Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his massive, and Oscar-nominated, hit Knives Out has been given the official title of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Glass Onion is an interesting title, and if it follows in the footsteps of Knives Out, then you have to wonder if the term “Glass Onion” is more than just a title.

One small link could be the popular song from The Beatles of the same name. The song “Glass Onion” is one that is filled with clues and callbacks to The Beatles’ previous works and is deliberately done in a way that is confusing for the audience. Will Rian Johnson follow this song’s structure? That is still yet to be determined, but it can be assumed that Johnson will take the confounding mystery that was Knives Out, and elevate the story even more.

If Johnson can pull this off, we could be looking at not only another screenplay nomination – this time in adapted instead of original – but even more, coming his way. Glass Onion brings together a cast and crew of Oscar darlings and some that could be newcomers to the race. It seems as though Netflix has support in this film as well, as there have been rumors this could be the streaming service’s first wide theatrical release.

In gauging the Oscar potential for this long-awaited sequel, we also must look to the past for this cast and crew when it comes to the academy awards.

Cast:

Daniel Craig

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
Munich
Thoughts:
Being the only crossover from Knives Out to Glass Onion, and being the lead detective, it is not surprising he was given top billing. Craig was able to pick up a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Knives Out as Benoit Blanc, and here he will look to make it to the next level.

Edward Norton

Oscar Nominations:
3 (Supporting Actor – Primal Fear, Lead Actor – American History X, Supporting Actor – Birdman or [The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance])
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
Birdman or [The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance], The Grand Budapest Hotel
Thoughts:
Norton is the most awarded actor of the bunch – Ethan Hawke has more nominations overall, but two of them are in the screenplay category – but he has yet to pick up a win. He also has not managed to be in many best picture nominees, which is strange given his consistent work over his career.

Janelle Monáe

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
Hidden Figures, Moonlight
Thoughts:
Monáe has never been nominated before, but that doesn’t mean the talented singer can’t run with the big dogs. Even if she has never been nominated, she is tied with Ethan Hawke and Edward Norton for appearances in Best Picture nominees, which is impressive given the fact she has had a far shorter acting career than the both of them.

Ethan Hawke

Oscar Nominations:
4 (Supporting Actor – Training Day, Adapted Screenplay – Before Sunset, Adapted Screenplay – Before Midnight, Supporting Actor – Boyhood)
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
Boyhood, Dead Poets Society
Thoughts:
Ethan Hawke brings a fair bit of awards prowess to this film. He has only been nominated twice for acting and has only been in two best picture nominees, but Hawke is a well-known and well-liked name across the board.

Kathryn Hahn

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Kathryn Hahn has never been nominated for an Oscar, but she has recently been nominated for an Emmy for her role in WandaVision.

Leslie Odom Jr.

Oscar Nominations:
2 (Supporting Actor and Original Song – One Night in Miami…)
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
In his post-Hamilton career, Odom Jr. has already picked up a pair of nominations for One Night in Miami… After fellow Hamilton member, Ariana DeBose, won the Oscar this previous season, and Lin-Manuel Miranda directed a multi-nominated film (tick, tick… BOOM!) maybe Odom Jr. can keep the train rolling and help bring Glass Onion to the Oscars.

Jessica Henwick

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Mainly known for action roles within Marvel, Henwick does not have any prior awards history.

Madelyn Cline

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Cline has starred in the highly popular Stranger Things but has never had any personal awards love.

Kate Hudson

Oscar Nominations:
1 (Supporting Actress – Almost Famous)
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Hudson’s performance in Almost Famous is a masterpiece in itself, but the Oscar nominee has not managed to have a performance near that caliber in over 20 years. One reason could be because the films she has been in have been… not great. Given the perception that Glass Onion could be good, this could be the late resurgence Hudson has needed for her career.

Dave Bautista

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Appearances in Best Picture Nominees:
Dune (2021)
Thoughts:
Bautista has been a staple of the MCU, and was recently in Dune, but he has not been given the full chance to show off his acting skills. Could this be the chance?

Crew:

Writer/Director: Rian Johnson

Oscar Nominations:
1 (Best Original Screenplay – Knives Out)
Work on Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Johnson was nominated for original screenplay for the Knives Out, and given the “Glass Onion” title and meaning of the famous Beatles song, I think there is a big possibility that he could be nominated again. However, since there will be turnover with Daniel Craig’s Benoi Blanc, Johnson won’t be fighting for original screenplay and instead will be aiming for the adapted screenplay nomination.

Cinematographer: Steve Yedlin

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Work on Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Frequent collaborator with Rian Johnson, Yedlin has never worked as DP on a Best Picture nominee, nor has he been nominated himself.

Editor: Bob Ducsay

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Work on Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Another frequent Rian Johnson collaborator, Ducsay has never been nominated for an Oscar or any other award. He has a lot of work on action films and could bring a fast-paced editing style to this film to heighten the mystery.

Production Designer: Rick Heinrichs

Oscar Nominations:
3 (Sleepy Hallow, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest)
Work on Best Picture Nominees:
1 (Fargo)
Thoughts:
Frequent collaborator with Tim Burton, Heinrichs has been nominated 3 times for Production Design, winning in 2000 for Sleepy Hallow. He has not been nominated since 2007, but he brings a strong resume to this film.

Costume Designer: Jenny Eagan

Oscar Nominations:
Zero
Work on Best Picture Nominees:
None
Thoughts:
Eagan has never received an Oscar nomination but does have an Emmy nomination for her work on Olive Kitteridge.