Premiere on Netflix for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery starring Daniel Craig

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2025-12-12

Wake Up Dead Man, Knives Out, Netflix, Daniel Craig

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) starring Daniel Craig is the third Knives Out film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Craig is joined by fellow British actor Andrew Scott with whom he worked with on Spectre (2015). The film premieres on Netflix on 12th December 2025.

Benoit Blanc (Daniel 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 (Josh O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic fi rebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks’s modest but devoted fl ock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), tightly wound lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), bestselling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny). After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defi es all logic.

Daniel Craig portrays Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

The world’s greatest and most fashionable detective heads to a small-town church to solve a case that takes him in a holy new direction.

Daniel Craig on evolving each chapter: “Whodunits are often set in creepy old houses or churches, so there’s plenty of material to mine for Wake Up Dead Man. That’s what we were doing with this: trying to get a different pace, feel, and interaction with a new cast. For me, as the regular character, the joy of it has been: ‘Who are we getting in to play this?’

These are audience-centric movies. They’re for people to watch, enjoy, share, and try to guess who the murderer is. But there’s also a deep message about humanity buried in there because that’s the way Rian writes. There’s always something to decipher at the end of these movies that’s not just about the case.”

Craig on Rian Johnson’s approach to comedy: “He just wants to laugh. You know he’s happy with a take when you’ll hear him giggling behind the monitor. Comedy is a hard one, especially when you’re shooting fi lm, because what might make the crew laugh doesn’t necessarily make anybody else laugh. Rian directs the truth of it, and that’s what you’re aiming for.”

On Benoit’s relationship to faith, Craig said: “Benoit wants to be a man of logic and science, and even has his problems with religion, but he can’t help but respect Jud’s faith. He sees how important someone like Jud is to certain aspects of society. He’s had a very complicated relationship with religion growing up, and this is something that maybe softened it.”

Knives Out, Wake Up Dead Man is available on Netflix from 12th December 2025.

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Premiere on Netflix for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery starring Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig portrays Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

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