The eagerly awaited return of Rian Johnson's captivating mystery franchise is here, packing a punch with an array of star-studded talent. Daniel Craig's suave detective Benoit Blanc is gearing up to solve another baffling puzzle. Craig reprises his role as the shrewd investigator in the third installment of Johnson's "Knives Out" film series, titled "Wake Up Dead Man." Penned and helmed by Johnson himself, the sequel promises to be a thriller that keeps audiences guessing.
The original "Knives Out" film, which boasted an ensemble cast featuring Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ana de Armas, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019 before its theatrical release. It quickly became a box office hit and critical darling, earning Johnson an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Johnson revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he had always envisioned a franchise akin to Agatha Christie's beloved mystery novels, saying, "Even when we were making the first movie, I was thinking, 'If this does well, it would be fun to keep making them.'"
Netflix was quick to jump on the bandwagon, agreeing to a lucrative $469 million deal with Johnson and his producing partner Ram Bergman. The deal, brokered by CAA, guarantees two sequels to the "Knives Out" franchise, with Johnson retaining creative control and Craig reprising his role as the lead detective. Each sequel is expected to have a budget comparable to the first film, which clocked in at around $40 million.
The second film, "Knives Out: Glass Onion," starred an eclectic cast including Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, and Edward Norton, and was released in 2022. Johnson drew inspiration from the concept of a murder mystery unfolding on a vacation getaway, nodding to Agatha Christie's classic Poirot mysteries like "Death on the Nile" and "Evil Under the Sun." He explained to THR, "I thought it'd be nice to have an island because then you can isolate everyone together. And who would have a private island? Oh, maybe it’s a tech billionaire."
Now, the eagerly awaited third film, "Wake Up Dead Man," is set to make its global debut on Netflix in 2025. Once again, the film boasts an ensemble cast of notable names, including Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, and a returning Jeremy Renner in his first film role since his snowplow accident.
Below, THR delves into everything we know so far about this upcoming murder mystery that promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
