Wake Up Dead Man: Knives Out 3

The tongue-in-cheek Knives Out murder-mystery films have been delighting audiences since the eponymous first movie in 2019. In what is becoming a holiday-season tradition, Daniel Craig is back as detective Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man, surrounded by an A-list cast.  Can he solve an apparently impossible crime in a church?

Benoit Blanc Returns in a Gothic Investigation

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the third film in the Knives Out franchise, written and directed by Rian Johnson. Following Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022), this new movie once again features detective Benoit Blanc, portrayed by Daniel Craig, as he is drawn into a mystery set within a small religious community. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, received a limited theatrical release on 26 November 2025, and has been available on Netflix since 12 December 2025.

An Impossible Crime Set Within a Parish

The story of Wake Up Dead Man unfolds in upstate New York, where Benoit Blanc is called in by the local police chief to investigate a mysterious death inside a church. The victim is Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, an influential and charismatic priest. Blanc must navigate conflicting accounts from parishioners and local authorities to uncover the truth behind what initially appears to be an “impossible” crime. The film aligns with the tradition of the “locked-room mystery”, a subgenre built around murders committed under inexplicable circumstances.

A Mystery Rooted in Questions of Faith

With Wake Up Dead Man, Rian Johnson turns inward, crafting a story more intimate than the previous films. Following the family-centered setting of Knives Out and the broader social satire of Glass Onion, this installment focuses on faith and the human contradictions it reveals. Johnson describes the film as darker and more sincere, while still retaining humour. Benoit Blanc approaches this case differently from before. Confronted with a spiritual world that challenges his rational instincts, he must navigate the tension between logic and belief without losing sight of his essential task: solving a murder.

A Controlled Gothic Atmosphere

Visually, Wake Up Dead Man adopts a more gothic and grounded tone than its predecessors. Much of the action takes place within the church itself, conceived as a character in its own right. Shifting light, chiaroscuro cinematography, and carefully modulated atmospheres shape the film’s dramatic progression. Nathan Johnson’s score reinforces this mood through textural and rhythmic compositions that underline the story’s underlying tensions.

A Community of Suspects

The parish is home to a diverse group of characters, each of whom becomes a potential suspect. Among them are Martha Delacroix, a deeply devoted churchgoer; Samson Holt, the reserved groundskeeper; attorney Vera Draven and her politically ambitious son Cy; local doctor Nat Sharp; reclusive author Lee Ross; and Simone Vivane, a former concert cellist living with chronic pain. This wide-ranging ensemble allows the film to explore multiple relationships to faith, authority, and guilt, while fuelling the mechanics of suspense central to the genre.

A Prestigious Ensemble Cast

Wake Up Dead Man relies on a large ensemble cast, a defining feature of the Knives Out series.
– Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, the observant detective whose presence links all three films.
– Josh O’Connor plays Jud Duplenticy, a young priest closely connected to the case.
– Josh Brolin appears as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, the religious figure whose death triggers the investigation.
– Glenn Close portrays Martha Delacroix, an influential member of the community.
– Mila Kunis plays Geraldine Scott, the local police chief.
– Jeremy Renner appears as Dr. Nat Sharp, a local physician.
– Kerry Washington plays Vera Draven, a lawyer involved in the case.
– Andrew Scott portrays Lee Ross, a writer.
– Cailee Spaeny appears as Simone Vivane, a resident with her own personal history.
– Daryl McCormack plays Cy Draven, a character with political ambitions.
– Thomas Haden Church rounds out the cast as Samson Holt, the church’s groundskeeper.

This diverse mix of established actors and contemporary performers continues the franchise’s tradition of assembling casts in which each character plays a specific role in the unfolding mystery.

Production and Release Strategy

In terms of distribution, the film follows a release strategy similar to Glass Onion, combining a limited theatrical run with a subsequent global streaming release on Netflix, reflecting the platform’s ongoing approach to high-profile original films. With a runtime of approximately two hours and twenty-six minutes, it is among the longest entries in the series.

 

Wake Up Dead Man is on Netflix since 12 December 2025