Both Knives Out and Uncut Gems have something in common: each film had the support of storyboards that contained laughably bad drawings. Directors Rian Johnson and the Safdie brothers, Benjamin and Joshua, have all been experiencing a great deal of success due to the release of their respective films. Johnson’s whodunit Knives Out has been met with overwhelming praise from critics, and also big box office numbers, grossing over $200 million worldwide from a $40 million budget. The Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems had a limited release in theaters, and much to the surprise of some audience members, the pair managed to produce a strong film starring Adam Sandler.
Knives Out was a murder-mystery starring Daniel Craig, who plays detective Benoit Blanc, in addition to Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, and Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as a whole host of other stars in this ensemble piece. Knives Out is a modern twist on the mystery genre and features a unique plot twist, and a fair share of humor as well. Uncut Gems tells the tale of Sandler’s Howard Ratner, who is a gambling addict in constant pursuit of the “ultimate win.” The film has proven a success in the sense it has been appreciated and captured the eye of many audience members due to Uncut Gems being a departure for Sandler, who steps away from the nonsensical comedies for a dramatic tale. Although the films are different in many ways, recent tweets from the directors show they link together in a rather amusing fashion.
On Twitter, Johnson celebrated his film’s continued presence in theaters by tweeting an image of his storyboard that features one of his characters sitting in front of the popular knives donut where many of the interviews with the Thrombey family took place. He encouraged the audience to rewatch the film if they “haven’t caught Knives Out yet” or if they simply want “another shot of whudunnitness.” But he would also write that he cannot promise “it will equal the splendor of my original storyboard vision.” In response to Johnson’s image, the Safdie brothers posted images of their storyboards, while also writing: “People laughed at my boards, but they’re helpful.”
The interaction between the directors is certainly fun for fans, and they even continued their interaction with Johnson posting a video of the song “They All Laughed,” and the Safdie brothers tweeted a poster of the 1981 American romantic comedy They All Laughed. However, the images posted will likely give fans a great deal to laugh about, as the drawings almost resemble a young child’s drawings. More impressively, though, it shows the talent of these filmmakers to transfer mediocre storyboards to brilliant storytelling on the big screen.
Knives Out is still currently experiencing its wonderful run in theaters, which is impressive due to the level of competition it has faced in recent months, and with Uncut Gems reportedly releasing on Netflix internationally on January 31, the tweets are potentially a smart way to draw the attention of audiences. Also, with a Knives Out sequel coming, stay tuned, we may get to see more hilarious storyboard drawings from Johnson down the road.
Next: Everything We Know About A Knives Out Sequel
Source: Rian Johnson, Safdie/Twitter
