ForRian Johnson, a Benoit Blanc mystery is all about the characters who surroundDaniel Craig’s private detective.
On Wednesday,Netflixexclusively shared with PEOPLE a brand-new featurette fromGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the sequel to 2019’sKnives Out, showcasing writer-director Johnson, 48, and the movie’s ensemble cast as they discuss filming the second installment in the mystery series.
“We had such a wonderful talented cast who came in, who immediately picked up on the tone, and it’s so important that we get that going straight away,” Craig, 54, says at the top of the video.
The actors surrounding Craig this time around includeKate Hudson,Leslie Odom Jr.,Edward Norton,Janelle Monáe,Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick,Madelyn ClineandDave Bautista, whose characters are part of a group of friends who get together “for their yearly reunion,” according to an official description for the movie.
“The things that define what a Benoit Blanc mystery is foremost, for me, it’s fun characters,” Johnson says. “The vibe was strikingly similar to the first one and we had some really good times together.”
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery(2022).JOHN WILSON/NETFLIX

Multiple cast members, including Monáe and Bautisata, reference Johnson’s collaborative spirit in engaging a large cast of characters.
“Rian and the team put people first,” Monae says. “That energy allowed us to come into work and give our all.”
Kate Hudson, who plays model and fashion designer Birdie Jay, notes there are “so many layers” to each of the film’s characters.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“What was really interesting about playing Birdie is she doesn’t realize how ridiculous she is,” Hudson says. “I got to say the most insane funny lines. Playing the layers was really interesting and fun.”
Netflix

“Rian and I talked a lot about Miles,” Norton, 53, says. “There were certain people in the news cycle of the last few years that Rian and I found a particularly rich vein of gold to mine from.”
“If you do ensemble and it’s really working it feels like a theater troupe,” Norton adds. “And fortunately, everyone had a slice of clown in them.”

“It’s a different group of folks. You’re making a different movie in a different setting,” Johnson says of making a sequel toKnives Out. “We were really, really lucky in having an incredible group of actors who all really gelled and I’m really excited to keep doing these.”
In the new mystery, set on a lavish private estate on a Greek island, Benoit Blanc “soon meets a distinctly disparate group of friends gathering at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron for their yearly reunion,” according to anofficial description of the movie.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mysteryran in theaters from Nov. 23-29 and will beavailable to stream on Netflixon Dec. 23.
source: people.com