The 2025 movie schedule is filled with feature films that I’m looking forward to seeing, but there are a few titles that really have pumped. One of those is Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 3, which has stirred up much buzz in recent months. The film, which is formally titled Wake Up Dead Man, began filming earlier this summer, with Johnson’s all-star cast reporting for duty. Now, surprisingly, it would seem that the latest installment in the murdery-mystery franchise has already wrapped. That was confirmed via some killer social media posts from both Johnson and cast member Jeremy Renner, and they’ve just made me even more excited for the flick.
Jeremy Renner shared the news on his Instagram story this afternoon. The fan-favorite actor marked the occasion by sharing a selfie, which appears to provide the public with its first glimpse at his character. He also captioned the photo with an enthusiastic message, “That’s a wrap!!!!” You can check out the post for yourself down below:
Even though the post itself only represents a small behind-the-scenes tidbit from production, I’ll certainly take it! It’s also cool that the star provided what appears to be the first look at his character, whose name (of course) has yet to be revealed. As sweet as this post is though, it’s Rian Johnson’s that really has my interest piqued. The witty Looper director signified the end of principal photography with a black-and-white photo. When looking at Johnson’s snapshot, one can see what appears to be a cemetery in the background. But, at the forefront, is a note with a cheeky – and somewhat morbid – message:
As you can see above, the Star Wars: The Last Jedi director also included a sweet message as his caption. He thanked the cast and crew for their efforts while calling this shoot a “very special experience.” Based on BTS stories that have been shared about the previous Knives Out movies, it seems like the filmmaker and his collaborators have a lot of fun making these flicks. That would definitely track in this fan’s opinion, given just how enjoyable each of the films are.
Rian Johnson marked the beginning of filming in June by sharing a wild photo of Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, the lead character of the franchise. As was the case with the first two installments, fans are particularly excited about the ensemble of actors that’s been assembled. They were so pumped they even shared “unhinged” casting ideas early on. But officially joining Craig and the aforementioned Jeremy Renner are Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Andrew Scott, Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Thomas Haden Church and Daryl McCormack.
It’ll also be intriguing to see just what kind of mystery Rian Johnson has cooked up for this latest installment. While death has always been a theme in this franchise, the title for the threequel suggests that this upcoming movie will be particularly morbid. I’m also curious as to why the usually dapper Benoit Blanc looked so disheveled in the first-look image Johnson shared. There are a lot of questions that need to be considered, and history would suggest that it’ll be a while before fans are provided with some bread crumbs.
Regardless, I’m just comforted by the fact that the movie is officially in the can and is about to be edited. Considering how good the first two entries in the series are, the Brick director certainly has a high bar to clear. But I have no doubt that he, Jeremy Renner and their collaborators will accomplish just that!
While you wait for Wake Up Dead Man, rent or buy Knives Out on Amazon Prime Video, and stream Glass Onion with a Netflix subscription. You can also check out the 2024 movie schedule for information on big-screen fare that’s headed to theaters over the next several months.
