"Knives Out 2" is coming to Netflix. Directed by Rian Johnson, the sequel brings back Daniel Craig and leads an entirely new cast, including Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Netflix purchased the rights to Knives Out 2 and Knives Out 3 for a whopping $450 million. In the sequel, Johnson and Craig reprise their roles as detective Benoit Blanc in an Agatha Christie-inspired murder case among a motley crew of suspects.

The first Knives Out was released in November 2019 and also starred Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, and Christopher Plummer. The film was a surprise hit, grossing $311 million at the worldwide box office on a modest budget of $40 million, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

The film was a passion project for writer/director Rian Johnson, who was always eager to franchise the "Whodunit" series, even suggesting the possibility of a sequel before the first film's release.

Johnson will write and direct both Netflix-produced sequels, but who, what, when, where, and other details are still unknown.

At $450 million, the "Knives Out 2" and "Knives Out 3" deals are among the largest ever for film series rights; split into two, Netflix paid $115 million for Ben Affleck's heist actioner "Triple Frontier, surpassed the $130 million paid for Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman."

What we know so far about "Knives Out 2" is as follows.

Netflix has not announced a release date for Knives Out 2. The film will then go into post-production and editing.

The original Knives Out did not have many special effects. If the sequel is the same, Johnson could release Knives Out 2 by spring 2022.

The only cast member confirmed to be returning from Knives Out for the sequel is Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, the famous detective with a Southern accent, modeled after Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot.

Other original "Knives Out" cast members are unlikely to return. Johnson has said that future sequels will feature new cast members. Blanc will probably move on to another case involving new characters.

Instead, "Knives Out 2" will feature an entirely new cast. The announced cast includes:

Some fans are hoping that the original cast will return in completely different roles, as if it were a repertory company. For example, Toni Collette could play Bran's partner, or Chris Evans could play a murder victim. And they may all return in "Knives Out 3" in new roles. [Laura Dern ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi"), Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("Brick," "Looper"), and Rachel Weisz ("Brothers Bloom"). Extra: Wise is married to Craig.

With production on "Knives Out 2" still underway, there is little news on "Knives Out 3."

Netflix remains the largest streaming platform in the world, but faces stiff competition from Disney Plus and HBO Max. Disney Plus and HBO Max. Both platforms have the upper hand when it comes to franchise films. Disney boasts big-name titles such as Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars, while HBO Max has fanboy favorites such as Snyder Cut and Godzilla vs. Kong.

Netflix's own attempts to launch a film franchise have largely failed in recent years. However, "Extraction," starring Chris Helmworth, was a success and a sequel is in the works.

It is currently unclear whether Netflix will release a sequel to Knives Out in theaters at the same time it is streaming.