Daniel Craig returning as Benoit Blanc in new Knives Out mystery
With the film set for a two‑week theatrical release from 26 November, Daniel Craig is returning as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Daniel Craig is returning as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Set for a two‑week theatrical release from 26 November before arriving on Netflix on 12 December 2025, the film is directed, written and co‑produced by Rian Johnson and continues the Knives Out saga.
It stars Daniel, 57, alongside Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church.
The movie’s official synopsis reads: “Benoit Blanc (Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews.
“Wicks’s modest‑but‑devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Haden Church), tightly‑wound lawyer Vera Draven (Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Renner), best‑selling author Lee Ross (Scott), and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Spaeny.)
“After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.”
Rian was quoted in Variety saying about the form of the film’s release: “We’re going to push for everything we can get in terms of theatrical, because I want as many people as possible to see it in that form.”
He added: “I want this in as many theaters for as long as possible”
The film is set for a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2025, followed by its UK debut at the BFI London Film Festival on 8 October 2025, before the two‑week theatrical run starting 26 November and the Netflix release on 12 December 2025.
Rian’s Knives Out franchise has become a major box-office and streaming success.
The 2019 original earned $312 million worldwide and an Oscar nomination, while Netflix acquired the sequels for over $450 million.
With star-studded casts and Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, critics say the films revitalised the whodunnit genre for modern audiences.
