What we know about Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

A new mystery is afoot in Knives Out 3, AKA Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Filmmaker Rian Johnson is hard at work on the third case for Daniel Craig’s Southern sleuth Benoit Blanc, which is due to be released in 2025.

Johnson’s first Knives Out adventure — released in 2019 — served up a classic whodunnit featuring an all-star cast that spanned Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Toni Collette and more.

By 2022, the Looper director was back at it with the sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, this time landing on Netflix after a brief stint in cinemas. With another devious plot to unpick and a fresh batch of famous faces to keep Blanc on his toes, it started to feel like Johnson had a franchise with a long future on his hands.

Word of a third outing seemingly confirmed this to be true — but what do we know about Wake Up Dead Man?

When will Wake Up Dead Man be released?

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will be released on Netflix in 2025. Filming took place in the UK between June and August 2024.

“Thank you to the best crew in the world and the most brilliant cast,” Johnson wrote on Instagram after production wrapped. “This shoot was a VERY special experience, I cannot wait to put this thing together and show you all what we’ve got.”

The film’s ETA was unveiled in a short teaser video narrated by Craig and posted to Johnson’s official X account. In the short clip, Blanc can be heard making reference to his previous two cases before saying his most deadly challenge is yet to come.

Netflix commissioned Johnson for two follow-ups after the release of the first Knives Out, so the third movie in the series will land on their streamer whenever it’s ready. It’s also likely — but not yet confirmed — that Knives Out 3 will get a brief theatrical release, just like part two did.

Is there a trailer for Wake Up Dead Man?

No dice. Besides the title reveal video posted above, an official trailer for Wake Up Dead Man hasn’t emerged just yet. We’ll keep dusting for clues and post it here as soon as we find it.

Who is in the cast of Wake Up Dead Man?

Craig’s slick case-cracker Benoit Blanc is of course back for Wake Up Dead Man and his ensemble cast is starting to take shape. Johnson released our first look at a longer-haired Blanc back at it in June 2024, just as production had started.

“Aaaaand we’re off!” read Johnson’s caption. “Today is day 1 of shooting on the next Benoit Blanc mystery “Wake Up Dead Man” — see you on the other side.”

Marvel star Jeremy Renner and Family Guy’s Mila Kunis will appear in Johnson’s murder-mystery threequel. Other cast members will include Fatal Attraction’s Glenn Close, Django Unchained actor Kerry Washington and Dune’s Josh Brolin.

Alien: Romulus star Cailee Spaeny and The Crown actor Josh O’Connor have also boarded Blanc’s latest case. As for who they’re playing? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess.

Craig’s Spectre co-star Andrew Scott will also be joining the Glass Onion sequel, setting up a mini-James Bond reunion. The cast will be rounded out by Thomas Haden Church, best known for playing Sandman in the Spider-Man franchise, and Peaky Blinders’ Daryl McCormack.

Johnson has set himself a pretty starry standard, with the likes of Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe and even a brief Hugh Grant cameo populating his Knives Out sequel Glass Onion.

With this in mind, we can probably expect even more famous faces to appear in Wake Up Dead Man.

What is the plot of Wake Up Dead Man?

Like any good whodunnit, the plot of Wake Up Dead Man is shrouded in mystery. In fact, it’s pretty much completely obscured, as Johnson hasn’t revealed any real details about Benoit’s next case just yet.

Before the film's title was announced, the writer-director shared on social media: “I love everything about whodunits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,” Johnson wrote. “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.”

Speaking to Insider in late 2022, he said he wanted the film to be set in America. “There’s a lot of tempting things of going to Paris or the Alps but I feel it’s really important that these are American movies,” he explained.

“Even with Glass Onion, it’s set overseas but it’s a group of Americans who are trapped on an island together, so bringing it back to somewhere a little closer to home I think could be a good thing for the next one.”

What does Wake Up Dead Man mean?

Like the previous two Knives Out movies, Wake Up Dead Man shares its title with a song. The U2 song was released in 1997 on the Irish band’s album Pop. Glass Onion is a Beatles track, while Knives Out is the name of a Radiohead song.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will be released on Netflix in 2025