First Look: ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ Reveals Star-Studded Cast in a Shocking Pose

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the next movie in the Knives Out series. It is written and directed by Rian Johnson and is a standalone sequel to 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Daniel Craig returns as the clever detective Benoit Blanc. The movie also stars Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. New posters for the film have been released, showing the cast in a mysterious and exciting new look.

According to sources, the film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6. It will then be released in theaters on November 26, and will be available on Netflix starting December 12. The international premiere will take place at the BFI London Film Festival on October 8.

Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc, a smart private detective. Josh O’Connor stars as Rev. Jud Duplenticy, a priest. Glenn Close is Martha Delacroix, and Josh Brolin plays Msgr. Jefferson Wicks, another priest.

Mila Kunis is Geraldine Scott, a police chief. Jeremy Renner plays Dr. Nat Sharp, and Kerry Washington is Vera Draven. Andrew Scott takes the role of Lee Ross, Cailee Spaeny is Simone Vivane, Daryl McCormack is Cy Draven, and Thomas Haden Church is Samson Holt.

Rian Johnson had wanted to make sequels before the first Knives Out even came out in 2019. He told sources that he already had ideas for more mysteries with Benoit Blanc.

On March 31, 2021, Netflix reportedly bought the rights to two sequels for over $400 million. Johnson later said that Knives Out 3 was just a working title. He wanted each movie to have a unique title, inspired by Agatha Christie’s books, and he mentioned he wanted future movies to carry subtitles like A Benoit Blanc Mystery.

Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, London, starting June 10, 2024. Steve Yedlin returned as cinematographer, and Nathan Johnson returned as composer. On June 19, 2024, Glenn Close revealed she was “really hit hard” with both COVID-19 and RSV, which limited her to only two days of filming at that point. Filming wrapped on August 17, 2024.

Rian Johnson has said he plans to continue making more films in the series. In September 2022, he confirmed he intended to make more movies, and both he and Daniel Craig said they would keep making films as long as they were both involved.

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