Why One Glass Onion Scene Was Pivotal For Knives Out Sequel

Rian Johnson explains why one Glass Onion scene was pivotal for the Knives Out sequel, with its placement subverting expectations early on.

Rian Johnson explains why one scene from Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was so pivotal. Following Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) investigation of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) and his group of friends, the Knives Out sequel features a number of memorable twists. Early on, it seemed as though Miles’ guests would be participating in a weekend-long murder mystery game, and whoever solved the crime would win. Blanc quickly spoiled the fun, though, when he was able to correctly guess the killer’s identity and their motive before the game even began.

The scene in which Blanc revealed the details of Miles’ game was one of Glass Onion‘s first twists and introduced the idea that someone on the island might actually get killed. Johnson now discusses that moment with THR and explains why it was important to the story. The writer/director notes how it can subvert expectations to include something like that so early in the film. Read Johnson’s comments regarding Glass Onion‘s pivotal scene below:

“I thought, ‘How fun would it be to do the denouement scene, the Blanc-wrapping-the-whole-thing-up scene, somewhere in the first act, to basically clear off the table the expectation that the mystery they’re all there for is going to be the mystery?’ This is the scene that announces [what] you think you’re settling in for is not what the movie is actually going to be.“

Related: The Real Meaning Of Glass Onion Perfectly Updates Knives Out’s Story

Glass Onion’s Real Mystery Explained

To Johnson’s point, it did seem like the story of Glass Onion would focus on Miles’ game, and possibly his death. Even after Blanc solved everything, the movie revealed that each member of “the disrupters” had a reason to kill the billionaire. The real mystery of Glass Onion revolved around Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe) and her fate. In another twist that came earlier than expected, Andi’s death occurred prior to the events of the film and was explained in a flashback.

Andi and Miles worked together before she was terminated and found herself in court, where the disrupters lied to protect her ex-business partner. Andi was later killed, and her twin, Helen, went to Blanc for assistance and hired him to look into the murder. She informed him that while Andi’s death looked like a suicide, there were sleeping pills in her system, suggesting foul play. Believing the suspects would be on Miles’ island in Greece, Blanc convinced Helen to pose as her sister and join them.

Andi’s murderer was revealed to be Miles, who was also responsible for shooting Helen and killing Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). It might have been more apparent in retrospect, but that is what makes the scripts for both Glass Onion and the first Knives Out movie so much fun. With another sequel on the way, it will be interesting to see what Benoit Blanc’s next investigation entails and how Johnson builds the story. Each film has been structured differently so far, setting up surprises in unexpected moments, and that particular scene in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is one example. It is hard to imagine what Knives Out 3 will look like, but it should be a wild ride.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter