‘Glass Onion’ director Rian Johnson is unhappy with ‘Knives Out’ sequel’s official title

Rian Johnson, the director of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” has expressed dissatisfaction with the film’s official title.

Following the film’s Friday streaming debut on Netflix, Johnson told The Atlantic that he didn’t like the addition of “A Knives Out Mystery” to the title, preferring to call it “Glass Onion.”

However, the production had the final say and decided to include it for marketing purposes because it was related to the first film, which starred Ana de Armas and Chris Evans.

Johnson said of his “Knives Out” films, noting that Daniel Craig’s detective character was the only one who appeared in both the 2019 original and the 2022 sequel:

“I’ve tried hard to make them self-contained. Honestly, I’m pissed off that we have ‘A Knives Out Mystery’ in the title. You know? I want it to just be called ‘Glass Onion.'”

He added:

“I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time. But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialized storytelling.”

Since its debut, “Glass Onion” has been at the top of Netflix’s daily most-watched chart. It topped the charts on its first weekend and was watched for 82.1 million hours between December 19 and December 25. According to Netflix, approximately 35 million households watched the show, based on viewing hours divided by the film’s 2.3-hour run time, Variety reported.

“Glass Onion” introduces a brand-new mystery and cast of suspects, including Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, and Edward Norton.

Johnson stated that he enjoys endings and did not want the “Knives Out” moniker to live on after the 2019 film, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.

Johnson and Craig have already committed to making a third “Knives Out” film for Netflix. It’s unclear whether the third installment will be the final one because the writer-director has stated that he will not limit the number of “Knives Out” films he makes as long as each one is a standalone story in the franchise.

Johnson told Variety earlier this year:

“If each one of these can really be what Agatha Christie did, if it can be not just in a totally new location and a new cast, but also trying something exciting, I’ll keep doing it as long as Daniel [Craig] and I are having a good time. I’ll keep making these as long as they let me.”

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is now available on Netflix.