Netflix has finally dropped the trailer for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and it’s clear Rian Johnson is steering the franchise into its darkest, most gothic chapter yet.
Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is back, this time confronted with what he calls “a classic, impossible crime.” The case? A priest (Josh Brolin) delivers a sermon, steps into a sealed concrete box in full view of his congregation, and is found dead moments later. No suspects, no obvious motive—only a puzzle that defies logic.
The film boasts a stacked ensemble: Josh O’Connor, who already seems to be the standout in the trailer, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. Each character oozes suspicion, making this a true return to the whodunit roots that made the first Knives Out a cultural phenomenon.
Johnson has described this third installment as his “darkest” yet, trading the sun-soaked satire of Glass Onion for a wintry, gothic atmosphere. Early reviews out of the Toronto Film Festival suggest it may even surpass its predecessors, with critics praising its sharp writing and old-school mystery flair.
The film will get a limited two-week theatrical run starting November 26, before landing on Netflix December 12. Johnson himself has admitted he wishes for a longer big-screen window—proof that this is a mystery built to be savored in a theater before streaming takes over.
Benoit Blanc has cracked some outrageous cases before, but this trailer promises his toughest challenge yet.
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