Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is full of Rian Johnson whodunit goodness, but did you know it almost included a tribute to musical legend David Bowie?
Glass Onion cast members Janelle Monáe and Edward Norton revealed at a Nov. 14 press conference that they filmed a scene where their characters jam out to Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” together. (Monáe has covered the song in the past.)
The scene is a flashback to the early days of the friendship between tech disruptors Miles Bron (Norton) and Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Monáe). In it, Andi sings “Moonage Daydream” while Miles accompanies her on guitar. Their friends Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) and Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) dance along on the side “like go-go dancers,” said Johnson.
Shot at the end of a shooting day, around 1 a.m., the scene was meant to illustrate Miles and Andi’s friendship before it soured. “We were trying to think of things that they might’ve done in the bar when it was good, when we’re bonding,” explained Norton.
“To show the deep connection,” added Monáe.
Monáe and Norton are both massive fans of Bowie, so they approached Johnson with the idea that the Glass Onion bar where Andi and Miles hang out might have had an open-mic night. Norton even contacted someone he knows at musical instrument company Gibson in order to get a replica of Mick Ronson’s Black Beauty Les Paul guitar for Miles to play in the scene.
While the scene was filmed — “Rian indulged us with two takes,” said Norton — it was cut from Glass Onion. Upon hearing this, interviewer Josh Horowitz exclaimed, “Release the Bowie cut!”
However, if Johnson gets his way, we might never see the footage.
“It’s such an incredible memory of this surreal late night, the best concert in the world for like seven people standing around in a basement bar in Belgrade,” Johnson said. “It’s so romantic, I almost want to burn the footage.”
If you’re still craving a David Bowie-Glass Onion crossover, you’re in luck. Keep your ears wide open for Bowie’s song “Starman,” featured in the Glass Onion bar bonding scene — perhaps as a tribute to what might have been.
Glass Onion is now on Netflix.
