The ‘Knives Out’ Sequel Trades a Gothic Revival Mansion for a Billionaire’s Mediterranean Palace
Director Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunit hit Knives Out took place inside a quintessentially Gothic Revival mansion. Filmed at multiple homes in Massachusetts and on soundstages, it evoked the creepy autumnal aesthetic of many classic murder mystery stories of the past, like Clue.
The film’s sequel, which hit theaters briefly around Thanksgiving and will be available to stream on Netflix as of December 23, has a vastly different look. Filmed at Villa 20 at Amanzoe, a luxurious resort in Porto Heli, Greece—part of famous Aman brand’s high-end, high-design hotels—the film once again centers around eccentric detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig). This time, Blanc is invited to the home of billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) as he hosts a murder mystery party for a group of A-list pals who call themselves “the disruptors.” Among the group are movie star Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), and other such wacky characters.
Early in the film, the group pulls up to Bron’s private island aboard a 151-foot yacht. (Named Aquarius in real life, the boat is available to charter for $228,000 a week if you’re so inclined—and, fun fact, ship captain Ali Göksoy has a cameo in the film.) As they touch sand, Bron’s over-the-top home is revealed: a futuristic glass atrium plopped atop a sprawling Grecian villa with a grand outdoor staircase. It is his ode to his favorite bar, the Glass Onion, where he began the tech company that made him rich. This motif is also highly symbolic of his vapid personality. “It ties into Miles’s kind of fetishistic interest in himself and the metaphorical fact that when you look into Miles, there’s really nothing there,” production designer Rick Heinrichs tells AD.
