David Farnor | On 31, Jan 2025

Daniel Craig will step back into Benoit Blanc’s shoes later this for Knives Out 3, and a new image gives us a first look at Netflix’s sequel.

The third entry in the murder-mystery franchise is once again written and directed by Rian Johnson. It catches up with the Southern-fried detective after we last saw him sitting on the beach of a Greek island, pondering the fiery events of the past few days. Now, Wake Uo Dead Man will see him tackle his “most dangerous case yet”.

If the title didn’t already give us a clue to the ominous nature of the film, the image backs it up with Blanc in a presumably English church, joined by none other than The Crown’s Josh O’Connor as, apparently, a priest. All we officially know about the plot is that the murder mystery will be a new case in an as-yet-undisclosed setting.

The rest of the star-studded cast includes Glenn Close (Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Attraction), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, Dune), Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Luckiest Girl Alive), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town), Kerry Washington (Scandal, Django Unchained), Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers, Ripley), Cailee Spaeny (Civil War, Priscilla), Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; Peaky Blinders) and Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3).

 

Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington join Wake Up Dead Man

1st June 2024

Knives Out 3 is wasting no time in becoming as star-studded as the other two entries in the series.

The third entry in the murder-mystery franchise is one again written and directed by Rian Johnson, who struck gold with his 2019 detective thriller that gave the genre a fun, fresh twist. Leading the A-list ensemble was Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, an eccentric sleuth with a mind like Hercule Poirot and a voice like Foghorn Leghorn.

The cast of the first film included Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Plummer. Netflix promptly stepped in to turn the film into its own franchise, with a $450 million deal for two sequels. The first, Glass Onion, debuted in 2022 and upped the star power even further, with an ensemble including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr, Jessica Henwick and a sprinkling of surprise cameos.

Now, with Craig back for a third time to reprise his role as Benoit Blanc, Johnson has unveiled a slew of big name additions in the past couple of days.

Andrew Scott – fresh from All of Us Strangers – will reunite with Netflix, having worked on its series Ripley. Joining him will be Jeremy Renner, who will next be seen in Season 3 of Mayor of Kingstown, and Scandal legend Kerry Washington, who will next be seen in Netflix’s Six Triple Eight.

Also in the line-up are Glenn Close – who is no stranger to streaming, having starred in Apple TV+ thriller Tehran and Netflix’s own Hillbilly Elegy – and Mila Kunis, who most recently starred in Luckiest Girl Alive. The latest name to join the cast is Good Luck to You, Leo Grande star Daryl McCormack.

They join the first two names announced for the project: The Crown veteran Josh O’Connor, fresh from Challengers, and Cailee Spaeny, who recently starred in Civil War and Priscilla.

Any details of the characters are, of course, as under wraps as the plot, although the title suggests the franchise – after a classic Agatha Christie-esque opener and a sunny getaway sequel – will take a darker, more ominous turn.

Details as to her role are under wraps, as is the plot of the threequel. Daniel Craig will reprise his role as famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc, with Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott and Kerry Washington also on board.

“I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,” Johnson posted on X in a thread announcing the film’s new title. “There’s a whole tonal spectrum from Carr to Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Benoit Blanc movies.”

The film will be released in 2025.

 

Wake Up Dead Man: Josh O’Connor and Cailee Spaeny join Knives Out sequel

29th May 2024

Josh O’Connor and Cailee Spaeny are the first cast members to be confirmed for Wake Up Dead Man, Netflix’s Knives Out sequel.

The third entry in the murder-mystery franchise will once again be written and directed by Rian Johnson, whose 2019 Knives Out introduced us to the eccentric sleuth Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig.

Netflix rapidly snapped up the franchise in a $450 million deal, with the first sequel, Glass Onion, recruiting a star-studded ensemble including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe and Kathryn Hahn.

Now, within days of Netflix announcing the title of the ominous-sounding third film – Wake Up Dead Man – the streamer has already begun assembling a typically buzzy cast.

The first big name is Josh O’Connor, best known for his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Prince Charles in The Crown. The actor, who broke out with God’s Own Country, is fresh from starring in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers opposite Zendaya and Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera.

O’Connor will be joined by Cailee Spaeny. Spaeny was most recently seen in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, in which she played Priscilla Presley, and Alex Garland’s Civil War. She will soon be seen in the upcoming sci-fi sequel Alien: Romulus.

 

Wake Up Dead Man: Netflix’s Knives Out sequel set for 2025 release

24th May 2024

Daniel Craig will return as Benoit Blanc one more time for Wake Up Dead Man, Netflix has announced.

We were first introduced to Blanc back in 2019’s Knives Out, produced by Media Rights Capital, distributed by Lionsgate and directed by Rian Johnson. That original mystery explored the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of novelist Harlan Thrombey. The result was a huge success, with Johnson swiftly confirming plans of further outings for the detective.

Netflix promptly stepped in to make a $450 million deal to produce both sequels.

The first sequel, titled Glass Onion, saw Blanc the Mediterranean, as tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invited some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, where they investigated his murder. The only catch? Somebody wasn’t meant to be there.

Now, Netflix has officially confirmed a third outing: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Once again written and directed by Rian Johnson, it will see Blanc unravel a new murder mystery in an as-yet-undisclosed setting, surrounded by a new colourful cast of suspects. 

“I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,” Johnson posted on X in a thread announcing the film’s new title. “There’s a whole tonal spectrum from Carr to Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Benoit Blanc movies.”

The film will be released on Netflix globally in 2025.

The next Benoit Blanc mystery, the follow-up to Knives Out and Glass Onion, is called Wake Up Dead Man. pic.twitter.com/pdDXRDmwcI

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) May 24, 2024

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