Glass Onion’s big twist was something that Rian Johnson initially didn’t want to do

Janelle Monae as Helen in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
(Image credit: Netflix)

Glass Onion director Rian Johnson has revealed his initial doubts over the game-changing twist in the Knives Out sequel.

Major spoilers for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery follow.

Halfway through the murder mystery, it is revealed that Janelle Monáe's Andi, Miles Bron’s former business partner at Alpha, was killed before the events of the movie – and her place on Miles’ private island is then taken by her identical twin sister Helen.

Johnson told The Wrap that introducing the concept of twins was due to the need for "enough of a basic perspective shift that there’s a new tension that’s introduced in the repeat of all the different scenes." The premise, however, was something that Johnson wasn’t necessarily keen on at first.

As the director explained, "By the process, I was dragged kicking and screaming to identical twins. I didn’t want to do it, it seemed like a horrible trope, and just, ‘Will the audience ever forgive me for this?’ But I think we get away with it because it’s not like a reveal at the end of ‘Aha! It was a twin!’ It’s a complication in the middle that leads to a deepening of the stakes and the story. So I think that’s why we get away with it."

While the twist has certainly proved divisive, it hasn’t knocked Glass Onion’s incredible Netflix figures. It’s already rocketed up the streamer’s charts and landed a place in its all-time top 10 most-watched movies list with over 200 million hours viewed inside 10 days.

If you need to break down more of Glass Onion’s mysteries, check out our guide to the Glass Onion ending, our overview of Glass Onion Easter eggs, and all the cameos you might’ve missed in the Knives Out sequel.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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