The threequel in the Knives Out series is preparing a new crazy case for detective Benoît Blanc, which this time may actually become a matter of life and death for him. For the third time, Ryan Johnson is directing the film, and in a recent interview he shed some light on the details of the plot of the film, which is subtitled Wake Up, Dead Man.
The first film in the series, Knives Out , offered an autumnal, family-friendly atmosphere, while its sequel, Glass Onions, took the audience to a sunny island in Greece. Instead, Wake Up, Dead prepares us with a “gothic and dark story” with references to Edgar Poe and Washington Irving — and a setting in a pastoral New England town where each of the residents “will test their faith.”
“The story is centered around a church, and all the suspects are regular parishioners,” Johnson intrigues in his commentary Empire. “Blank looks at it this way: it’s just a murder, I can solve it.” However, the way it is presented, it looks like an impossible event. Almost a miracle. And the detective, as a rationalist, does what he knows best — proving that it’s not.”
What could be a miracle in this case? Given the subtitle of the movie, it could be the return of the victim from the grave. At least in this way, we can be presented with the material initially, and Blank will put everything in place.
As in the previous two stories, Daniel Craig’s character will not work alone: this time, he will be joined by Father Jud, played by Josh O’Connor, as an assistant.
“He eventually teams up with Blank to investigate the mystery,” Johnson confirms these assumptions.
At the same time, Johnson clarifies that this new chapter is an opportunity for the detective to “redefine his own identity.”
“Here he has his biggest personal journey. Benoît has to interact with the mystery in a different way. He is in a completely different position than in the previous two films. Daniel and I had a lot of fun thinking about where Blanc is in his life. And I think he has some problems!”
And what about the main suspects? These challenging roles will be played by a traditionally large star cast: Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Kaley Spaney, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church and Josh Brolin, who previously said that he “dreamed of this role”.
We will be able to find out who the culprit will be on December 12, when Knives Out: Wake Up, Dead Man will be released on Netflix.
The Knives Out series launched in 2019 with Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, and many more A-listers. The film was a success, grossing $312 million worldwide despite being released during the pandemic, and was expected to be followed by a sequel with the subtitle Glass Onions. In the second case, the distribution was limited, with priority given to Netflix screenings, to the great expense of the lead actor, and grossed only $13 million. Earlier, insiders reported that the production of the threequel will cost $210 million— 5 times more expensive than the first movie.
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