'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Josh O'Connor Joins Daniel Craig for a New Whodunit

Netflix has dropped the first look for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the latest installment in Rian Johnson's successful Knives Out franchise.

The movie, set for release this Fall, brings back Daniel Craig as the sharp-witted Southern detective Benoit Blanc. This time, Blanc is thrust into "his most dangerous case yet," joined by a powerhouse cast of suspects, including Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.

The teaser image reveals a crucial clue, showing Blanc and O'Connor standing in a church surrounded by Gothic architecture, with stained glass windows and dark pews setting an eerie tone. They peer intently at something just out of view, hinting at the intense mystery to come.

Netflix

The church setting aligns with the film's religious undertones, drawn from the film's title, Wake Up Dead Man, which takes inspiration from a U2 song on their 1997 album Pop.

The song itself has apocalyptic themes, with Bono yearning for Jesus to return and save humanity—a sentiment reflected in the film's atmosphere, teased further by the announcement clip, which featured coffin imagery and a tolling church bell.

The religious undertones don’t stop there.

The announcement video used a Gothic Blackletter typeface reminiscent of 16th-century Bibles, showcased a coffin, and ended with the tolling of a church bell. Combined with the cathedral setting in the first look, it’s clear that this mystery will have a spiritual—and possibly sinister—twist.

Rian Johnson, who writes and directs the film, has a knack for weaving clues into his titles.

The first film, Knives Out (2019), introduced Blanc as he investigated the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) and his dysfunctional family, played by stars like Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Poster for Knives Out (2019)

The sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), took Blanc to a tech billionaire’s private island, where Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, and Kathryn Hahn brought the drama. Both films were critical and commercial hits, with Knives Out earning Johnson an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

While plot specifics remain under wraps, this third film promises to expand on the mystery formula, following 2019’s Knives Out and 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Craig’s portrayal of Benoit Blanc has been a consistent highlight of the series, and fans are eagerly awaiting more of his signature Cajun accent and sharp intellect.

Poster for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

In addition to the intriguing first look, Craig has shared his hopes for a more expansive theatrical release this time around. After Glass Onion was briefly shown in theaters for a limited one-week run, Craig expressed his desire for more fans to have the chance to see it on the big screen, noting that many of his fans want to experience it with their families in cinemas. This aligns with the ongoing ambition to make the Knives Out franchise a major cinematic event as well as a hit on streaming platforms.

Wake Up Dead Man is the latest entry in the trilogy of whodunits that began with Knives Out, which made $312 million worldwide and earned Johnson an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay.

After Glass Onion brought Blanc to a remote tech billionaire's island for another high-stakes mystery, Netflix and Johnson are now preparing to up the ante once again with this new case.

With a mix of star power, cryptic imagery, and a suspenseful atmosphere, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is shaping up to be another thrilling addition to the saga of Benoit Blanc’s investigative prowess.