Knives Out director confirms Daniel Craig’s character is queer
Daniel Craig in the first Knives Out film. (Lionsgate)
Knives Out director Rian Johnson has confirmed what LGBTQ+ people knew all along – Daniel Craig’s detective character is queer.
In the first Knives Out film, it’s hinted that Craig‘s character, Benoit Blanc, has a male lover, but it’s never explicitly confirmed.
It turns out Johnson didn’t even think it needed to be cleared up. When asked if Benoit is queer at the London Film Festival, he gave a definitive answer.
“Yes, he obviously is,” Johnson replied, according to Entertainment Weekly.
It was also confirmed that Benoit’s lover will be depicted in the hotly-anticipated sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – but the actor’s identity is being kept firmly under wraps for now.
Speaking about the as-yet-unnamed actor, Johnson said: “There’s nobody in the world I can imagine in bringing me more joy for Benoit Blanc to be with.”
Craig, who also appeared at the London Film Festival press conference, expressed his excitement about the queer plot twist.
“No spoilers [but] who wouldn’t want to live with that person?” he said.
Representatives for Netflix and Johnson subsequently confirmed that Benoit’s character is canonically queer to Entertainment Weekly.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery has a star-studded cast
Fans have been eagerly awaiting Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ever since Johnson first hinted that a sequel was in the works.
The first Knives Out film was released in 2019 and quickly became a global smash, raking in more than $311 million against a budget of just $40 million.
Netflix later won the rights to the Glass Onion and an additional sequel, with the streamer paying out $469 million to get Johnson, Daniel Craig and producer Ram Bergman back.
Glass Onion is not a direct sequel to Knives Out, but is instead billed as a standalone film, with Benoit Blanc investigating a murder on a Greek island.
The film’s cast includes Natasha Lyonne, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr, Dave Bautista, Hugh Grant, Yo-Yo Ma and Ethan Hawke, while the late Angela Lansbury will also make a brief appearance.
The late, great musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim will also star briefly in the film, according to the cast list.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be released in cinemas in November before landing on Netflix on 23 December.
