Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig Tease What’s Next in Knives Out 4

Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are already looking ahead to the next Knives Out movie. At the Los Angeles premiere of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter that he is eager to continue the franchise after finishing the third installment.

Wake Up Dead Man is the latest entry in the hit mystery series, which began in 2019 and later moved to Netflix through a two-sequel deal.

Johnson said working on the new movie has energized him creatively. “Creatively, I feel energized after making this one. Daniel and I are already starting to formulate … what could the next one be if we do another one?”

He also emphasized that he enjoys bringing in new actors and creating a different story for each film. “I don’t know why I would stop doing it if we could keep making them,” he added.

Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc, investigating a puzzling crime at a small Catholic church in upstate New York.

The third film introduces a new ensemble cast including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, and Daryl McCormack. Johnson said part of the fun in each movie is working with a fresh set of actors on a unique case.

The film also explores themes like religion and morality. Josh O’Connor, who plays a young priest in the movie, said he connected to the role through his Catholic upbringing. “I grew up Catholic, so it’s not too far removed from my own experience,” he said.

He even consulted a real priest while preparing for the role to better understand his character’s sense of kindness and thoughtfulness.

Johnson explained that the Knives Out series is designed to tackle real-world issues through mystery. In the first movie, the story dealt with immigration, and the new film touches on how religion can be misused.

“I was so happy to see the bishops … make that statement recently about the cruelty of how the current administration is handling immigration right now – the inhumanity of it and how that is so unchristlike,” Johnson said. He noted that these are issues that matter on a human level, not just a religious one.

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