As speculation on the next James Bond continues to run wild, Daniel Craig is back to solve crimes in his post-007 career in Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. This time, the actor will be heading to the church, in what is described as the “most dangerous case yet” for his character Benoit Blanc.
The full-length trailer for the threequel offers a first look at the crime and the suspects, while laying out the facts of the case. “To understand this case, you need to look at the myth that’s being constructed,” says the suited detective.
“A man gives a sermon. He then, in plain sight of everyone, walks into a sealed concrete box. 30 seconds later, that man is lying dead. A classic, impossible crime.”
Just another day in the life of Blanc, then, except that the upcoming film will also be the “darkest chapter” in the Knives Out series. Joining him is an ensemble cast of newcomers, including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is directed, written, and co-produced by returning director Rian Johnson, with a limited theatrical release set for 26 November in the U.S. before hitting Netflix on 12 December. According to the Tudum blog post, it “harkens back to the literary lineage of the murder mystery” with a “gothic” look and “grounded” tone,” and will still be a “Benoit Blanc mystery [that’s] funny and fun”.
The full synopsis for the film is as follows:
“Benoit Blanc 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’ modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (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.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
