Hopefully, writer-director Rian Johnson and his current muse Daniel Craig will keep making Benoit Blanc movies forever — because they’re all so brilliant — and now, the latest entry in the franchise is about to hit theaters. If you need a refresher on the franchise, check out our recap video — and keep reading!
Preceded by 2019’s murder mystery “Knives Out” as well as the 2022 sequel “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” this year’s latest whodunit, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” brings Craig’s brilliant detective Benoit Blanc back to investigate yet another murder.
All we know right now is that “Wake Up Dead Man” — named for a U2 song, following the tradition of the first two films being named for Radiohead and Beatles songs, specifically — features an all-star cast that includes Craig, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Thomas Haden Church, Mila Kunis, and Glenn Close, just to name a few. We also know that “Wake Up Dead Man” takes place mostly in a small local church where a murder has taken place, but other than that, Johnson is wisely keeping the specifics of this film shrouded in mystery. So what do you need to remember about the first two “Knives Out” movies before you check out “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story?”
The first two Knives Out movies have been huge critical and commercial success stories — and Wake Up Dead Man will likely keep that tradition going
Let’s rewind back to 2019, when Rian Johnson’s completely original whodunit, “Knives Out,” hit theaters and became a massive critical and commercial success right out of the gate (for context, it made over $300 million worldwide off of a mere $40 million budget). That first outing introduces us to Benoit Blanc, a detective whose thick Southern accent and apparently irreverent attitude might trick you into thinking he doesn’t take the job seriously … but the truth is that he can unlock the secret to basically any mystery. He handily proves this when he investigates the death of famous novelist Harlan Thrombey (the late, great Christopher Plummer), working alongside Harlan’s former nurse Marta (Ana de Armas) to figure out what really happened to the man, who died shortly after his own birthday party under strange circumstances.
When Netflix inked a deal with Johnson for two sequels, the writer-director blew audiences away with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” in 2022. This time, Benoit Blanc is invited to the private island of reclusive tech billionaire Miles Bron (Ed Norton) alongside a cadre of Miles’ glamorous friends — including Miles’ former collaborator Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe), whom he betrayed professionally at one point. After one of those glamorous friends, right-wing influencer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), drops dead at the fake murder mystery party Miles planned — which is the reason for Blanc’s presence — secrets start spilling, and a second murder is revealed.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” hits theaters on November 26 and heads to Netflix on December 12. While you wait, you can catch up on all things “Knives Out” with our recap video above.