Netflix Releases Trailer for ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’
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Last Updated on September 10, 2025 by Stefanie Hutson
Netflix has shared the first trailer for Wake Up Dead Man, the third entry in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out saga, with Daniel Craig (Skyfall, Our Friends in the North) back as gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc. The new footage hints at a small-town mystery with theological overtones and a puzzle that resists easy answers.
What It’s About
The story kicks off in a small upstate New York town, centered around a Catholic parish where Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called in to investigate what’s described as an “impossible crime”: following a fiery sermon, a priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), enters a sealed concrete box… and emerges dead just 30 seconds later.
As the locked room mystery unfolds, Blanc works with local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to unravel the puzzling series of events.
Wake Up Dead Man follows Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), continuing Johnson’s tradition of self-contained cases with a rotating all-star cast. This setup leans into faith, guilt, and community standing as possible motives, with Blanc’s people-reading front and center.
Who’s In It
Daniel Craig returns as master detective Benoit Blanc. Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Challengers) plays Father Jud Duplenticy, a young priest newly assigned to the parish at the heart of the mystery, while Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Ripley) takes on the role of Lee Ross, a bestselling author drawn into the investigation. Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) appears in an undisclosed role.
The ensemble also features Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, The Wife), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, Dune), Kerry Washington (Scandal, Little Fires Everywhere), Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Divorce), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, Mayor of Kingstown), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla, Civil War), and Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Bad Moms), all contributing to the film’s dark, twisting ensemble drama.
Rian Johnson writes and directs, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman producing under their T-Street banner. Nathan Johnson returns as composer, continuing his work from the previous films. Cinematography is by Steve Yedlin, who has worked with Johnson on multiple projects, including Looper and Glass Onion.
When and Where to Watch
The film will screen in select cinemas for two weeks starting 26 November, then arrive on Netflix on 12 December.
Watch the Trailer
