The ‘Knives Out 3’ Cast Keeps Growing
Glass Onion: a Knives Out Mystery, like its predecessor Knives Out, made a splash when it came out in 2022. If you’re craving more of the comedy whodunnit series starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc, we’ve got good news: the third film in the franchise is on the way.
In November 2022, writer and director Rian Johnson told Deadline that he’s excited to make a third movie in the Knives Out series. “Honestly, over the past couple of months, the most exciting creative thing to me right now is that third [Knives Out] movie,” Johnson said. “And so, I think I’m going to hop right into it. Not because of a contractual obligation, but, genuinely, that’s the shiny object I find my nose pointed toward right now.”
Thanks to the ensemble casts and anthology structure of the Knives Out movies, Johnson has a lot of options to explore in the third film, titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Now, as the film inches closer to production, we have a release window, an official title, and a cast list that gets bigger every day!
Here’s everything we know!
Who’s in the cast of Knives Out 3?
Over the past week, casting announcements have been steadily rolling out. So far, Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, and Mila Kunis have all joined the cast. Craig will return as Benoit Blanc, the dapper detective with a Cajun drawl.
Last year, when the film was announced, the internet came up with fan casting lists (with a startlingly large number of muppets) and Johnson dangled the possibility of casting Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) in the next film. After writer Nathan Ellingsworth tweeted a demand that Berry be cast in Knives Out 3, Johnson responded that working with Berry is a “major life goal.”
Ellingsworth went on to demand that Berry play a rival detective who’s also Blanc’s ex. We’d be down for that.
What’s the plot of Knives Out 3?
It’s safe to say that Wake Up Dead Man will focus on Benoit Blanc solving a murder mystery while dealing with a bunch of strange characters. Other than that, we don’t know anything yet! Just as Glass Onion showed us a bit more of Blanc’s character, though, Knives Out 3 will need to push the series in new directions. Craig told Deadline that he wants to avoid the series getting stale, saying, “If there ever came a point where either Rian and I thought we were just churning them out, I think we would back away.”
When is the release window for Knives Out 3?
In 2022, Johnson told Deadline that he planned to start writing the script for Knives Out 3 in January 2023. That, combined with the news that the film will go into production this year, already made a 2025 release date likely. Then, on May 24, 2024, the 2025 release window was officially confirmed, along with the movie’s title, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery:
Hopefully we’ll get a more specific date and more details soon!
Is there a Knives Out 3 trailer yet?
Slow down, gumshoe, Wake Up Dead Man hasn’t even started filming yet! The moment a trailer becomes available, we’ll post it here.
In the meantime, you can catch Glass Onion on Netflix.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
