The new film hits Netflix on Dec. 12, after a limited theatrical release that kicked off on Nov. 26.
Wake up, mystery lovers — there’s a new Knives Out adventure in town. The third installment in Rian Johnson’s whodunit franchise, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, opened in select theaters on Nov. 26 and lands on Netflix on Dec. 12. As always, Daniel Craig returns as the Southern sleuth Benoit Blanc, this time unraveling a fresh murder puzzle packed with eclectic suspects.
While the first Knives Out followed a case at a famed writer’s mansion and Glass Onion whisked Blanc off to a billionaire’s private island, the new film sends him to a small church in upstate New York. Director Johnson told Netflix’s Tudum that this marks Blanc’s “most personal journey” so far.
“It’s more similar to the first Knives Out in that it goes back to the roots of the genre, even before Agatha Christie, reaching back to Edgar Allan Poe,” Johnson said, adding that it still remains “funny and fun.”
Here’s what to know next.
What is Wake Up Dead Man about? Is it connected to the other films?
Without giving away major twists, Blanc’s Christie-meets-Poe investigation revolves around a murder at a small church, where young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) works under Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). When Wicks turns up dead and Blanc arrives to dig into the case, suspicion quickly falls on Jud, who openly despised the monsignor.
As Jud wrestles with his faith and police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) teams up with Blanc, the mystery deepens. Almost everyone in Wicks’s congregation seems to have something to hide — and any one of them could be responsible for what Blanc calls an “impossible” crime.
Watch the trailer below:
Who is in Wake Up Dead Man?
The film assembles a star-packed cast — including one actor famous for playing a “hot priest” and another currently appearing alongside Kim Kardashian in Hulu’s All’s Fair. The lineup includes:
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Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc
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Josh O’Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy
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Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix
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Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks
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Mila Kunis as Geraldine Scott
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Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp
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Kerry Washington as Vera Draven
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Andrew Scott as Lee Ross
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Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane
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Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven
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Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt
What are critics saying about Wake Up Dead Man?
The new mystery has been warmly received. Wake Up Dead Man currently holds a 92% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes — sitting alongside the franchise’s strong track record, with Knives Out at 97% and Glass Onion at 91%.
Reviewers have especially praised Josh O’Connor’s performance. TV Guide highlighted the Challengers star for delivering a “remarkable performance that's comically deft one moment, touching the next, and intense throughout.” The Observer called him a “standout even in a heavy-hitting cast.”
The Ringer added, “The movie’s plot points may be manufactured, but O’Connor’s soulfulness is organic. He carries the movie as far as he can and speaks something fresh into Craig’s acting, which is as enjoyably flamboyant as ever but also taps a potent reservoir of secular anguish and doubt.”
Will there be another Knives Out film after Wake Up Dead Man?
Nothing is confirmed yet. Netflix ordered the last two installments after paying $469 million for the sequels, but hasn’t officially greenlit a fourth film. Still, both Johnson and Craig have voiced interest in continuing the series — if the right idea comes along.
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