In the tantalizing teaser trailer for Netflix's *Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery*, Daniel Craig is seen heading to church in search of divine guidance. Writer-director Rian Johnson's third installment in the *Knives Out* franchise is poised to make its theatrical debut in select cinemas on November 26, followed by a streaming premiere on December 12. The ensemble cast boasts an impressive lineup, including 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: A Knives Out Mystery* revolves around detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) as he embarks on his most perilous case yet. The inaugural trailer (embedded below) teases the enigmatic demise of a charming priest. “To crack this case, you’ve got to delve into the myth that’s being spun,” Craig’s Blanc declares in the footage. “A man delivers a sermon. Then, right before everyone’s eyes, he steps into a sealed concrete box. Thirty seconds later, he lies dead. A classic, impossible crime.”
Johnson, who also penned the script, took the helm as director. He produced the film alongside Ram Bergman.
Here’s the enticing logline: “Benoit Blanc (Craig) returns to tackle his most treacherous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s acclaimed murder mystery saga. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (O’Connor) is dispatched to aid the charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it becomes evident that all is not well among the congregation. Wicks’ modest yet devoted flock includes devout churchgoer Martha Delacroix (Close), the circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Church), the tightly-wound lawyer Vera Draven, Esq. (Washington), the aspiring politician Cy Draven (McCormack), the town doctor Nat Sharp (Renner), the best-selling author Lee Ross (Scott), and the concert cellist Simone Vivane (Spaeny). After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the absence of an obvious suspect leads local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to team up with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.”
The franchise made its grand entrance with the original *Knives Out*, which Lionsgate released theatrically in 2019. Less than two years later, Netflix acquired the exclusive rights to a pair of sequels, with the first follow-up — *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery* — launching in late 2022.
In his review of *Wake Up Dead Man* for *The Hollywood Reporter*, chief film critic David Rooney lauded the film’s “considerable plus of Josh O’Connor as a former boxer turned priest who becomes both a murder suspect and a Watson to Benoit Blanc’s Sherlock Holmes,” adding a fresh layer of intrigue to the already captivating narrative.
