Prepare for another mystery in Knives Out 3. Rian Johnson is back to write and direct the latest installment in the Knives Out franchise. Knives Out premiered in 2019 and became a critical and commercial success, grossing over $312 million on a rumored budget of $40 million. After the success of Knives Out, Netflix paid over $450 million for two more Knives Out sequels from Johnson.
The first sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, arrived on Netflix in December 2022. Like its predecessor, Glass Onion was a popular hit, becoming the 10th most popular English-language film on Netflix. Now, we’re getting pretty close to the release of Wake Up Dead Man, the third installment in the series. Whether this will be the last Knives Out film we get to see remains to be seen, but here’s what we know about the movie so far.
What is the official title of Knives Out 3?
The next Benoit Blanc mystery, the follow-up to Knives Out and Glass Onion, is called Wake Up Dead Man. pic.twitter.com/pdDXRDmwcI
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) May 24, 2024
The official title for Knives Out 3 is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Johnson announced the news on X (formerly Twitter) on May 24, 2024. After Knives Out, the two subsequent titles — Glass Onion and Wake Up Dead Man — have the moniker A Knives Out Mystery attached at the end.
Wake Up Dead Man shares its title with a U2 song from their 1997 album Pop. “Pop is a very underrated album, and that song is very right for the title,” Johnson told Tudum. “But I’ve had Wake Up Dead Man in my head for a long while, and I first heard the phrase in American folk music.”
Will Daniel Craig return for Knives Out 3?
You bet. Craig is returning for the third installment as Benoit Blanc, a private detective tasked with solving the murders at the heart of the first two films. Expect Blanc to be called upon to solve another mystery in Wake Up Dead Man.
Who is in the cast of Knives Out 3?
Exclusive: Thomas Haden Church is the latest actor to join the cast of “Knives Out 3.”
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) June 4, 2024
The ensemble now includes Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner and Josh Brolin. https://t.co/mVNqdeoZfi
Like its predecessors, Knives Out 3 will feature a large ensemble cast. Besides Craig, actors that have signed on for Wake Up Dead Man include Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Daryl McCormack, Josh Brolin, and Thomas Haden Church.
What’s more, we now have some information on who each of them will be playing:
- Josh O’Connor as Rev. Jud Deplenticity
- Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix
- Josh Brolin as Msgr. Jefferson Wicks
- Mila Kunis as Geraldine Scott
- Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp
- Kerry Washington as Vera Draven
- Andrew Scott as Lee Ross
- Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane
- Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven
- Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt
What is the plot of Knives Out 3?
We now know that Wake Up Dead Man takes place at a Catholic parish in the fictional town of Chimney Rock in upstate New York called Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. At the center of the action appears to be Father Jud Duplenticy, played by Josh O’Connor, a priest who is reassigned there after punching a deacon where he was previously posted. The church is run by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, played by Josh Brolin, who inherited the church from his grandfather.
Jud and Wicks immediately clash. Jud argues that faith is redemptive, while Wicks preaches about shame. When Wicks turns up dead, Benoit Blanc is called in to solve his murder, and Jud is obviously one of the main suspects.
Apparently, this movie belongs to O’Connor even more than it belongs to Daniel Craig, and the two of them share the majority of their scenes together. Ultimately, though, it’s Father Jud who is driving the movie’s plot forward, and Craig reportedly has a less prominent role in this installment than he does in any of the previous films.
When did Knives Out 3 start production?
We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) May 24, 2024
Knives Out 3 began production on June 10. After announcing the title, Johnson also spoke about his love for whodunits and when the film would begin filming.
“We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title,” Johnson wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Does Knives Out 3 have a location?
We now know that the film is set at a small Catholic parish in upstate New York, even though it was filmed in and around London. We also know that this franchise has a long history of using locations as a key part of its broader story. Knives Out transpired at a Massachusetts mansion, and Glass Onion occurred at a mansion on a private island in Greece.
Does Knives Out 3 have a release date?
Knives Out 3 will stream globally on Netflix on December 12, 2025. Netflix first announced the release date at their TUDUM event. The movie is set to hit Netflix three years after Glass Onion, which hit Netflix three years after Knives Out first hit theaters.
Is there a trailer for Knives Out 3?
The first glimpses we got came during the announcement of the film’s release date. That teaser gives us glimpses of the entire cast, as well as some looks at a cemetery and some narration from Benoit Blanc. In that narration, Blanc suggests that what looks like an “impossible crime” was in fact just a murder. While it doesn’t give us much of a sense of the plot, it does give us a slightly more somber mood than the previous installment.
More recently, though, a full trailer for the film was released that begins to hint at the plot details we described above and also offers us a sense of how O’Connor and Craig will play off one another. As the reviews have suggested, Wake Up Dead Man seems to be more philosophical than previous installments, and we get some hints of that in the trailer.
The movie also offers glimpses into the personalities of each member of this broader ensemble. Spaeny is a cellist, Close plays a devout churchgoer, Washington portrays a lawyer, Kunis depicts a local law enforcement officer, Scott plays an author, and Renner plays the town doctor.
Daniel Craig unveils new hairstyle for Knives Out 3
Aaaaand we’re off! Today is day 1 of shooting on the next Benoit Blanc mystery “Wake Up Dead Man” – see you on the other side. pic.twitter.com/Napfvq1zXT
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 10, 2024
Johnson shared the first image of Craig’s Benoit Blanc on June 10 to signal the start of production on Knives Out 3. Blanc has noticeably longer hair in the black-and-white photo. “Aaaaand we’re off! Today is day 1 of shooting on the next Benoit Blanc mystery Wake Up Dead Man — see you on the other side,” Johnson wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
More set images from Knives Out 3 surface online
On June 11, more images from the set of Knives Out 3 emerged online. They’re from only the second day of filming, but that didn’t stop eagle-eyed photographers from grabbing unofficial pictures and posting them for our pleasure.
We can only guess what they are filming. It appears Daniel Craig’s Benoit is conferring with Mila Kunis’ policewoman and Josh O’Connor’s character in a park. Craig and O’Connor appear to be presenting a file to Kunis, who is reading it thoroughly.
Brolin’s character was seen dressed as a priest as he spoke Spaeny’s character in a wheelchair. O’Connor was also spotted as a priest. Because of the film’s title, Brolin, O’Connor, and Spaeny are likely filming in a cemetery.
Cailee Spaeny and Josh Brolin on the set of ‘KNIVES OUT 3’ aka ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’. pic.twitter.com/5mGA5MfV9F
— Cailee Spaeny Updates (@spaenyupdates) August 10, 2024
Knives Out 3 wraps filming
Aaaand that’s a wrap on Wake Up Dead Man. Went so fast! Best crew, incredible cast, this was a really special shoot and I cannot wait to put it together. pic.twitter.com/N32Z6qOITy
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) August 17, 2024
On August 17, Johnson posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) and announced that Knives Out 3 has wrapped filming. The photo is a picture in a cemetery that reads: “Please be mindful of the graves.”
“Aaaand that’s a wrap on Wake Up Dead Man,” Johnson wrote. “Went so fast! Best crew, incredible cast, this was a really special shoot and I cannot wait to put it together.”
Johnson now heads into post-production. If Wake Up Dead Man follows its predecessors’ release dates, Johnson will have a year to edit before it premieres at a fall festival.
What have reviews had to say about the film?
Although Wake Up Dead Man isn’t hitting Netflix until December, early word on the film suggests that it’s at least as good as the first two installments. The film is currently sitting at an 81 on Metacritic with 15 reviews, and it has an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 43 reviews.
“Everyone seems to be having a blast, and the filmmaker knows how to take both the ensemble he’s assembled and his congregation of Knives Out fans — call us Blanc-heads — to church, literally and figuratively,” David Fear writes for Rolling Stone.
“It works, and it’s no big mystery why — Johnson knows his form and format, and delivers on it, playing with tone and message but never losing sight of why these stories are so damn entertaining to watch and unravel,” Kate Erbland adds for Indiewire.
Even the more negative reviews have trouble arguing that the movie doesn’t have its charms.
“This puzzler with neo-Gothic trappings, while it gets off to a promising, very funny start, becomes too clever and convoluted for its own good. That becomes apparent almost as soon as the investigation gets underway and the movie starts losing its fizz,” David Rooney wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.
