On the heels of Janelle Monae joining the cast of Knives Out 2, Kathryn Hahn has also joined the sequel cast. Hahn is officially ascending to her final form, going from “everyone’s secret fave” to “widely acknowledged superstar”. The entire MCU is worth it just to get Kathryn Hahn the recognition she deserves, because while she has been doing stellar work for decades—her performance in Step Brothers alone puts her in the comedy hall of fame—WandaVision put her over the top, as if being in something as broad as Marvel gave everyone permission to start talking about her at once. (If you haven’t already, now is a great time to revisit two underappreciated TV series starring Hahn: Mrs. Fletcher, on HBO, and I Love Dick, on Amazon Prime.) Now, it feels natural and right that she should be part of the already outrageous cast of Knives Out 2. Can a cast truly be considered “star studded” without Kathryn Hahn?
I am content to wait and see what Rian Johnson and Knives Out 2 has in store for us, but that does not mean that I am not also writing full-on Knives Out fanfic in my mind. For instance, I am picturing the setting as an ex-pat enclave full of eccentrics. Kathryn Hahn is a Debauched Divorcee and Janelle Monae is an Extravagant Widow, but—twist!—they each were married to the same man at different points. Now, they find themselves in the crosshairs of nosy detective Benoit Blanc as he investigates a Suspicious Death in the area. As suspicion mounts, they put aside their latently sexual rivalry in the name of suspect solidarity, only to find themselves falling in love against the glamorous backdrop of the Athens Riviera. Whatever Knives Out 2 turns out to be, don’t tell me you would not also watch a rom-com starring Kathryn Hahn and Janelle Monae. We all would.
