Benoit Blanc and his Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn drawl is coming back for his “most dangerous case yet.” That’s how Daniel Craig’s brilliant detective described his next outing in the announcement trailer for Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out installment, Wake Up Dead Man. Who will join Craig for some murder-mystery fun this time around? What is the movie about? And when (and where) can we expect to see it?
We’ve been hearing casting news from Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out mystery for days. And now, Netflix has finally confirmed the full cast. In addition, the studio has confirmed that production on Wake Up Dead Man has begun. Netflix even shared new photo of Benoit Blanc from the upcoming Knives Out movie to celebrate. You can check it out above and check out the full cast list below.
- Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Casino Royale)
- Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown)
- 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)
- Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3)
Rian Johnson specifically calls out Jeremy Renner’s casting in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery noting, “Jeremy’s a great actor who I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. I was very relieved he thought the hot sauce thing was funny! He’s playing a proper part in this one, we’ll keep the sauce off screen. Maybe we’ll sneak a few bottles onto the catering table.”
Netflix also reveals, “As it turns out, Wake Up Dead Man shares its title with a 1997 U2 song off their album Pop.” And Johnson adds, “Pop is a very underrated album, and that song is very right for the title. But I’ve had ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ in my head for a long while, and I first heard the phrase in American folk music.” Netflix teases that you should “ listen closely” for any clues about the Knives Out movie to come.
Here’s everything we know about Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery so far.
Title
Knives Out 3 is officially titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. That latter half of that title also appeared in Glass Onion‘s title, much to the chagrin of Rian Johnson.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘s Plot
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery does not have an official synopsis, but we do have some early clues about what to expect from it. Johnson’s announcement of the film included commentary about how much he loves the malleability of whodunits. Combined with calling it Benoit Blanc’s “most dangerous case yet,” and everything points towards the darkest entry in the franchise yet.
The title and its accompanying font also suggest the film will have something to do with pirates. ( Though we can’t rule out the film is about U2. Hopefully The Edge is safe either way.)
Does that mean a good old-fashioned treasure hunt gone wrong? A setting somewhere in the Caribbean? Arr, until we be getting something more official, wese can let our imaginations run wild like the sea. (Sorry.)
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘s Cast
Johnson confirmed a report that Mare of Easttown and Alien: Romulus‘ Cailee Spaeny is joining the returning Daniel Craig in the cast. The Crown‘s Emmy winner and Challengers star Josh O’Connor will also join the cast of Knives Out 3. Additionally, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and Jeremy Renner have come aboard.
Of course, Daniel Craig will reprise his role as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Behind the Scenes
For the third time, Rian Johnson is directing his own script in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. He’s also producing the film with his T-Street Pictures partner Ram Bergman.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘s Release Date
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will come to Netflix in 2025. It will also hopefully also come theaters, and for a longer run than its predecessor.)
The movie does not have an official release day yet; however, the first two installments have Thanksgiving weekend releases. Knives Out arrived in theaters Thanksgiving weekend on November 27, 2019. After some film festival screenings, Glass Onion came to theaters for a brief run on Thanksgiving weekend, November 23, 2022. It then started streaming on Netflix, Wake Up Dead Man‘s ultimate home, on December 23.
If Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery follows a similar release schedule, we should expect to see it on the big screen on November 26, 2025. And we didn’t even need to be Benoit Blanc to figure that out.