Wake Up Dead Man

Last updated

Wake Up Dead Man
WakeUpDeadMan poster.jpg
Release poster
Directed by Rian Johnson
Written byRian Johnson
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Steve Yedlin
Edited by Bob Ducsay
Music by Nathan Johnson
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • September 6, 2025 (2025-09-06)(TIFF)
  • November 26, 2025 (2025-11-26)(United States)
Running time
140 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a 2025 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It is a standalone sequel to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) and the third installment overall in the Knives Out film series. It stars Daniel Craig, who reprises his role as master detective Benoit Blanc. [2] [3] The ensemble cast also includes Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.

Contents

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025, and is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 26, and will be released by Netflix on December 12, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Premise

The film follows renowned detective Benoit Blanc as he takes on a new case that brings him into the orbit of a charismatic priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, and his devout congregation. When a mysterious death occurs, Blanc must navigate a complex web of secrets and simmering tensions within the community to uncover the truth.

Cast

Production

Development

Before the release of Knives Out (2019), Rian Johnson said he would like to create sequels with Benoit Blanc investigating further mysteries, and already had an idea for a new film. [4] On March 31, 2021, it was reported that Netflix bought the rights to two Knives Out sequels for over $400 million. [5]

Writing

In June 2022, Johnson revealed Knives Out 3 was a working title with his intent being each film has a distinct title, citing the works of Agatha Christie as his inspiration for the films and the individual titles. [6] In November 2022, Johnson said he was preparing to work on writing the third film. [7] By January 2023, Johnson confirmed he had started writing the script for the third film, stating it will be tonally and thematically different from the previous installments. [8] Johnson later stated though he had approved the subtitle of A Knives Out Mystery for the previous installment, he would like to rename the series and add A Benoit Blanc Mystery as subtitles to future installments. [9]

In October 2023, following the resolution of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Johnson announced he had started working on the script for the third film. The filmmaker stated he had the premise planned, and could begin writing again. [10] The film's official title Wake Up Dead Man was derived from a song by U2. [11]

Casting

Daniel Craig was expected to reprise his role early in development; he acknowledged interest in returning early on during the project's development. [12] Craig was paid $100 million for his involvement in the two Knives Out sequels. [13] In May 2024, Josh O'Connor, Cailee Spaeny, [14] Andrew Scott, [15] Kerry Washington, [16] Glenn Close, [17] Jeremy Renner, [18] Mila Kunis, [19] and Daryl McCormack, [20] joined the main cast; Renner's likeness had previously been used in Glass Onion, although he had not been featured otherwise. [21] The role marks Renner's first major feature film production since his near-fatal snowplow accident in January 2023. [22] The following month, Josh Brolin and Thomas Haden Church joined the cast. [23] [24]

Filming

As with the previous two films, Steve Yedlin and Nathan Johnson returned as cinematographer and composer, respectively. [25] [26] Principal photography began on June 10, 2024, in London. [14] [27] [28] First-look photos from the set revealed Craig's character, Benoit Blanc, with a noticeably different, longer hairstyle than in previous films. [29] On June 19, 2024, Close revealed she was "really hit hard" with both COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which was also revealed to have resulted in her being able to only participate in two days of filming by that point in time. [30] [31] Filming wrapped on August 17. [32]

Release

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. [1] [33] It is scheduled to be released in select theaters on November 26, 2025 and is scheduled to be released by Netflix on December 12, 2025. [34] [35] The film had its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 8, 2025. [36] [35]

Reception

Damon Wise for Deadline writes that this one may "be the best one yet" of the Knives Out franchise due to its more introspective nature. [37]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 69 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Giving Benoit Blanc a worthy mystery with its genuinely soulful fixation on faith and a scene-stealing Josh O'Connor performance, Wake Up Dead Man is another Knives Out puzzle that comes together splendidly." [38] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [39]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Toronto International Film Festival September 14, 2025 People's Choice Award Wake Up Dead Man2nd Runner-up [40]
Savannah Film Festival November 1, 2025Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award Rian Johnson Won [41]

Future

In September 2022, Johnson confirmed his intention to make more films in the series. [42] Later that month, Craig and Johnson separately said they would continue making further films, as long as they were both involved. [43] In October 2025, however, Johnson stated that he had nothing planned for a fourth film in the series, jokingly asking a The Hollywood Reporter interviewer if he could offer him ideas, though he did express a willingness to make another film as long as he and Craig have fun doing them, finding them challenging to make and coming up with new plots as well as audiences enjoy them. [44]

References

  1. 1 2 "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  2. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 31, 2021). "Netflix Near $400M+ Deal For 'Knives Out' 2 & 3; Daniel Craig & Director Rian Johnson Reprising". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - Knives Out 3". Variety Insight . Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Knives Out: Director Rian Johnson Interview". youtube.com. November 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ Lang, Brent; Donnelly, Matt (March 31, 2021). "Netflix Buys 'Knives Out' Sequels for $450 Million". Variety . Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  6. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 13, 2022). "Rian Johnson Unveils Title Of 'Knives Out' Sequel". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  7. ↑ Wise, Damon (November 23, 2022). "'Glass Onion': Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe & Edward Norton Reveal The Secrets Of The 'Knives Out' Franchise & Tease Part 3". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ Laffly, Tomris (January 9, 2023). "Rian Johnson Talks Agatha Christie Inspiration, 'Knives Out 3′ Plans and Screenwriting Success". Variety. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ Libbey, Dirk (January 23, 2023). "Rian Johnson Wants To Make A Key Change To The Knives Out Franchise After Glass Onion". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ Taylor, Drew (October 13, 2023). "'Fair Play' on T-Street: How 'The Date Movie From Hell' Was Born - Digital Cover". The Wrap. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Benoit Blanc Is Back on the Case in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Netflix . September 15, 2025. Archived from the original on September 25, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  12. ↑ Sinha-Roy, Piya; Keegan, Rebecca (January 5, 2020). "'Knives Out' Sequel in the Works, Story to Center on Daniel Craig's Detective Character". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  13. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (August 18, 2021). "From Daniel Craig to Dwayne Johnson, Inside the Biggest Movie Stars' Salaries". Variety . Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (May 27, 2024). "Josh O'Connor And Cailee Spaeny Join Daniel Craig In Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (May 28, 2024). "Andrew Scott Joins 'Knives Out 3' Cast (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 29, 2024). "Kerry Washington Joins Daniel Craig In 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 29, 2024). "Glenn Close Joins Daniel Craig in 'Knives Out 3' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  18. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 30, 2024). "Jeremy Renner Joins Daniel Craig In 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  19. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 30, 2024). "Mila Kunis Latest Addition To 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Ensemble". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  20. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (May 31, 2024). "'Knives Out 3' Adds 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' Star Daryl McCormack to Cast (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  21. ↑ Lee Lenker, Maureen (November 25, 2022). "Angela Lansbury filmed her Glass Onion role on a laptop: Inside all the Knives Out 2 cameos". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Jeremy Renner Joins 'Knives Out 3' Cast". Variety. May 30, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  23. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 3, 2024). "Josh Brolin Joins Daniel Craig in 'Knives Out 3' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  24. ↑ Schruer, Brandon (June 4, 2024). "Knives Out 3 Cast Adds Spider-Man's Thomas Haden Church". Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Steve Yedlin, ASC" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Nathan Johnson to Return for Rian Johnson's 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'". Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  27. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 25, 2024). "'Knives Out' T-Street Partners Rian Johnson & Ram Bergman Tap Katie McNeill To Join As Producer". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  28. ↑ Rian Johnson [@rianjohnson] (June 10, 2024). "Aaaaand we're off! Today is day 1 of shooting on the next Benoit Blanc mystery "Wake Up Dead Man" - see you on the other side" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024– via Twitter.
  29. ↑ "Daniel Craig Debuts Long Hair in 'Knives Out 3' First Look". Variety. June 10, 2024. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  30. ↑ Rosenbloom, Alli (June 19, 2024). "Glenn Close 'hit hard' with Covid and RSV at same time, forced to delay filming 'Knives Out 3'". CNN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Actor Glenn Close 'hit hard' with COVID and RSV". Fox 11 Los Angeles. June 19, 2024. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  32. ↑ "'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Just Got an Incredible Filming Update". August 17, 2024. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  33. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 16, 2025). "TIFF Unveils Round Of World Premieres With 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' & Pics From Derek Cianfrance, Paul Greengrass, Nicholas Hytner, Hikari & More". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  34. ↑ Gomez, Dessi (May 31, 2025). "'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Sets Premiere Date For Return Of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  35. 1 2 Dunn, Jack (September 2, 2025). "'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Sets Two-Week Theatrical Release Before Netflix Rollout". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  36. ↑ Pulver, Andrew (July 9, 2025). "Latest Daniel Craig Knives Out movie Wake Up Dead Man will open London film festival". The Guardian . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  37. ↑ Wise, Damon (September 7, 2025). "'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Review: Rian Johnson's Third Whodunit With Daniel Craig Is An Intelligent Gothic Delight – Toronto Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  38. ↑ "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  40. ↑ Erbland, Kate (September 14, 2025). "The Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Awards Are Being Announced Now (Updating)". IndieWire .
  41. ↑ "Honored guests | Filmfest". filmfest.scad.edu. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  42. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca; Sharf, Zack (September 10, 2022). "Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson Tease More Knives Out After Twisty, Fun Glass Onion Slays Toronto Film Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  43. ↑ Dick, Jeremy (September 11, 2022). "Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson Don't Want to Ever Stop Making Knives Out Movies". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  44. ↑ Ford, Lily (October 8, 2025). "'Knives Out' Creator Rian Johnson Opens London Film Festival in Spooky Style With 'Wake Up Dead Man' — His "Most Personal" Murder Mystery Yet". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 11, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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