Knives Out to have Europe premiere at London Film Festival

Rian Johnson's murder mystery Knives Out will have its Europe premiere at the 2019 London Film Festival.

The Star Wars: The Last Jedi director will be bringing his modern twist on the whodunnit to London's Leicester Square on 8 October, just weeks after it has its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Johnson is expected to attend the red carpet alongside some of his all-star ensemble cast, which includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Colette, Katherine Langford, Lakeith Stanfield, and Christopher Plummer.

"I'm thrilled to be screening Knives Out at the BFI London Film Festival. This film was an attempt to capture the twisty fun of an Agatha Christie whodunnit, it's a great pleasure to be showing it in the country responsible for the genre's golden age," Johnson said in a statement.

"With Knives Out, Rian Johnson has crafted a devilishly clever and wickedly entertaining new crime caper," Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director, added. "This is impeccably designed, with writing that keeps you guessing to the final moments and his extraordinary cast are at their arch and compelling best. Knives Out is a whodunit, as sharp as the blade that killed the patriarch at the heart of the film."

Paying tribute to Agatha Christie's classic murder mysteries, Johnson's movie follows Detective Benoit Blanc, played by Craig, as he is enlisted to investigate the murder of renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey, portrayed by Plummer, who is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday.

The 2019 London Film Festival opens with The Personal History of David Copperfield on 2 October and concludes with Martin Scorsese's The Irishman on 13 October. The full programme will be announced at the end of August.