voice that informed films from Brick to Looper. Craig committed to star in November after Danny Boyle suddenly left the Bond 25 project, and Johnson wrote the script and will be producing alongside Bergman. Johnson has been a huge Agatha Christie fan for years, and for over a decade has been plotting his own murder mystery.
Johnson will make Knives Out before he directs a new trilogy in the Star Wars universe.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
