Knives Out movies seem to come into our lives at times when we didn’t even know we needed them. Rian Johnson’s original 2019 film was for many (myself included) one of the last great theatrical experiences before the pandemic, bringing us a twisty mystery and a delicious villain turn from Chris Evans. 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery immortalized a lot of the weirdness of those early pandemic years, with a new star-studded cast and plenty of jokes at Jared Leto’s expense.
Now, it looks like the saga’s third film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, will be bringing an entirely new energy into our lives. On Monday morning, Netflix released the first teaser trailer for the film, just days after its premiere (and rave reviews) at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The teaser for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery not only showcases Daniel Craig’s now-beloved turn as Detective Benoit Blanc, but some of the ensemble that will be joining him, including Glenn Close, Josh O’Connor, Andrew Scott, and Thomas Hayden Church. Jeremy Renner is also part of the fray, which does raise some questions given how heavily his fictional brand of hot sauce factored into Glass Onion, but I trust that Johnson will handle that conundrum in a fun way.
A Most Dangerous Game?
Perhaps most importantly, the trailer clues us into the mystery that will bring Blanc into the events of Wake Up Dead Man. On the surface, it appears to be the sudden and inexplainable death of Josh Brolin’s Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, after he walked into a (in Blanc’s words) “sealed concrete box” and was found dead mere seconds later. While there will surely be layers upon layers to this investigation, the early glimpses of it in the trailer immediately made me think of the monastery sequence in The Last of Sheila, the 1973 film that Johnson repeatedly cited as a major source of inspiration for Glass Onion.
According to Netflix’s official description for Wake Up Dead Man, “Benoit Blanc (Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks’ modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Church), tightly-wound lawyer Vera Draven, Esq. (Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Renner), best-selling author Lee Ross (Scott) and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Spaeny). After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.”
Johnson wrote and directed Wake Up Dead Man, and produces the film alongside Ram Bergman and Katie McNeill. While it is the second of two Knives Out sequels greenlit under Netflix so far, both Johnson and Craig have indicated that they would love to make more films.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will debut in select theaters on Wednesday, November 26th, before premiering on Netflix on Friday, December 12.
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