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Aside from politicians, mask refuseniks and conspiracy theorists, has the pandemic made villains of any group more than wealthy travellers? From Kim K's but we tested! private island bash amidst surging cases worldwide, to the private jets that, quite literally, soared while travel for normal folk was grounded, as the rich escaped to their boltholes in Tuscany and Provence.
This hatred was gleefully captured in Mike White's HBO series The White Lotus, in which a group of shallow and self-serving American holidaymakers unloaded their baggage – literal and emotional – onto the staff of the island, the tension ratcheting to unbearable levels in the process. Now it looks like the theme for Knives Out 2 – the sequel to the box office hit from director Rian Johnson – might also be eat the rich, with a clip shared yesterday featuring the next instalment of characters in the whodunnit. The very short GIF, shared by Johnson on Twitter, sees the cast boarding a luxury yacht together, a location which, as we know from the first season of Succession, guarantees a happy ending.
Knives Out 2 heads to sunnier climbs this time around, with the story set on the azure seas of a Greek island. Daniel Craig reprises his character of Detective Benoit Blanc – a role which really showcases the former 007's comedy chops – and there is a new cast of suspects for him to turn his keen eye to.
Weary travellers, hello, Mr Blanc has been expecting you. Let us attempt to work out just who they are.
Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson in feather-print jumpsuit and huge sunglasses is giving strong mean rich woman vibes. Nobody wears a sixty inch beach chapeau and ends up the hero of the story, those are just the rules. We are predicting a cocktail with a non-biodegradable umbrella in her future.
Edward Norton
No sign of Edward Norton about to set sail. Intriguing. Could this mean he is part of Mr Blanc's investigative team, or that he joins the story later on? One thing we will say is that it doesn't feel creatively taxing to imagine Norton ending up either villain or villain-adjacent in the story. He just does that look of pinched anger so well. That said, if Knives Out taught us anything, it's that villains easily become heroes, and vice versa.
Dave Bautista
Leading the pack at the front of the gangway, has big Dave Bautista pushed his way to the front of the pack, or is he the organiser of this mysterious sojourn? Perhaps he just needs the loo.
Kathryn Hahn
We're calling it now, Kathryn Hahn wearing a visor will be the face that launches a thousand memes. Years of perfecting the kindly BFF on rom-coms and fresh from playing the deliciously dastardly witch Agatha in WandaVision, Hahn always, as they say, understands the assignment.
Ethan Hawke
Also absent from the boarding scene is Ethan Hawke, a casting which feels at odds with the roster of indie films he's made in recent years. Does that mean he'll be playing someone truly absurd and letting loose? We do hope so.
Leslie Odom Jr
Right in the middle of the group, and wearing a considerably cooler get-up than his fellow passengers, Odom Jr already has his whodunnit credentials after appearing in Murder on the Orient Express, in which he played a doctor who claimed responsibility for murdering someone despite it being an accident. Cue: Oooooos.
Jessica Henwick
To Hahn's right, wearing a bucket hat and vaping like she's got something to hide, Jessica Henwick feels like a twenty-something who has been dragged along against their will, and as we saw in Knives Out, it's the young ones you've got to look out for.
Janelle Monáe
Also missing from the shot, we'd like to hope Janelle Monáe could serve as the story's moral compass, as Ana De Armas did in the original film. Johnson has said however that the characters are "so different", so don't expect anyone to be like-for-like. The director has also said this cast is "so much more colourful", so fingers crossed for someone extremely flamboyant for Monáe to play.
Madelyn Cline
In white Daisy Duke cut-offs, knee-high boots and a very "I requested a sea view" tan tassel bag, Madelyn Cline tells us so much about her character by the look of disgust she's giving the horizon. When it comes to mean teen queens enjoying the lap of luxury, Sydney Sweeney walked so that Madelyn Cline could fly.
