The highly anticipated trailer for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has finally dropped, marking the return of Daniel Craig as the brilliant detective Benoit Blanc in the third installment of Rian Johnson's popular whodunit franchise.
What's New in the Threequel
Netflix unveiled the trailer on Monday, giving fans their first proper look at the latest mystery that awaits the Southern-fried sleuth. Unlike the previous installments, this chapter takes a decidedly darker turn, with the mystery unfolding within the hallowed walls of an upstate New York church.
The franchise, which began with Knives Out in 2019 and continued with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in 2022, maintains its tradition of unique settings. While the first paid homage to Agatha Christie and the second isolated characters on a remote island, director Rian Johnson reveals this installment draws heavy inspiration from the 19th-century Gothic writings of Edgar Allan Poe.
The 'Perfectly Impossible Crime'
The trailer immediately plunges viewers into the central conflict. Josh O'Connor's character, Jud, finds himself in a nightmare scenario when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Monsignor Wicks, played by Josh Brolin. The accusation stems from him being "the only one present on stage at the time of his killing."
To make matters worse, other characters reinforce the suspicion, with Andrew Scott's character snidely remarking, "The Spirit really moved him today, huh?" A desperate Jud pleads his innocence to Benoit Blanc, stating, "Everyone thinks I did it. I didn't do it."
Craig's detective recognizes the complexity of the case, declaring it a "perfectly impossible crime" unlike anything he's encountered before. He insists that solving it will require going beyond conventional police work, yet confidently assures local authorities, "I'm incapable of not solving a crime."
An All-Star Cast of Suspects
True to the franchise's formula, Wake Up Dead Man boasts another incredible ensemble cast. The trailer introduces viewers to the various characters who form what Blanc suspiciously calls a "flock of wicked wolves."
The star-studded lineup includes:
- Jeremy Renner
- Kerry Washington
- Glenn Close as the dead man's most loyal devout
- Mila Kunis
- Cailee Spaeny
- Daryl McCormack
- Thomas Haden Church
In classic murder mystery fashion, Glenn Close's character reveals that the victim possessed a "vast family fortune," adding financial motive to the growing list of suspicions.
In a delightful pop culture reference, Craig's Benoit Blanc invokes not his iconic James Bond persona, but rather the mystery-solving Great Dane from Scooby-Doo. The animated character and his human companions from Mystery Inc. are famous for unraveling seemingly impossible cases, making the comparison perfectly fitting for Blanc's current predicament.
Director Rian Johnson confirmed that like its predecessors, the third film remains politically relevant and is "unapologetically set and tuned into this moment" in the United States, particularly following Donald Trump's reelection earlier this year.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on December 12, 2025, promising audiences another clever, star-packed mystery with Daniel Craig's charismatic detective at the helm.
