Rian Johnson's murder mystery Knives Out, starring Daniel Craig, will be up for studio bidding at TIFF 2018

James Bond star Daniel Craig's upcoming film Knives Out, which is being directed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi helmer Rian Johnson, will be open for auction for acquisition by US and foreign distributors at Toronto International Film Festival, Deadline reported.[caption id="attachment_5129061" align="alignnone" width="825"]

Daniel Craig (left), Rian Johnson (right). Facebook[/caption]Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman will be present at the festival to meet the buyers. The report stated that major buyers received the script last night, with the publication conjecturing that the auction will be one wrought with excitement.Similar to the brokering for deals at Cannes for the Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Bingbing Fan and Lupita Nyong’o- starrer 355, Knives Out will be represented by CAA Media Finance for its North American distribution rights, while FilmNation will handle international rights.Furthermore, Knives Out is going to give offshore independent distributors the opportunity to distribute a star-driven film, akin to 355.In an interview with Deadline, Johnson said that Danny Boyle's exit from Bond 25 gave the opportunity to the makers to squeeze in another film before Boyle returns to the 007 franchise. Daniel Crag's nod to the modern-day whodunit script was well timed since Toronto film festival is round the corner as well.Not only is the auction a method for boosting excitement into the festival, but also an opportunity to uphold the increasingly fragile foreign indie distribution ecosystem.