Lionsgate has released the first Knives Out trailer for writer/director Rian Johnson‘s upcoming murder mystery. The film is a family-centric whodunit based on an original idea by Johnson, who first broke out with the unique 2005 noir Brick and continued making a name for himself with smart, character-centric features like The Brothers Bloom and Looper while also helming iconic episodes of Breaking Bad like “Ozymandius.” Most recently, Johnson wrote and directed the somewhat divisive sequel Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and in the wake of that space epic he wrote a smaller scale, old fashioned murder mystery movie.
While exact plot details for Knives Out are under wraps, the film is said to be in the vein of classics of the genre like Gosford Park and boasts an A-list ensemble that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, Lakeith Stanfield, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.
This trailer is excellent, and we see here that Plummer is indeed playing the victim. Rian Johnson describes the movie as a modern day American whodunnit, and it’s a joy to see the familial interplay here—specifically Chris Evans profanely dragging his family one-by-one. I’m curious to see how much the current American political landscape plays into things, or if this is simply a straightforward murder mystery. Regardless, this remains my most anticipated movie of the year and this trailer only makes the wait feel that much longer. Check out the Knives Out trailer below. The film hits theaters on November 17, 2019.
