We already know a third installment of Rian Johnson’s breakthrough murder-mystery film franchise, “Knives Out,” is on the way, thanks to a two-sequel deal at Netflix. This franchise stands out with its unique blend of suspense, humor, and star-studded casts. The only questions left to solve about the new whodunit film are “Who’s doing it?” and “When will it be done?”
At the end of May, Johnson and Netflix revealed the title for the new movie, “Wake Up Dead Man,” which is slated for a 2025 release on the streamer. Daniel Craig, who stepped into the shoes of the famous private investigator Benoit Blanc, is again leading the charge—but he’s not alone. The stars of the third “Knives Out” movie have been announced, and the cameras are rolling. From who’s involved to production dates, here’s what we know about this highly anticipated sequel.
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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Written and directed by Johnson, the first film premiered in theaters in November 2019 and centered on a murder mystery of “Succession” proportions: the death of bestselling mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) at his Massachusetts mansion the night of his 85th birthday party. While local police rule Harlan’s death a suicide, they have to immediately contend with a second opinion from the one and only Benoit Blanc (Craig), a famed private investigator who has anonymously been called to take the case. As Blanc soon suspects foul play, he, along with Harlan’s nurse, Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), must follow the trail of clues to solve Harlan’s real-life whodunit story. The all-star ensemble also includes Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, K Callan, and more.
The film became a surprise quick hit, bringing in $312.9 million at the global box office and holding a 97% Certified Fresh rating and a 92% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was lauded during its award season, receiving three Golden Globe nominations and an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. Though initially planned (or at least promoted) as a standalone film, Johnson began developing a sequel in January 2020, when the first film was still in theaters, with Craig’s detective as the continuing thread. A month later, Lionsgate announced that the sequel was official and that production plans were in the works; but one month later, the COVID-19 shutdown began, and production plans froze.
Instead, in March 2021, Netflix announced it had acquired the rights to develop two sequels (for a hefty price tag) after Johnson and T-Street producing partner Ram Bergman pursued a new distribution deal in the wake of the pandemic. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the deal gave Johnson “immense creative control,” and the only contingencies were that each installment must have at least the $40 million budget of the first film and—an easy guarantee—that Craig must star in both.
The second “Knives Out” movie, “Glass Onion,” premiered on Netflix in December 2022, led, as promised, by Craig. In the film, Edward Norton plays Miles Bron, a tech billionaire (and not-quite-concealed parody of Elon Musk), who invites a coterie of “Disruptors” to his private island to play a murder-mystery game. Much to his surprise, Blanc also shows up on an invitation of his own, and soon, everybody’s real motives are revealed. The sequel boasted an ensemble as equally impressive as the first film, featuring Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Jessica Henwick, with additional cameos from Stephen Sondheim, Angela Lansbury, Natasha Lyonne, Serena Williams, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ethan Hawke, Jackie Hoffman, Hugh Grant, Yo-Yo Ma, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
While the follow-up was reviewed slightly less positively than the first, no love was lost for viewers, with “Glass Onion” holding a 91% Certified Fresh rating and a 92% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film and Johnson were nominated for two Golden Globes and an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.
Future franchise work had to wait until after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes had reached an agreement; but in October 2023, while speaking with the Wrap about Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play,” produced by T-Street, Johnson gave an update on the third film: “It’s coming along. I obviously couldn’t work during the strike, and now that it’s over, I’m diving in full force, and so it’s coming along. I’ve got the premise; I’ve got the setting; I’ve got what the movie is in my head. It’s just a matter of writing the damn thing.”
On May 24, Johnson posted a teaser video on X (or Twitter, for the non-Disruptors) announcing the third installment’s title, “Wake Up Dead Man,” and its 2025 release. Johnson teased the title a few hours before the official announcement, writing: “I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is. 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. We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
Johnson will once again both write and helm the film, and plot details are still being kept tightly under wraps for now; but in the teaser, Craig, as Blanc, describes “Wake Up Dead Man” as his “most dangerous case yet.” The series has so far touched on themes of class warfare, technology, wealth inequality, immigration, race, and celebrity influence.
Credit: John Wilson/Netflix
Craig is, of course, back as the Southern-fried, Sondheim-loving sleuth at the center of the story; and once again, the latest “Knives Out” installment is not short of stars.
So far, the confirmed cast of “Wake Up Dead Man” 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. Previous rumored cast members included Tom Hardy and Lindsay Lohan.
DFree/Kathy Hutchins/Tinseltown/Featureflash Photo Agency/lev radin/Shutterstock
The game is afoot for “Wake Up Dead Man.” Filming officially began in London on June 10, and Johnson marked the occasion on X with a surprising photo of a long-haired Craig as Blanc on the set, writing, “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.”
Costars Kunis and O’Connor were spotted on set blocking out a scene soon after, but otherwise, it’s mostly been quiet across the pond since production began; though Washington described the process as “summer camp for moviemaking.”
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. pic.twitter.com/Napfvq1zXT
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 10, 2024
At this time, “Wake Up Dead Man” is not casting talent, but that doesn’t mean the film won’t be looking for new suspects as production continues this year.
Get ahead of the game and read our guide on how to get cast on Netflix projects. And be sure to bookmark our main movie casting hub and our Netflix casting page to find related opportunities. To really boost your résumé, you can also peruse these casting roundups we update weekly:
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Vernieu is once again behind the all-star cast in “Wake Up Dead Man” after helping Johnson create the guest lists for his previous two dinner parties. Be sure to check out audition advice from the prolific casting director on what she looks for and how she works with Johnson on his projects.
Stay tuned in the coming months for more “Knives Out” updates!