Rian Johnson explains how doing a Knives Out crossover with The Muppets changes the overall tone and mood of the film. Audiences were thrilled by the original, yet old-fashioned, murder mystery movie from director Johnson and starring Daniel Craig as the eloquent and intelligent detective Benoit Blanc. Both Knives Out and its Netflix exclusive sequel Glass Onion, do an impeccable job layering mystery over mystery and mixing humor and drama into the story to enliven the characters. With the sequel receiving just as much praise as the first film, and a third movie on the way, a fan movement online has suggested a crossover with the legendary Muppets, despite lack of set up or connection.
The idea of seeing the character of Blanc interacting with the chaotic puppet troupe has reached Johnson. While speaking with Netflix’s Tudum blog, Johnson spoke about the bizarre Knives Out and Muppets crossover idea and came to the simple conclusion that while it is definitely amusing, such a thing would be difficult to pull off. The problem, in his opinion, stems from the fact that one would have to decide what kind of movie it will be, as both films are essentially two different genres, and Johnson does not want either Knives Out or The Muppets to step on each other’s toes. Read his full comment below:
It’s a joke that I thought was pretty brilliant, and I ended up really giving [it] some serious thought… As much as I take the murder mystery genre seriously, I take the genre of a Muppet movie seriously… I think those two things have very different rules. You can either have a Benoit Blanc mystery that has Muppets in it, but they’ll feel out of place. Or you can have a Muppet movie that Benoit Blanc is in, but it’ll feel like a Muppet movie.
Could A Knives Out & Muppets Crossover Ever Happen?
Johnson’s Knives Out movies aim to tell old-fashioned murder mysteries in a modern setting while The Muppets live to mock and parody things while also entertaining audiences with quick-witted and sarcastic puppets. Both franchises could not be any more different from one another and Johnson recognizes this. He has previously worked with Muppet alum Frank Oz on both the original Knives Out and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Understandably, this would mean that Johnson has a deep respect for the entertaining puppets and would not want to do anything to jeopardize their creative comedy.
It would also be nearly impossible for such a crossover to happen between the two just from a rights standpoint. The Muppets, and the Jim Henson Company for that matter, are owned by Disney while the Knives Out films are currently being produced exclusively by Netflix. If the Muppets were to do any kind of crossover, it would be a thematic one with Craig portraying a character similar to Blanc and the gag being that he is solving a mystery involving the Muppets, but as for a direct crossover, this would be unlikely. Despite this, Johnson seems to have an idea for one figured out as when he was asked what a crossover would entail he responded, “I can’t reveal that. What if I do it someday?“
While it doesn’t look like there will be a Knives Out crossover with The Muppets anytime soon, both franchises can still be enjoyed on their own. Audiences will no doubt be happy to know that Knives Out 3 is currently being written with both Johnson and Craig excited to potentially make more movies afterwards. The Muppets, whom Disney has been trying to revive in one form or another, are going to come back with a Disney+ series that focuses on the band The Electric Mayhem. At this point, a crossover seems unnecessary as both franchises are currently thriving in their respective avenues.
Source: Tudum