Benoit Blanc is coming back just in time for the holidays—and yes, he’s bringing a whole new roster of suspects with him. Netflix has confirmed that Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will hit select theaters on Nov. 26 for a two-week run before streaming worldwide on Dec. 12.
Meet the New Flock of Suspects
This time, Blanc (Daniel Craig) trades tech billionaires and vacation villas for something a little holier—though no less shady. The official synopsis promises his “darkest case yet” as he unravels a murder inside a church congregation led by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). The parish roll call is stacked: Glenn Close as a sharp-tongued church lady, Kerry Washington as a tightly-wound lawyer, Jeremy Renner as the town doctor, Andrew Scott as a best-selling author, Cailee Spaeny as a concert cellist, and Josh O’Connor as a young priest with secrets of his own. Mila Kunis, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church round out the crew.
“This film charts [Blanc’s] most personal journey yet,” Johnson said. “He’s forced to engage with the case — and with himself — in a way that’s completely new.”
And let’s not forget: Blanc isn’t just bringing his magnifying glass—he’s also bringing much-needed queer representation. Director Rian Johnson confirmed in 2022 that the detective is canonically queer after audiences saw him at home with his partner Phillip (played by Hugh Grant) in Glass Onion.
Netflix says the new mystery leans heavily into its religious backdrop, with a young priest at the center of the drama. Director Rian Johnson explained why the setting felt so fitting: “Themes of guilt, mystery, morality, and fallible humanity all feel right at home in a church, with a man of God in the center of the mix,” he told Netflix. “I have strong feelings about faith: both my own personal experience and how it intersects with our country’s cultural and civic life, and the ways that intersection touches all of us differently. So it felt like rich ground for a good story.”
Johnson Wants the Big Screen
With this being Johnson’s third film in the franchise, he’s not holding back. Speaking to Business Insider, the filmmaker said he’s pushing for Wake Up Dead Man to play “in as many theaters for as long as possible.” As he put it, “I want as many people as possible to see it in that form.”
So mark your calendars: whether you catch it on the big screen or stream it at home, Blanc’s back, baby. See the new teaser art below.
