Wake Up Dead Man
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Get ready for another thrilling investigation with the return of master detective Benoit Blanc! Rian Johnson's latest mystery, "Wake Up Dead Man," is here, and it's already generating buzz.
This standalone sequel to "Glass Onion" and the third installment in the beloved "Knives Out" series brings Daniel Craig back as the impeccably dressed and undeniably brilliant Benoit Blanc. He's not alone, though. This time, Blanc is surrounded by an all-star ensemble cast featuring Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
The premise? Detective Benoit Blanc finds himself drawn into the world of a charismatic priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, and his devoted congregation. When a mysterious death rocks the community, Blanc must unravel a complex web of secrets and simmering tensions to expose the truth.
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025, "Wake Up Dead Man" hit theaters on November 26, and is now streaming on Netflix as of December 12, 2025. Critics are raving, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a stellar 94% and Metacritic awarding it an impressive 82 out of 100, signaling "universal acclaim."
Director Rian Johnson, inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, has once again crafted a puzzle that's both intelligent and entertaining. Daniel Craig's portrayal of Benoit Blanc continues to captivate, and the supporting cast delivers powerhouse performances.
From its compelling development, with Netflix securing the rights to future installments, to the meticulous writing process and the star-studded casting, "Wake Up Dead Man" is a testament to Johnson's vision. Filming kicked off in London on June 10, 2024, with the iconic detective sporting a fresh look, and wrapped up by August 17.
The film's reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Critics are praising its introspective nature and its "genuinely soulful fixation on faith," with many calling it the best installment yet.
And the future? Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are already "starting to formulate ideas" for a potential fourth film, ensuring that the adventures of Benoit Blanc are far from over. Get ready to be enthralled!
Wake Up Dead Man is a 2025 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It is a standalone sequel to Glass Onion (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. 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.
Wake Up Dead Man 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, then streaming on Netflix on December 12, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics.
== Premise ==
Detective Benoit Blanc 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. On March 31, 2021, it was reported that Netflix bought the rights to two Knives Out sequels for over $400 million.
=== 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. In November 2022, Johnson said he was preparing to work on writing the third film. 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. 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.
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. The film's official title Wake Up Dead Man was derived from a song by U2.
=== Casting ===
Daniel Craig was expected to reprise his role early in development; he acknowledged interest in returning early on during the project's development. Craig was paid $100 million for his involvement in the two Knives Out sequels. In May 2024, Josh O'Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, and Daryl McCormack, joined the main cast; Renner's likeness had previously been used in Glass Onion, although he had not been featured otherwise. The role marks Renner's first major feature film production since his near-fatal snowplow accident in January 2023. The following month, Josh Brolin and Thomas Haden Church joined the cast.
=== Filming ===
As with the previous two films, Steve Yedlin and Nathan Johnson returned as cinematographer and composer, respectively. Principal photography began on June 10, 2024, in London. First-look photos from the set revealed Craig's character, Benoit Blanc, with a noticeably different, longer hairstyle than in previous films. 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. Filming wrapped on August 17.
== Release ==
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. It is scheduled to be released in select theaters on November 26, 2025, and for release by Netflix on December 12. The film had its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 8, 2025. A trailer was released on November 17, 2025.
== Reception ==
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 109 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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
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.
Dieter Oßwald praises on the German arthouse portal Programmkino.de "this sequel also offers everything a "Knives"-coup needs: perfectly quirky characters, superb tension, witty twists, star power, and a brilliant Daniel Craig with a screen presence that exudes effortless cool."
=== Accolades ===
== Future ==
In September 2022, Johnson confirmed his intention to make more films in the series. Later that month, Craig and Johnson separately said they would continue making further films, as long as they were both involved. In October 2025, Johnson stated that he had nothing planned for a fourth film in the series, jokingly asking a 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.
On November 18, 2025 it was announced that Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are “starting to formulate ideas” for a potential fourth Knives Out movie.
== References ==
== External links ==
Wake Up Dead Man at IMDb
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