Netflix has unveiled the official title for Knives Out 3 – and fans are already evoking their inner sleuth to try and work out what it means.
Announced by the world’s best streaming service today (May 24), the forthcoming Netflix movie’s new title is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The whodunit’s new name was also revealed by way of a X/Twitter post by Rian Johnson, who directed the first two films in the Knives Out franchise. The tweet also confirmed that Wake Up Dead Man will arrive on Netflix sometime in 2025.
The next Benoit Blanc mystery, the follow-up to Knives Out and Glass Onion, is called Wake Up Dead Man. pic.twitter.com/pdDXRDmwcIMay 24, 2024
The video opens with a voice over from eccentric detective Benoit Blanc, who was portrayed by Daniel Craig in the first two Knives Out films. In it – and in typically dramatic fashion – he says: “In the beginning, the knives came out. Then, behold! The glass was shattered… but, my most dangerous case yet is about to be revealed” before the animated footage confirms the film’s official title and that it’ll be one of 2025’s new Netflix movies.
No other details were made public about Wake Up Dead Man, save for the confirmation – as if any was needed – that Craig will return as Blanc in the film’s lead role. The only extra clue provided by Netflix about Knives Out 3 was that Blanc would be back for “his most dangerous case yet”. Even with that ominous tease, we can expect more of the same comedy-laced murder mystery plot threads and subversive storytelling from Johnson, Craig, and company.
Johnson is back as Wake Up Dead Man‘s writer, director, and one of its likely many producers. Joining Johnson on the executive producing front is frequent collaborator Ram Bergman, who has worked alongside Johnson since the latter’s feature directorial debut in 2005’s Brick.
We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.May 24, 2024
Commenting further on X/Twitter (see above), Johnson revealed that principal photography was set to begin imminently on Knives Out 3. Considering its predecessor was shot in just 78 days – between late June and mid-September 2021 – it’s possible that Wake Up Dead Man might be filmed at a similarly rapid pace. If it is, we could even see Knives Out 3 make its way onto Netflix by mid-2025.
Knives Out 3 will be second – and currently final – entry in the franchise that’ll exclusively debut on Netflix. The first film, 2019’s Knives Out, was solely released in theaters, but Netflix confirmed it had snapped up the rights for two Knives Out sequels in April 2021. Unless the streaming titan orders more installments – it would be silly not to, considering Glass Onion (one of the best Netflix movies, FYI) was one of the most popular films on the service in late 2022 – then, this might be the last time we see Benoit Blanc on the platform.
As for what the film’s actual title is teasing about its plot, internet sleuths are already having a field day with what it could mean. Indeed, a ResetEra thread is full of fans discussing the new name, with comments ranging from the obvious – it being about a dead man who seemingly comes back to life (Blanc himself?) – to the absurd nature of who should feature as part of its eclectic supporting cast (no, I’m not joking, someone drolly says they want Dante from the Devil May Cry video game series to show up). Here’s hoping we get some more official cast news in the near future, Dante or otherwise.
